THE RISE OF FASCISM IN THE UNITED STATES

Throughout human history, authoritarian governments were the norm.  Emperors, empresses, kings, queens, and dictators of all types ruled their realms with iron fists.  Within these dictatorships, however, were those handpicked advisors who advised at the will of the ruler.  The voice of the people were rarely considered, but every dictator knew that to disenfranchise the ruled could lead to their overthrow should someone powerful enough could rise up and defeat them in battle or through court intrigue.  

Democracy existed in form, if not in name, within the substrata of power throughout most of human history; such as, royal councils and tribal gatherings.  Pure democracies; such as, ancient Athens proved to be weak and untenable.  As a large decision making body, it lacked cohesiveness and was vulnerable to infighting and intrigue. 

With the Enlightenment, however, the democratic idea reemerged.  The flaws of a pure democracy created by unruly aristocrats gave way to the notion of the the ruled having a direct say in making the rules, regardless of aristocratic status.   Out of this understanding the United States was the first nation to develop a constitutional republic comprised of three co-equal branches of government to limit the chaos created by a pure democracy.  If not in fact, at least in principle the U.S. Constitution rights to individuals and minorities to be heard and recognized.   It must be noted that the founding fathers of the United States were keenly wary of pure democracy and the tendency of its electorate to move towards totalitarianism; such as, the rise of fascism in the twentieth century and its emergence within the United States today.  

What leads to fascism is largely connected with a nation's economic concern and the close connection between wealth and power.  Democracy plays a limited role in fascism and is utilized to give a fascist state validity by being the choice of a given nation's electorate.  Let us examine the reasons an electorate would vote in a fascist regime within a constitutional republic that relies of democratic principles.

CAPITALISM AND FASCISM

Where fascism has an opening to garner support is within capitalistic economies; especially, where unfettered capitalism creates economic inequality and instability.  Since the early Twentieth Century there has always been a tendency towards fascism due to the economic fluctuations caused by unfettered capitalism and the Great Depression.   I googled fascism and capitalism to illustrate the link between the two:

"Fascism and capitalism often converge during economic crises, where fascism acts as a protective, authoritarian shell for private property and capital. While fascist regimes in Germany and Italy allowed private ownership and profits, they suppressed labor unions and intervened heavily to align corporate interests with nationalistic state goals.

Key Aspects of Fascism and Capitalism:

Support for Capital: Fascist states generally protect private property and the profit motive, often forming a close merger between state power and large corporate interests.

Suppression of Labor: A core feature is the destruction of independent labor unions and the restriction of workers' rights to prevent threats to capitalist profits.

State Interventionism: While supporting private enterprise, fascist regimes often direct the economy through subsidies, state contracts, and national priorities, sometimes replacing market mechanisms with state planning.

Response to Crisis: Fascism frequently emerges when traditional, democratic, capitalist systems fail to manage extreme inequality or economic instability, leading to a shift towards authoritarianism to stabilize the system.

Complex Relationship: While fascists often use anti-capitalist rhetoric to attract support, they generally protect the structural existence of the capitalist class while eliminating its autonomy from the state.

Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy were prominent examples where private firms, such as Volkswagen and I.G. Farben, flourished, and in some cases, saw increased profit, despite state control."

From Google Search, an AI Overview

Does any of the above sound familiar?  

Does the above help to explain why so many multi-billionaires and corporate executives are supporting the Trump regime?

UNDERMINING THE CONSTITUTION

As with all totalitarian governments, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, the right to protest against the government, and freedom of religion as stated in the First Amendment are currently being attacked by the Trump Regime. 

Read it for yourself:  

The First Amendment:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Under the Trump regime's use of ICE  and its Border Control agents to go after both legal and illegal immigrants has resulted in the Fourth and Fifth Amendments being openly ignored. 

The Fourth Amendment:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The Fifth Amendment:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Under the Trump regime, citizenship is being questioned; in particular, people of color and increasingly anyone who is openly opposed to President Trump's handling of the immigration crisis that his regime has created in sanctuary cities in the U.S..   His regime has attacked the clear meaning of both the Fourteenth and the Fifteenth Amendments.

