The Fascists Amongt Us

It hurts to say this and my wife is urging me to stop saying it...but I persist.  

What I am saying to some of my friends is that their political behavior and arguments have lapsed over into fascism.

I won’t go into an academic analysis of fascism, read “Anatomy of Fascism”; its about the best criteria based analysis I know of about modern fascism and its attributes.

The sorry state of political behavior in the United States now includes fascism.  And it is growing.

It is not Nazism on all levels, although white supremacists have no compulsion about self identifying themselves as Nazi (National Socialists; I bet they wouldn’t  identify themselves as Nazis if they know what the real definition is).

The fascism in the United States so far is more like Mussolini’s Italy in about 1922.  It is tied to evangelical Christianity, not the Catholic Church as in Italy.  

But the Christian connection is critical...because it pivots off the need to oppose the Jews; ;and immigrants and sees religion as exclusion not inclusion in nature.  

That is critical to understand fascism and Christianity.....it takes Jesus’ teaching and EXCLUDES fellow Christians and targets Jews.  

It is authoritarian and it uses frustration ginned up by Fox and other right wing media, to drive mostly men/women into a frenzy that gets more radical all the time.   Fascism elected Donald Trump.  It is the core of his 30% or so followers.

It is rural, as it was in Italy, Spain and Germany and uses nativism to feed it.  It must have enemies to thrive and liberal “socialists” are its natural enemy.

Just today I tangled with one, a former friend, who posted anti-immigration posts and was rooted on by a post that said “California sucks”.  Now this was from a long time California Native who  no doubt wants  the “State of Jefferson”; another fascist movement.

And I take nothing but abuse for using the term...and after recommending “Anatomy of Fascism” a hundred times NOBODY HAS READ IT.

Typical of Fascists they refuse to get uncomfortable with their beliefs...it must remain “pure” and authoritarian.  Purity of thought again and again....they can't look at an issue from both sides anymore.  

Trump appeals to them because he is “tough”...although ignorant of diplomacy.  Diplomacy is seen as weak, military force is the favorite theme.  And this has grown as military service has dropped in frequency.  It makes me sick to see a fascist call for attacks when they never served a second in the military. They are hypocrites.  

And illegal immigration is a favorite whipping boy; even though the level of this has dropped to practically nothing in the last twenty years.  In short, false threats are the favorite fear monger  of the fascist propaganda machine...just watch Trump as he builds a climate of fear constantly...that is fascist behavior.

We  need a "Wall" ; we need to crack down; we need to make America Great Again.  And we see complex economic problems reduced to a tax cut that builds the fascist plutocracy in the country.  

And this is supported by a dwindling middle class who vote flat against their self interests (What is Really the Matter with Kansas...hint...FASCISM!)

This is fascist political/economic behavior.  It follows the build up that Hitler used in the 1930s, stimulating the economy with militarism, attacking political opponents in illegal and legal ways; etc.  Mussolini did the same thing in Italy.  Militarism and mobilization for war is an easy way to stimulate the economy...coupled with a tax cut and you have a reason to use the military....unfortunately this is on the road to ruin...see 2006-2007 Recession.  

It is fascism...it is not Republicanism...it threatens our freedom more than 1939 because it is amongst us.  It is right in our face...

And sadly, the only way to stop it is to kill it....