Descending into Darkness

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santanaya

Facism.

Bristly word, huh?

I've always been a little hesitant to use the word to describe current events or to compare someone to Hitler. It's a serious comparison, strong and harsh. Comparing to Hitler or the Holocaust, or to any of the world's brutal fascist dictators, should be done with caution. Those were the darkest days of our world's history, and to go back there is the scariest of scenarios.

But now.  Now....  Now!

John Darkow

Now it fits.

It seems like we're headed there. Gawd, it seems like the US is headed there! The old adage "Don't forget history lest you repeat it" has never been truer. We are so close in so many ways to fascism that we need to really look seriously at the situation and NOT let our guard down.

This was making its rounds on Facebook:

I checked Snopes.com (I try to fact-check most "factual" memes, and you should, too) about its authenticity. Snopes reports that though this wasn't a display at the Holocaust Museum, it was offered in the gift shop (no longer offered). It was based on writings by Laurence Britt, a self-described "amateur historian" who has written articles, chapters, as well as a novel exploring the beginnings of fascism in America.

In any case, it's an interesting list, and I thought of dissecting these points with an example or two. Some of them are obvious, but for reasons of clarity of thought and factual documentation, I wanted to go through these points one by one.

So here we go.

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism. Well, this is quite obvious. He wants to "Make America Great Again" -- whatever that means -- and is unapologetic about his nationalism. He ran his campaign on Nationalism. In its purest form, Nationalism, is a positive. It's also called Patriotism. We all want to defend our country. We want to be sovereign and self-governing. But when Nationalism becomes extreme, such as by alienating allies, by punishing allies,  by mandating patriotism, by developing a brand of White Nationalism, or by ripping immigrant babies from their mothers' arms, it becomes the first step toward dangerous ground.

2. Disdain for Human Rights. Jailing babies from other countries. Withdrawing from the UN Council on Human Rights. Human rights are at the basis of our country's ideals, and he just doesn't care.

3. Identification of enemies as a unifying cause. The Others are the enemies, especially if they are brown. Xenophobia is rampant in his base, and Cheeto Benito plays to the fear of Others, whether they are Black Football Players, Muslims, Mexicans, or anyone from Shit Hole Countries. "They" are the cause for our woes. He not only vilifies the Others, he dehumanizes them. It's a tactic of dictators, and it is putrid.

4. Supremacy of the Military. He ran on the promise of vastly expanding the military. He wants a military parade -- with tanks -- down Pennsylvania Avenue. He wants to develop a Space Force (separate but equal!). He has flubbed a lot on this point, however. He doesn't mesh well with the Military, often clashing with "his generals." Veterans widely supported him in the election, but they are on to him.

5. Rampant Sexism. Sexism is an understatement. We don't need examples. There are plenty of disgusting examples. You know them.

6. Controlled Mass Media. Though he hasn't controlled it, he sure has been dangerously contemptuous of the Fake Media. He does, however, control at least one outlet. Faux News is his propaganda mouthpiece. The good news: his contempt is transparent and it may come back to bite him in the @ss.

7. Obsession with National Security. Interestingly, though his mouth screams "national security," his actions undermine it every day.

8. Religion and Government Intertwined. Oh gawd yes! Though this has been a hallmark of the Republican Party for decades, the Orange Scourge takes it to a new level. White Christians and TЯUMP: They are indistinguishable. Though his own personal religion is nebulous, if it weren't for White Christians, he would not have gotten the votes he got. And he knows it.

9. Corporate Power Protected. It seems superfluous to give evidence on some of these! Corporations control today's US politics. Period.

10. Labor Power Suppressed. Boss Tweet has done a lot to undermine labor unions, including just last month signing orders intending to hobble Federal employees' unions.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts. This is the topic of a planned blog post. This disdain is rampant! I'll come back to you with more.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment. This statement defines Hair Hitler. Did you see his February, 2017 speech to the joint session of Congress? Did you see his Inauguration speech? Here are some of the touch points on crime. Do you remember his 1989 full page ad calling for the punishment of five innocent people for a crime they did not commit? And his continuing obsession with the Central Park Five case,  still insisting they are guilty decades later?

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption. Arguably THE most corrupt administration* ever seated in the Whitewash House. Cronyism abounds. And Loyalty is Requirement #1 for this worm. I've looked at his mob boss (at its best) / dictator (at its worst) tendencies in a previous post.

and finally,

14. Fraudulent Elections. His bestie Putie took care of that.

Oh goodness! Just after I finished writing this, I found this article, which also examines several traits of Fascism and their expression in today's America. Read it!

So, where are we? Do we really have a dangerous madman? Or is he, as this excellent article from The Washington Post, just a two-bit conman?

Do we dare have hope? Will our 242-year institutions and ideals hold up to preserve our Republic? Some have dim hope. Me? I have bright hope. We are a nation of laws. Our checks and balances so far have worked to keep Li'l Adolph in check. Our citizenry is rising, especially now, at our darkest. People are risking their businesses and their jobs in efforts to resist. The owner of the Red Hen restaurant in Virginia asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave her establishment. Antar Davidson quit his job this week at an immigration center rather than follow orders to prohibit family members from hugging each other. In Montana earlier this year, Jordon Dyrdahl-Roberts felt a moral obligation to quit his job rather than cooperate with ICE agents.

Wouldn't it be great if some organization started a fund for conscientious objectors who quit their jobs instead of following immoral orders?

The majority DID NOT elect 45, and the majority continues to grow. Our resolve to right our country's path also continues to grow. We do have hope. We have November.

And if we learn enough about the dangers, we can avert disaster. Here's a quick primer. (Thanks to Resister Anne for pointing me to this video)



Go! Register to vote. Help register the newly-minted 18-year-old down the street. Read. Perhaps pick up Madeline Albright's book, Facism: A Warning. Take action. Wrestle back our Democracy. Resist.