The Fourteenth Amendment:

Section 1.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

The Fifteenth Amendment:

Section 1.

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

President Trump's legal team and the regime's Justice Department are muddling the clear meaning of "All persons born or naturalized in the United States... are citizens of  the United States.., "nor shall any State deprive any person... due process of law," "nor deny to any person ... equal protection of the laws."   President Trump has urged Republican state legislatures to gerrymander voting districts to favor MAGA candidates in the upcoming mid-term elections based on race, ethnicity, immigration status, and voting statistics.  

With regard to the rise of a fascism in the United States one must realize that while fascism can be the result of a democratic process that elects fascist leaders, it has nothing in common with the United States Constitution.  Once elected to power,  fascist will be an attempt to discredit democratic elections and institutions as in the Trump regime's attempt to "federalize" elections.  Should that come to pass, it will make it easier to manipulate election outcomes.  

THE SECOND AMENDMENT

GUN OWNERS BEWARE.   The handwriting is on the wall.  President Trump has already given notice that limiting privately owned guns from being carried in public is being questioned.   He recently made a statement that guns have no place in public protests, due to Alex Pretti having one on his person as the reason he was shot ten times.  Alex had a license to carry his gun on his person and was within his rights to do so while protesting  against ICE and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.  The pretext that he was killed because he had a gun on his body caught the attention of gun owners nation wide  and organizations like the NRA.  President Trump has opened the door to question private gun ownership.

Fascists love their guns.  What they don't like is anyone else having them.  It is easy to predict that if the First Amendment is ignored, the Second Amendment will be history because, as a fascist see it, there will be no need for state militias or militias of any kind unless directly controlled by the federal (fascist) government.  Any opposition to handing over one's guns will likely result in their forcibly being taken.  Any opposition to the government will be largely impossible since owning a gun will likely be considered an act of insurrection.  All totalitarian governments prohibit the vast majority of their civilians possessing guns.

This may sound like utter nonsense to those who see private gun ownership as sacrosanct to the American way of life, but is it?  It is only to the extent that the current constitutional rule of law remains intact.   Should the entire bill of rights, along with the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments are rendered mute, no legal means will exist to protect the gun ownership as Congress and the Supreme Court will act as  a rubber stamp to whatever the regime dictates.  This is not fantasy, it is happening in real time as conscientious, constitutionally-minded republican legislators and senators are resigning or refusing to run in the upcoming mid-term elections.  

I have heard people defend the shooting of Alex Pretti because he brought a legally owned gun to the protests in Minneapolis.  If you take away the right to bear arms as a protestor, the only guns allowed at a protest will be by fascist law enforcement agents  Truly something to consider, no matter what one's political views are regarding guns.  

DARVO

DARVO is a term every voting citizen should be aware of.  DARVO is defined as a manipulative, three-stage defense mechanism—Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender—used by abusers to avoid accountability by turning accusations back on the victim.  Coined by Dr. Jennifer Freyd, this tactic is common in intimate partner violence and narcissistic abuse to create confusion, induce self-doubt, and discredit victims. Key responses include recognizing the pattern, maintaining focus on the original action, and seeking support to counter the gaslighting effect."  Google Search.

We have seen the recent use of DARVO in connection to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti as Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, within in minutes of their being killed, stated they were domestic terrorist without any investigation of the facts.  DARVO is used in a cases involving rape; especially, those involving women.  The release of the Epstein files have resulted in the "unintentional" release of the names of those women who were raped.  One need not speculate too hard to find suspicious reasons for such an inept thing to have happened.  

If people think that revealing salacious material about President Trump will remove him from office, I seriously doubt it.  The MAGA branch of the Supreme Court will bail him out as long as he is the current president; citing that such personal untoward behavior, while unbecoming of a president in office, is not in the national interest to pursue during his current time in office, or something to that effect.  

These victims hope for justice will be best served once Donald Trump is removed from office and faces justice as a private citizen. 

