When they hear about bank nationalizations or government intervention at the auto giants, most people don't really feel threatened. After all, they have been told over and over that all their problems today are due to bankers greed -- which they have been brainwashed for years to believe is bad! So it's not surprising that their natural reaction is to think that those ugly capitalists got what they deserve. That is always the first step when transitioning from freedom to totalitarianism: find a scape goat, blame our problems to that group and then curtail their freedom (or more). And the favorite culprit has always been successful entrepreneurs along with their perceived proxies, the Jews.

History repeats itself and today is no exception: blaming the current crisis on the Jews is a growing trend again. The only thing that prevents antisemitism to be as commonplace and as it was at the turn of the previous century is the memory of atrocities committed by Germany during WWII. But antisemitism is still there and growing, albeit disguised under under a different and somewhat more presentable name: Anti-Zionism. To the point where a political party could be created in France that calls itself the Anti-Zionist party! A party whose not so subtle tag-line can be translated as follows:

For a Free Europe! -- free of Jews, I guess
free from multiculturalism -- free of practicing Jews
free from censorship -- free to openly deny the Shoah...
free from speculators -- everyone knows that Finance means Jews!
free from NATO -- another no less subtle link between America and Jews

Why is it OK to be openly Anti-Zionist -- after all Zionism is just being in favor of the existence of a state of Israel -- and not Antisemitic? Semantics.

But few people want to hear the canary in the coal mine. Until the next logical step in the creeping authoritarianism starts to develop. Next step which is just around the corner. For example, this is what could be read in the Telegraph a couple of weeks ago:

At secondary level, 92,000 children have been denied their first choice of school, while 30,000 have been offered none anywhere. Official figures for primary schools have not yet been published, but a huge shortfall of places is reported in, among others, Birmingham, Bristol and Surrey. In London, 25 out of 33 boroughs are unable to cope with demand.

(...)

Last week, Harrow Council, in north-west London, said that it was prosecuting Mranil Patel for fraud, after she pretended she lived at her mother's address to win her son a place at a popular school. In fact, Mrs Patel was living at her husband's house two miles away. She claimed she was living at her mother's during a brief split with her husband, but reconciled with him shortly after the school's application deadline. If found guilty, she risks a fine of up to £5,000 – or a prison sentence.

A prison sentence for wanting your son in a good school: yet another step towards tyranny. This is England in 2009! But no Western country is immune. The future looks bleak indeed...