There are now two “Days of Infamy,” December 7, 1941 and January 6, 2021. The first occurred because of an attack by foreign fascists, the second because of an attack by American fascists, some waving Confederate flags. The U.S. Capitol has now been trashed twice. Once by the British in 1814, once by “Americans” in 2021.
Our president warned us, 1938-1941, of fascist danger, to no avail. The president, 2016-2021, incited authoritarian, cult-like behavior, to much travail. 1938-41 we were plagued by Silver Shirts, German American Bund, and America Firsters. 2016-2021 we we’ve been plagued by America Firsters, armed hooligans in streets believers in various crazy conspiracies, religious zealots, and Trump Cult zealots. Tragically, many of these later group have been grievously and flagrantly lied to and misinformed.
Post- 12/7/41, America rallied behind our president to defeat Asian and European fascism. The urgent 2021 question: will America rally to defeat domestic fascism?
Post-12/7/41, the right wing insisted our president had set up America at Pearl Harbor, a plot to drag America into foreign war [ neglecting the fact that Nazism was/is the most evil philosophy ever]. Post-1980, the right wing is insisting YOUR government has set up America for failure. This plot of “THEM” – commies, pinkos, liberals, gays, Jews, non-whites, socialists, immigrants, “big government,”…..”must be stopped” at all costs.
Post-1980, forces on the political-economic-religious-social “right” have declared war on America. In the past, they’ve murdered doctors, trashed buildings, blown up buildings, paraded in streets with guns and flags, terrorized people who disagreed, corrupted government and courts. On January 6, 2021, some of these people staged an insurrection that had been planned for some time, many were armed.
In September, 1787, Benjamin Franklin answered a Philadelphia woman’s question about what the Constitutional Convention had produced. His famous answer: “A republic, if you can keep it.” “..if WE can keep it. Do WE want to?
On January 27, 1837, Abraham Lincoln said: “At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” So – do WE want to endure, OR, allow domestic fascists carry out that suicide?
Since 1980, Republican “leadership” has given us Iran-Contra, S & L bailouts, an immoral invasion of Iraq and subsequent war crimes, the 2008 Crash and bailouts for the Wall Street perps who CAUSED it, and, the Trump corruption and cruelty reign.
Government subversion was intentionally done by Nixon, Reaganism, Newt Gingrich, Bush II, the Tea Party, Trumpism; appointing Cabinet people opposed to their job’ opposing public health and environmental protections’ opposing minimal gun control [we’re #1 in deaths!!!]’ reverse Robin Hood tax cuts for the rich [blowing up the national debt]’ the entire corrupt Trump reign.
Much knowledge of this sabotage and corruption is public. Confessions by ex-right wingers and Republican workers added to it. Read 25-year staffer Stuart Stevens’ “It Was All A Lie” or 25-year staffer Mike Lofgren’s “The Party Is Over.”
After the 1933-45 Nazi horrors, Germany rejected all aspects of Nazism. The pivotal question for post-2021 America: will an America, shocked by the January 6, 2021 insurrection reject Trumpist fascism? Consider: pro-Trumpers in other American cities cheered on reports and visuals of the anti-democratic Washington events. Do we WANT to preserve American democracy???
1933-45 German minds were poisoned by the propaganda of Joseph Goebbels. 198-2021 American minds have beeb/are poisoned by the propaganda of the “Fox echo chamber [and all the untaxed reactionary billionaire wealth behind it]. A 2018 Gallop Poll showed the most biased people in America, in worsening order were listeners of: MSNBC, One America News, Fox, Breitbart, Rush Limbaugh. Fox viewing Republicans had more extreme positions than non-Fox viewing Republicans!!!! This propaganda also comes from other right wing sources, especially government-hating corporations and the top 1%. Read Jane Mayer’s “Dark Money” or Nancy MacLean’s “Democracy in Chains.”
Economic inequality is a major source of American discontent. Read the international bestseller, “The Spirit Level” by Wilkinson & Pickett or Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz’s “The Price of Inequality.” 2021 American economic inequality is NOT an accident.
