As I heard about the recent arrests of a group of people, led by a German prince, who had conspired to topple and German government and establish a far right state, I thought about a book published in 1934, shortly after Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany.  Written by Lion Feuchtwanger, this book is titled The Oppermanns.

    The Oppermanns is a study in the horrifyingly insidiousness of the creep of anti-Semitism.  It describes the lives of a few Jewish families trying to live in the aftermath of Hitler's rise to power.  One by one, each family comes to grasp the reconditely burgeoning enormity of the anti-Semitism that is sweeping across Germany as the Nazis solidify their hold on the hearts and minds of the populace.  Yet initially, they suppose that everything will be fine.  As the days go by, however, they come to realize that, no, things will not be fine.  The State is intent on eradicating every vestige of Jewish existence.

    So it is with us today.  We are often unwilling to accept that our freedom is threatened.  Be patient, be hopeful, we tell ourselves.  Do not worry unduly.  Things will change.

    Sometimes things do change.  Other times, however, they do not.  And then what do we do?

    Isn't liberty, personal, cultural, spiritual, and otherwise, precious?

                                              More than we think.