But the subject was thrust in to a public discussion by a sign that is displayed in a yard on Buttermilk Pike which simply reads "Germany 1933". For those who may not be aware, 1933 was the year that the Nazis took power in Germany and established a brutal dictatorship. Historians have carefully recorded everything that happened as a result.
All of our reporters fanned out at the recent St. Joes' End of Summer Celebration Church Festival heard a great deal of public chatter about Martin in general and that sign in particular. Surprisingly, there was virtually no sympathy created for Martin by the sign, Instead, there was a large amount of agreement that there may be some parallels.
Look, we do sometimes describe Martin as "the diminutive dictator". We don't want our readers to get even an inkling that we're defending Martin or anything he has done. We are fully supportive of the First Amendment rights of the homeowner who has displayed the sign that has generated so much worthwhile discussion as well.
So what were people saying at the festival?
- That Martin did get himself elected by creating a phony "cult of personality", falsely portraying himself as a "do-gooder" who was set-up by people trying to derail his efforts.
- That Martin has used below-the-belt tactics and deception to consolidate his power, surrounding himself with venal lackeys who will do his bidding.
- That Martin does use the concept of "The Big Lie" to dupe people in to believing he is saving them "a whole bunch of money" despite his profligate spending and the abject waste of taxpayer money to do nothing but advance his personal vendetta.
- That Martin will go to virtually any length to squelch opposition, issuing Executive Orders designed to silence his critics at public meetings and attempts to marginalize those who oppose his radical views as "part of the problem".
So, Martin clearly fits most definitions of a dictator. But he is barely a fifth-rate dictator. In point of fact, we tend to believe that Martin suffers from what blogger Jay P. Greene once famously described as Petty Little Dictator Disorder (PLDD). You know, "if people only understood how smart I am and how much better things would be if they simply do exactly what I want". But that is about as far as it goes.
We don't think the mendacious Martin will be remembered seventy years from now. We believe this is mostly just a momentary blip of very bad government. We are more inclined to think that Martin will end up in what has often been called "the ash heap of history".
But we won't know that for sure for awhile.
