Charlottesville: Ugly American Fascism Revealed

More than once, Donald J. Trump excoriated former President Barak Obama for not calling ISIS or Al Qaeda members by the phrase “Radical Islamic Terrorists.”  Trump wanted the correct term used so that we would have no doubt about their background or about their intentions.

Taking his own advice, does that mean he should have used his Saturday press conference following the Charlottesville, VA domestic terrorist attacks to condemn the forces that attacked peaceful demonstrators for what they truly are:  Nazis, Racists and white supremacists?  After all, did they not advertise openly those names for themselves? Of course they did, because they now know without a doubt that they have not only a sympathizer in the Oval Office; they also know that they have their own true believers in the Trump administration, one of whom – Steve Bannon – is a prime policy advisor.

Despite Trump speaking out against violence and hatred – “on many sides” – he missed an opportunity to identify the radical domestic terrorist groups present in Charlottesville, who have activated a plan that seeks the destruction of a democratic agenda, and of a diverse society.  It also includes the destruction of the liberal press, the elimination of certain rights and freedoms, and the destruction of a government that supports 'liberal' programs and policies that do not favor white Americans.

Does Trump really believe that his Monday press statement before a television audience absolves him from that indiscretion?  In my opinion, it does not.  It was a crude attempt to right the wrongs of that first statement, but it falls short in two respects: (1) it did not renounce that phrase of “violence on many sides”, and (2) it did not ask the Justice Department to investigate more than the killing and injuries.  In other words, there was no mention of possible “hate crimes” that should be investigated by federal officials.  Trump once again fell short of true presidential prowess and moral leadership.

This event in Charlottesville is a benchmark and perhaps a red line.  It has marked the open defiance of avowed fascists against a fundamental civil right: that of peaceful protest. It has marked the public demonstration of Fascist and white supremacist ideology and vitriol.  It has identified the violent nature of this country’s Fascist movement: they will kill innocent people to advance their agenda (a very adequate definition of “terrorism”).  And, it has released upon this country a plan of attack that has characterized fascist groups throughout the world (see my Blog posts of 11/23/2015).  

Make no mistake about this so-called “incident.”  It is not incidental; it was not unplanned; it is not a one-time occurrence (reports of other possible events are already circulating).  Those terrorists who were dressed in military garb have declared just what they regard this to have been – an opening battle for the supremacy of the white race and for the “de-construction” of democratic governance.  The minimization of this event is a huge mistake, like that made by much of the populace of Germany in the 1930s.  I say this because:

1.      Fascism is, by definition, a terrorist plot that uses hate and violence as essential tactics. “One common definition of the term focuses on three concepts: the fascist negations (anti-liberalism, anti-communism and anti-conservatism); nationalist authoritarian goals of creating a regulated economic structure to transform social relations within a modern culture; and a political system of romantic symbolism, mass mobilization, a positive view of violence, and promotion of masculinity, youth and charismatic leadership. According to many scholars, fascism—especially once in power—has historically attacked communism, conservatism and parliamentary liberalism, attracting support primarily from the far right.”  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism).

2.      Fascist tendencies are alive and well in another segment of society that also seeks the de-construction of rules and regulations of government that (supposedly) suppress the free market, free trade and the ability of rich capitalists to reap tremendous profits (by hook or by crook) from the rest of mankind.  The financial support by oligarchs of the type of Fascism displayed in Charlottesville will be a force to be reckoned with.  It might even be the unstoppable “juggernaut” the Nazis developed in Germany.    Those commentators who remind us of the smallness of this Charlottesville contingent have forgotten their European History, for the German Nazis were also ignored at first for their relatively small presence.  Stopping a Fascist movement of any numbers must begin in earnest precisely when they are small and seemingly insignificant! Consult the following for a listing of these groups in the USA:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:White_supremacist_groups_in_the_United_States

3.      Third, do not for a moment forget that avowed Fascists, white supremacists and radical nationalists exist within the Trump administration, and they are key players in the production of the policies and rhetoric of this administration.  Steve Bannon, who is a special policy advisor to the President, has been a leading advocate of Fascist and racist-type views for a long time, but until now, did not have an inside office and position from which to spew his Fascist rhetoric into the ears of the Executive of this branch of the federal government.  Briefly, here is a picture of two insiders from Tribune News Service, authored by Tony Pugh:

WASHINGTON _ Religious and civil rights leaders called on President Donald Trump to fire White House advisers Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka, whose association with the white-supremacist "alt-right" movement has come under heightened scrutiny after Saturday's violent clash in Charlottesville, Va.