The great tragedy of 2016-2021 America, revealed again on January 6th, is how many good Americans have been grievously deceived by the propaganda and mind control efforts of Trump. the most troubling question is WHY did so many become followers of such an obvious con man? Even basic facts, known and accepted world wide, have had little effect on people trapped inside THE TRUMP CULT.
Steven Hassan’s “The Cult of Trump” supplies many answers, from the perspective of a man trapped for 2 1/2 years in a religious cult. Hassan discusses Trump’s mind control techniques in context of other known cult leaders. Hassan also describes the power of various right wing groups behind Trump, especially the “religious right.” Hassan’s description of Weyrich and Lind’s “Fourth Generation Warfare” is chilling. It is a deliberate “5th Column” effort to subvert and permanently America.
John Dean and Bob Altemeyer’s “Authoritarian Nightmare” spends half the book discussing Trump’s followers – most especially their motivation to support, their motivations to continue following Trump despite all evidence to the contrary. In fact, solid evidence that a person’s candidate is destructive don’t work – their minds are already programmed. Without agreed upon facts, democracy is impossible.
For more perspective, please consider this” Vanity Fair’s 1990 report that Trump’s first wife, Ivana, “told her lawyer Michael Kennedy that from time to time her husband reads a book of Hitler’s collected speeches, “My New Order,” which he keeps in a cabinet by his bed.”
And this, from “A Warning” by “Anonymous,” a Trump White House ‘political.’ Page 202″ “Trump revels in the herd-like behavior of his followers. He uses his social media presence to inflame public debates and to despatch supporters to attack politicians who’ve criticized him..” Page 197: “..pandering to common prejudices with false information.. when he does, the ‘false’ part gets ignored by his followers because of their confirmation bias. The ‘information’ part gets absorbed. They are willing to march lockstep if what he says validates what they already believe.”
We didn’t get to January 6, 2021, by accident. 40 years worth of right wing propaganda laid the groundwork. The fuse was deliberately lit by the worst president in American history, the very person the Founders feared.
The Founders had four major fears: abuse of power, slavery, religion, an mobs. The demagogic Trump reign has illustrated them all. But his loyal followers don’t believe this. THIS, more than the disgraced Trump, is America’s biggest problem.
Not all of Trump’s followers are racists [but very many are]. Not all of his followers are religious zealots [but very many are]. Not all of his supporters are top 1% greedheads [but their money, power, connections supported, created, much of 1980-2021 America].
Millions of Trump supporters are victims of lies and misinformation. Many are also victims of the top 1%’s efforts to cut their jobs and wages. The tragedy is that Trump followers actually believe that one of the most egregious top 1% victimizers cared about them – because, his virtual entire pre-presidential business career was filled with cheating people who had worked for him. Trump used their votes to gain the business opportunity of his corrupt reign.
Without considerable changes – meaning sharp reductions in top 1% privileges, incomes, and tax cuts – there will be another January 6th – by a smarter demagogue. That would not be a first. Jules Archer’s “The Plot To Seize The White House” documents the 1933-34 right wing plot to remove President Roosevelt. The plotters were top 1% members and corporations. Their mistake was trying to recruit double Medal of Honor recipient General Smedley Butler. Butler was supposed to lead the “boots on the ground.”Instead, Butler contact Congress. A 1934 Congressional report details the failed plot.
PLease also remember, as detailed in Charles Higham’s “Trading With The Enemy,” an expose of the Nazi-American money plot of 1933-1949. A who’s who of American corporations actively aided Nazi Germany, including during the war. Edwin Black’s “IBM And The Holocaust” documents how IBM made the Nazi machine work – which included killing American soldiers.
The next January 6 plot, carried out by a much smarter demagogue might not fail. If up to 50 million Americans have been deceived by somebody as ignorant and incompetent as Donald J. Trump – what could a real, competent-appearing future American demagogue accomplish?
With Justice For All 