Beyond the Epstein files, President Trump continues to bamboozle the citizens with his not too veiled attempt to rename the United States  TRUMPLANDIA or something to that effect.   His obsession of renaming historical structures and building edifices to glorify his person is something reminiscent of the Roman emperor Nero's building his golden home, the Domus Aurea, on the burned out ruins of the fire he likely had a hand in starting.     

Congress is the only branch of government that currently has the ability to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States by removing Trump and the fascist elements of his regime.  I personally have hope they will because as long as Donald Trump continues on using the office of the President to take personal revenge on real and perceived enemies both at home and abroad, the United States of America in harms way both domestically and from abroad.  All members of Congress know this.  The question is how many of them are complicit with Trumps regime or willing to do their duty, if not?  

Norm 

L' ÉTOILE DU NORD

Minnesota's state motto, "L'Étoile du Nord," "The Star of the North" is a true metaphor for a state that is showing us that as a nation we are off course, once again.  It is not ironic during the month in which we commemorate Martin Luther King Day, that amidst the callous disregard for human life by ICE agents who are themselves the worst of the worst, we hear the optimism of Dr. King's voice,"We shall overcome."   I sincerely hope that is the case.

The deliberate murder of George Floyd in 2020 by a law enforcement officer and the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti this month at the hands of ICE agents who believed they could and can act with impunity has shocked many in our nation into a reality many do not want to believe.  But believe it we must as the Trump regime is quick to excuse such murderous behavior by accusing the victims of being domestic terrorists as a rationale for depriving them and the nation of the justice we are all constitutionally entitled to.    

The Trump regime is denying due process of the law simply because due process is a threat to this regime, as it consistently violates its constitutional responsibilities by creating  national emergencies that have no basis in fact as a cover for the President Trump's illicit past.  The Trump regime has been getting by with this simply because the Republican controlled Congress has largely turned a blind eye to court rulings that have attempted to block Trump's regime from its abuse of power. 

* * * 

DAVOS

At the World Economic Conference in Davos, Switzerland this past week, we saw how weak the Trump regime truly is.  Yes, the United States has great military power and can push its weight around as demonstrated by the capture of the Venezuelan President Moduro and his wife, an act of pure dictatorial theater to impress upon our allies the futility of denying President Trump's claim that the United States must have Greenland for its national defense and threatening, if the U.S. could not purchase it from Denmark, it would take it by force.  Added to this, he threatened to impose tariffs on any NATO nation opposing his desire.  

That was before his appearance at Davos.    

Before Trump landed in Switzerland, it was clear that European democracies and Canada were having none of it.  Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech made it clear that the Trump regime has created a "rupture" in the NATO alliance; that the United States can no longer be trusted as an ally.  Carney's speech will probably go down as one of the most important speeches of the 21st Century. It has all the makings of a game changer in world order.   It should have a chilling effect on any conscientious American citizen.  Our most trusted and faithful allies are turning against us.  

Can we blame them?

* * *

FEAR

Fear is a great motivator.  Currently there is enough fear in the world to threaten its existence.  This is not hyperbole. As our allies are giving up on us and seeking ways to forge alliances that exclude us, we are facing domestic terror the likes we have not experienced since the Civil War.  

At Davos, Trump had a woke moment. Once he became aware of the opposition he was facing from our NATO allies, he quickly changed his rhetoric and said he would not use force to annex Greenland nor would he impose tariffs.   Instead, he claimed there was a deal be had sometime in the "infinite" future.  While President Trump's political supporters were glad to hear it, the rest of the world knows that such rhetoric is a face saving ploy.   For the moment, Europe can take a breath, but we here in the United States cannot as ICE agents are acting like Trump and Noem's Gestapo; going door to door in Minneapolis asking people to point out their immigrant neighbors and arresting protesters or spraying them with pepper spray while protecting their neighbors.    

Americans have a lot to fear right now.  The Constitution is being ignored.  President's Trumps threatens to enact the Insurrection Act of 1807 to quell peaceful protests against ICE in Minnesota by employing the  U.S. Military to do so.  This prompted  Senator Mark Kelly and others senators who served in the military to make statements with regard to the fact that members of the military owe their loyalty to the U.S. Constitution and not to the President.  As a nation we need to understand what made them speak up.