"Supporters of white supremacists, violent extremism, racial bigotry and neo-Nazis should not serve in the White House or any level of government," said Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Bannon, Trump's chief strategist, is the former executive chairman of Breitbart News, a right-wing news site that's a favorite with white nationalists and the so-called alt-right movement of anti-Semitic and white-power groups, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Bannon also was CEO of Trump's presidential campaign.

Gorka, a deputy assistant to Trump, has ties to anti-Semitic, right-wing groups in Hungary.  Farhana Khera, president and executive director of Muslim Advocates, said Gorka "gave cover" to individuals who bombed a mosque in Minnesota when he called it a "possible fake hate crime." 

"Until the president purges his staff of supporters of the white supremacist movement, the president's condemnation (of violence in Charlottesville) has no credibility. The presence of Bannon and Gorka in the administration is the president's silent message to extremists to continue their march of terror against our communities. And it must stop," Khera said.

Trump has faced widespread criticism, even from within his party, for not denouncing the incident as domestic terrorism and for refusing to directly condemn the white supremacists, racists and neo-Nazis who organized the event.   (www.mcclatchydc.com)

Two points: 1) this is the right kind of pro-active step taken by the religious and civil rights leaders, and they should be supported in their stand that Trump should remove avowed Fascists from appointed positions in the White House and Executive Branch, and 2) a simple denouncing of the domestic terrorists who ravaged Charlottesville and who killed and injured peaceful protestors is not enough. 

• They must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law;
• There must be a federal investigation of the terrorist intentions of the groups involved; and
• Every measure should be taken by governments and citizens of every state to financially burden and weaken every organization on the list mentioned above at Wikipedia.com. 
• We must use every measure possible, including boycotts of revenue-producing events and products in every state that harbors such organizations. 
• Every Fascist organization (and their oligarchic sponsors) that advocates the destruction of our rights, freedoms and democratic institutions must be investigated, boycotted, vilified, and forced into the mode of de-construction that they so lovingly proclaim through their WH spokespersons, especially Steve Bannon.  

The items that emboldened the Nazis in Germany are instructive:

§  the passive reactions to their demonstrations, their rhetoric and beliefs,

§  displays of violence that went unpunished by authorities,

§   the easy conversion to their movement of certain citizens within the population, many of whom had experienced what was later described as a “moral numbness” induced by lack of leadership and lack of good people organizing to resist

§   the ignorance and lack of resolve on the part of the leaders of the Weimar Republic, and the inability of local leaders and citizens in towns and villages to comprehend what was happening (and what was likely to happen); they just didn’t see Nazism in its full hideousness

§   the refusal of many citizens to listen to the warnings provided about Nazis by professors, some experienced politicians, clergy, and philosophers.  They were all ignored (read my post, “The Niemuller Warning” 11/9/2015).

We must be prepared to follow former Congressman John Dingle (Democrat from Michigan) into battle against this foe.  Anyone who believes this incident to be a distraction or a one-time occurrence is delusional.  Dingle is right – they are Nazis, and they can’t be ignored.  He is correct again when he recognizes that this unseemly crew of domestic terrorists must be opposed in battle. And again, he is right: Trump must resign, or be fired! 

POLITICS 08/13/2017 11:57 pm ET

Congress’ Longest Serving WWII Vet Vows to Fight Nazis Again After Violent Protest

Former Rep. John Dingell had a message for white nationalist groups that incited violence on Saturday.

By Rebecca Shapiro  

“Former Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), 91, known on Twitter for his bristling and often comical political observations, had a clear message following Saturday’s deadly violence incited by a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.  Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress in history, was also one of the final two World War II veterans to leave office in 2014. On Sunday, Dingell tweeted that he enlisted once to fight Nazis, and he’d do so again if necessary. 

