The portion of the script below is taken from the screenplay written by Abby Mann for the 1961 film Judgment At Nuremberg. if you’re reading this, and were a high school senior in 1961, you would have been a toddler at the end of WWII. Odds are you didn’t see this film as a teen. Today, you would be 80-81. Which means you are among 2-3% of the U.S, population. Which means most Americans never heard of Judgment At Nuremberg. The film was nominated for 11 AA, winning four (4). One of those was for actor Maximillian Schell, now deceased; another for Mann. The speech below, at a Military Tribunal, is Schell’s closing argument in defense of a German officer accused of crimes against humanity. You read this speech a dozen times. Why? Because it applies to high crimes at any point in history — and who is responsible. Who is responsible for crimes against humanity — against your own people? You believe Abby Mann wrote something for mankind to ponder, perhaps for always. For today, you make a humble attempt to very loosely replicate this speech as it applies to 2021. Thank you, Mr. Mann.

Hans Rolfe (Maximillian Schell

Your Honor…
it is my duty…
to defend Ernst Janning.
And yet, Ernst Janning has said he is guilty.
There is no doubt he feels his guilt.

He made a great error
in going along with the Nazi movement….
hoping it would be good for his country.
But if he is to be found guilty…
there are others who also went along….
who also must be found guilty.

Ernst Janning said:
“We succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.”

Why did we succeed, Your Honor?
What about the rest of the world?
Did it not know the intentions
of the Third Reich?
Did it not hear the words
of Hitler’s broadcasts all over the world?
Did it not read his intentions
in Mein Kampf…
published in every corner of the world?
Where is the responsibility
of the Soviet Union…
who signed in
the pact with Hitler…
enabled him to make war?
Are we now to find Russia guilty?
Where is the responsibility of the Vatican…
who signed in the concordat
with Hitler…
giving him his first tremendous prestige?
Are we now to find the Vatican guilty?
Where is the responsibility
of the world leader Winston Churchill…
who said in an open letter
to the London Times:
“Were England to suffer a national disaster,
I should pray to God…
to send a man of the strength of mind
and will of an Adolf Hitler.”
Are we now
to find Winston Churchill guilty?
Where is the responsibility
of those American industrialists…
who helped Hitler to rebuild his armaments,
and profited by that rebuilding?
Are we now to find
the American industrialists guilty?
No, Your Honor.
Germany alone is not guilty.
The whole world is as responsible for Hitler
as Germany.
It is an easy thing
to condemn one man in the dock.
It’s easy to condemn the German people…
to speak of the basic flaw
in the German character…
that allowed Hitler to rise to power,
but also…
comfortably ignore
the basic flaws of character…
that made the Russians sign pacts with him,
Winston Churchill praise him…
American industrialists profit by him.

Ernst Janning said he is guilty.

If he is…
Ernst Janning’s guilt is the world’s guilt.

No more, no less.

Fodder Replication

Your Honor…
it is my duty…
to defend the Old Democrat Party
And yet, the Democrat Party is guilty.
There is no doubt Democrats feel the guilt.

Traditional Democrats made a grave error
in going along with the Communist movement….
hoping it would be good for their country.
But if they are to be found guilty…
there are others who also went along….
who also must be found guilty.

Democrats said:
“We succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.”

Why did we succeed, Your Honor?
What about the rest of America?
Did the rest of America not know the intentions
of Obama, Biden, BLM, Antifa and Cancel Culture?
Did America not hear the words
of Obama, Biden, Harris, Cortez and other Leftists
broadcast by left wing media?
Did America not read the intentions
of the Radical Democrat Party
published in every corner of the nation?
Where is the responsibility
of Republican Party leaders
who refused to unite behind Trump?
Who enabled Democrats to lie and cheat?
Are we now to find the GOP guilty?
Where is the responsibility of Governors
and State Legislators who rolled over?
Who allowed terrorists to destroy their cities?
Who shut down their state economies?
Are we now to find the Governors guilty?
Where is the responsibility
of Business Leaders and Major Corporations?
who give money to Communist organizations
and support Cancel Culture and Critical Race Theory?
Where is the responsibility of Educators
who choose social indoctrination over education?
Are we now to find all teachers guilty?
Where is the responsibility
of so-called conservative Americans
who whine and moan about Socialism,
yet go along with it as they sit on the sidelines?
Is the average hard-working American guilty?

No, Your Honor.
the Democrat Party alone is not guilty.
Most of America is just as responsible
for Socialism as the Democrat Party.
It is an easy thing
to condemn a few people like Obama, Clinton, Pelosi & Biden.
It’s easy to condemn the Democrat voters…
to speak of the basic flaws
in the Democrat voter’s character…
that allowed Biden to rise to power,
but, then, also…
comfortably ignore
the basic flaws of character…
that made the GOP disloyal to Donald Trump,
That made Big Media corrupt its sacred trust,
That made Big Business sell its soul
That made the Average American abandon freedom
And made the Average American get in line.

The Democrat Party is guilty,

If it is…
the guilt is America’s guilt.

No more, no less.