State rep called out for quoting Nazi

Aug. 18—An Indiana state representative is being criticized for displaying a quote attributed to Hitler's chief propagandist on his Facebook page.

State Rep. Jim Lucas, R-Seymour, on Monday in his cover photo displayed a quote frequently attributed to Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany's minister of propaganda from 1933 to 1945.

It read:

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State."

Lucas was apparently referencing vaccines and the U.S. government's positions on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lucas soon was called out on social media by his Democratic opponent for state representative for the 69th House District, Chad Harmon, who wrote, "After running against Jim Lucas for a while now, it's hard to surprise me anymore, but today he literally changed his cover photo to a quote from Nazi Joseph Goebbels. This is a sitting Indiana state representative quoting a Nazi."

CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute on Wednesday released a statement saying it "strongly condemns the quote and link posted by Jim Lucas, Republican member of the Indiana House of Representatives. Representative Lucas quoted Joseph Goebbels, minister of propaganda for the German Third Reich under Adolf Hitler and included a link to a site with Goebbels' name and 'The Jewish Question.'

"We are shocked and horrified that an Indiana lawmaker would make such a statement about Hitler's chief architect and purveyor of hate speech, ultimately leading to the murder of over 6 million Jews in the Holocaust. Hate propaganda was the driving force behind the Holocaust, and these seeds of hate have been, and are being planted, today in the United States.

"We urge Speaker Todd Huston, Indiana House Speaker, to condemn Representative Lucas's actions, and we call on others to speak out as we are doing against these seeds of hate. "

Lucas later deleted the photo and replaced it with a quote by George R. R. Martin, the Game of Thrones' author: "When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say."

He also posted a lengthy statement that said, in part, "YES, I recently posted a historically factual quote from the Minister of Propaganda of one of the most evil governments on earth. I won't say the name of the party because apparently even mentioning any sort of history associated with that evil regime gets one labeled as such and a hot topic of the media.

"It was a quote of him explaining how easy it is for evil to begin and to grow. Why would one not want to learn from and understand this confession?

"I offered nothing else, incorrectly thinking people would simply read the quote and THINK about it and the historical significance of it, but this was obviously assuming too much. He explained that for evil to take hold and grow is to simply lie. And keep repeating the lie, as people will come to believe it. Also, people must be shielded from the consequences of the lie and that truth is the mortal enemy of the lie and the State that spreads the lie.

"Now, I AM NOT COMPARING OUR GOVERNMENT TO THIS GOVERNMENT, only attempting to educate people on how evil can begin and the possible depth of the dark path it can lead to, that history shows can know no end."

As reported by Indiana Public Media, Lucas's social media posts have landed him in hot water before. House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, removed Lucas from several study committees in May for a meme he shared that commenters described as racist. Lucas also was criticized in 2017 for a letter to the Indianapolis Star insinuating that women who carry guns were learning not to be victims of rape.

Mark Fitton can be reached 812-231-4333 or mark.fitton@tribstar.com