Dingell enlisted when he turned 18 in 1944. He told NPR that he did not see combat but said had the atomic bomb…not been dropped, he would have been part of a ground attack on Japan. 

The former congressman, who served in Congress from 1955 to 2014, is a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. He most recently used the anniversary of former President Richard Nixon’s resignation from office as an opportunity to show Trump how such a decision could be made.  ‘You could even fit it in a tweet,’ he wrote to the president.” 

The threat of Fascism – in its various forms of radical nationalism, race hatred, Nazism, and its violent and destructive ideology – must be defeated whenever it raises its ugly serpent head.  Charlottesville is the starting line.  We must begin the battle right now, and never stop until the Fascists are vanquished, their financial sponsors are jailed and their Chief Abettor in the White House is removed from Office, along with his government de-constructionists (Bannon and Gorka must be the first to go), and that should be the first order of business for every progressive activist in this land. 

 

Is 'Scapegoating': another Signpost?

In the Declaration of Independence, there is much concern about something we probably minimize, or think about less than our Founding Fathers did. They were, of course, dealing with a situation that demanded their full attention, and here are a few of the phrases they used to describe the Tyranny of England’s King George III:

“He has refused his assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.”

 

“He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.”

“He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states.…obstructing the Laws of Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither…”

“He has erected a multitude of new offices and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people…”

“He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws…”

“For cutting off trade with all parts of the world.”

“For imposing Taxes on us without our consent.”

“For…abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our Governments.”

“He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with the cruelty and perfidy scarcely unparalleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.”

“A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”

“Tyranny” is not a pretty term. Nor is it unfamiliar to our own history. As a matter of fact, we have had Presidents and Legislators, right on down to governors and local office holders like mayors, who from the very beginning of our Republic through to modern times have let their tyrannical or authoritarian tendencies rule their better natures. Unfortunately, tyranny comes in many forms and can get loose from a democratic foundation in varying increments of time. But one thing is consistent: in whatever mode and at whatever acceleration, tyranny is marked by oppression, repression, injustice and, perhaps most often, by uncommon cruelty, harshness or harm.

Instead of reviewing numerous examples of such perfidy in our history, let us concentrate on a few basic premises that may have escaped our attention in the chaos of a Trump administration and its accompanying cruelties and injustices. As one author suggests, “Americans today are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism in the twentieth century. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. Now is a good time to do so.” (On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder).

One of the very basic items that Tyrants depend on for eventual ability to control large numbers of people is one of humanity’s basic flaws: an inability to control one’s impulses, to self-evaluate or to question authority. It is, in some sense, wrapped-up in our origins, in human nature, and in the slow adaptation of our brains beyond tribal myths, norms, behaviors and group-think. We are, as a result, intrigued by new leaders who can easily demand our obedience born from the fundamental aspects of our nature. We are willing to cast aside many things we have learned (or could learn) and to give our loyalty to such leaders according to our basic instincts.

Donald Trump is quite adept at capitalizing on this “anticipatory obedience,” as it is termed by author Snyder. Trump is eminently successful at manipulating the fundamental instincts of citizens including deep-seeded loyalty to family, a local area, and to country above all. Playing on those loyalties, he tends to over-emphasize the glories of the military, touting as well the importance of devolving programs like Medicaid and many others to administration by states and local entities. Thus, he uses in-bred instincts and loyalties to build a militant nationalism that gathers support for “America First” and “Making America Great Again” which demand a leadership that is uncompromising, and a constituency that is militantly loyal.

The unthinking obedience he counts on is also connected to the human instinct to blame someone else for life’s problems, exigencies, unfairness, and injustices, and for the nation’s ills. Such scapegoats are perceived as possessing characteristics, appearance, language or religious beliefs that are different from the accepted norm. That kind of scapegoating is the essence of what an authoritarian leader needs to inspire: unquestioning personal loyalty to him (or her) as the supreme leader and savior they can admire and serve. Donald Trump has chosen “radical Islamic terrorists” as his primary scapegoat (he has many). Starting with his much-maligned ban on Muslim immigrants from seven countries he has broadened this target to, by inference, include all Muslims, even though he continues to deny it! But those denials pale in the light of additional facts and actions:

