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I think the scariest part about Nazi-ism isn't so much of the genocide, but just how beurocratic it is, and because of that, how easy it is to fall into.

You may hear quotes from the original Nazis that were along the lines of "just following orders," and from a third party 75 years removed perspective, it sounds like a lame excuse for such unforgivable acts (which it is), and it's so easy to put yourself as a "good guy" and say high and mighty that "I would never do such a thing because I am a good person and Nazi's are evil." But having some empathy with the context shows a more complex picture for the joe shmoe from the street, and potentially worrying patterns emerging in the American culture today.

For the every day man, it was just a part of life. The boiling water and frog analpgy fits great here, in that it's small nudges to every day life that leads people to destruction. Modern nudges are perhaps the increasing links between government, religion and corporations, police brutality, increasingly complex and amorphous laws,and erosion and elimination of privacy. If not curtailed, fascism may be the result, voted by and approved of the voters (and I don't use that term lightly).

Only when people arm themselves and don't get soft can democracy remain. People Must have weapons, both physical and mental, in order to maintain their freedom. Freedom is the exception, domination is the rule, and because of that, it requires constant and vigilant work to keep it. It all starts with the individual's will to maintain their freedoms; the person must have the physical weapons to fight off physical freedom incursions, but they must also have mental and emotional weapons so they cannot be willed into apathy by psychological warfare. In the information age now, arming oneself with critical thinking, skepticism, and perhaps a little bit of paranoia may some good weapons to stay free.