• Friday, July 29^th – in a speech before law enforcement officers, Trump praised the aggressive tactics of immigration officers (CNN.com)
• December 2016 – quietly began having immigration officials ask foreign visitors for their social media accounts on a voluntary basis (Politico via CNN)
• Increase in deportations
• “Extreme vetting” instituted in January and has been characterized as a “euphemism for discriminating against Muslims” (CNN.com)
• Use of anti-Muslim rhetoric
• Elevation of Islamophobic staff members to key positions in the White House
• Lack of response to the rise in hate crimes targeted at Muslims (Brennan Center for Justice)
• Anti-Muslim bias in the workplace; complaints to EEOC are up substantially (Brennan Center)
• Mosques around the country under attack
• Some cities and towns have changed their laws to prevent the building of mosques (Brennan Center)
• An “anti-sharia movement” seeks to convince Americans that courts need to be stopped from applying Islamic traditions – 34 states have considered such legislation (Brennan Center)
• Policies that allow profiling on basis of religion and treatment of American Muslim communities as “pools” of potential terrorists resulting in constant surveillance by police authorities

It goes without saying – but I will not hesitate to say it – this all sounds so akin to what Hitler and the Nazis did toward German Jewish citizens in the 1930’s and 40’s that it is absolutely frightening. Innuendos, lies, inflammatory rhetoric, and manufactured phantom threats (like sharia law) are all a part of what it takes for authoritarian leaders to cultivate a rabidly loyal following toward the ultimate goal of dictatorial control. One thing we should have learned by now: Donald Trump is not a thoroughly committed advocate of democratic principles. He is imbued with values and verities that challenge democratic ideals, most likely implanted in his psyche from the shabby (and shady?) business practices and principles he has absorbed and cultivated over the years. Under the guidance of Steve Bannon and others, he has begun to act on those values and we as a country are beginning to show the signs of an entrenched minority who are fiercely loyal enough to become his staunch supporters and henchmen.

We are not far removed from a nation transformed into something it was never meant to be. Consider the following list of attributes of a Fascist regime (per Prof. Lawrence Briggs):

1. Powerful and continuing nationalism
2. Disdain for human rights
3. Identifying scapegoats
4. Military supremacy
5. Rampant Sexism
6. Control of mass media
7. Obsession with national security
8. Religion and government intertwined
9. Business interests protected
10. Labor power suppressed
11. Disdain for the arts
12. Obsession with crime and punishment
13. Rabid cronyism and corruption
14. Fraudulent Elections

Now ask yourself: how can we resist these trends? How can we stop this de-construction of our democratic government? How can we turn away from this path leading to destruction and begin to regain the spirit of independence, democratic participation, and truly representative democracy built on justice and equality; on checks and balances of political power? What will it take to re-invigorate our rule of law?

It certainly will not be accomplished by the current Executive or Congress or Supreme Court; what does that leave? It leaves that branch of government on which our Constitution ultimately depends: The People. We are the answer; we are the resistance; we are the reformers; we are the only ones who can rejuvenate a weakened and failing Democracy. Citizens must resist appeals to base instincts and stand instead for our basic democratic beliefs and ideals; must formulate policies and programs that advance the well-being of all, not of the few; must run for office to represent local constituents, not to manipulate them into following party lines nor to become beholden to an elite corps of monied sponsors and lobbyists; must demand of office-holders that they solve real problems rather than dither with political party philosophies.

We are faced with the tyranny of despotism, not unlike the experience of our Founders. If we fail to resist the authoritarian Trumpian philosophy, and fail to recall this nation to a progressive ethic of liberty and justice for all, we shall awaken to a reality that is unfathomable and to a nation that is known for its perfidy rather than its compassion; for injustices rather than a passionate fervor for human rights and universal justice. We must not minimize the Danger! We must Press On with the passion that has characterized progressive democratic humanitarian movements throughout our history. We Must Not Give In or Give Up!

[There is more to be said on this theme, but, in keeping with a new self-imposed rule for this Blog, I am limiting this, and future posts, to a more reasonable word limit of around 1,500. I hope that you, dear reader, will find this appealing and return as often as is convenient. Thank you for continuing to follow my Blog!--- I.M. Publius 2]