* * *

LOYALTY TO THE CONSTITUTION

The following is a plaque posted at West Point Military Academy which may help the reader understand Senator Kelly's and others concern about the use of military force to do the President's bidding:

"THE UNITED STATES BOLDLY BROKE WITH ANCIENT MILITARY CUSTOM OF SWEARING LOYALTY TO A LEADER.  ARTICLE VI REQUIRED THAT AMERICAN OFFICERS THEREAFTER SWEAR LOYALTY TO OUR BASIC LAW, THE CONSTITUTION.

WHILE MANY OTHER NATIONS HAVE SUFFERED MILITARY COUPS, THE UNITED STATES NEVER HAS. OUR AMERICAN CODE OF MILITARY OBEDIENCE REQUIRES THAT SHOULD ORDER AND LAW EVER CONFLICT, OUR OFFICERS MUST OBEY THE LAW.  MANY OTHER NATIONS HAVE ADOPTED OUR PRINCIPLE OF LOYALTY TO THE BASIC LAW.

THIS NATION MUST HAVE MILITARY LEADERS OF PRINCIPLE AND INTEGRITY SO STRONG THAT THEIR OATHS TO SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION WILL UNFAILINGLY GOVERN THEIR ACTIONS.  THE PURPOSE OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY IS TO PROVIDE SUCH LEADERS OF CHARACTER 

* * *

THE INSURRECTION ACT OF 1807

"The Insurrection Act of 1807 empowers the U.S. president to call into service the U.S. Armed Forces and the National Guard: 

• when requested by a state's legislature or governor, if the legislature cannot be convened, to quell an insurrection against that state (§ 251),
•  to address unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion in any state, which renders impracticable the enforcement of the law (§ 252), and 
• to address an insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy, in any state, which results in the deprivation of constitutionally secured rights, and where the state is unable, fails, or refuses to protect said rights (§ 253). "  From Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia

The Insurrection Act was utilized during the Civil War.  In 1871 the Act was modified by the Enforcement Act to protect Black Americans against the Ku Klux Klan and the Civil Rights Movement 1954 - 1968.

"In 2016, Public Law 114-328 was amended to include Guam and the US Virgin Islands under the jurisdiction of Chapter 13; §252 indicates that the “Use of militia and armed forces to enforce Federal authority:   Whenever the President considers that unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion against the authority of the United States, make it impracticable to enforce the laws of the United States in any State, by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings, he may call into Federal service such of the militia of any State, and use such of the armed forces, as he considers necessary, to enforce those laws or to suppress the rebellion."

From Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia

* * *

I believe it is important to understand where the Constitutional battle lines are being drawn.  The Insurrection Act of 1807 is not in the Constitution per se, but it is a law enacted under the auspices of Congress' constitutional duty to make laws as it deems necessary.  The spirit of the Insurrection Act is to protect the Constitution in which the right to public assembly and to protest government action is embodied within its Bill of Rights.  As noted above the insurrection can be employed where such rights are being deprived.  It would be the highest form of hypocrisy to invoke this act on those exercising their right to protest.

Peaceful protest that is loud and boisterous is not rebellion nor should it be considered an act of insurrection.  In fact, the Justice Department's exclusion of civil and state authorities in investigating the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis must considered in the light of obstructing justice at the local and state level where such acts occurred.    

Senator Mark Kelly is within his constitutional role as a Senator and as a retired military officer to remind those serving this nation within the military of their obligation to protect the Constitution by following the law rather than following orders.  The case being made against Senator Kelly is that as a retired service member he does not have a First Amendment right to publicly voice his opinion even though he is a Senator who serves on the Armed Services Committee.  In voicing his concern to those serving in the military, especially the military leadership, of their oath to defend and protect the Constitution from those who would usurp its authority, he was in no way sharing state secrets nor inciting members of the military to engage in an insurrection.  That the current regime reacted as if he and others did is, in itself, telling.

The biggest threat to the United States is the increasing disregard of our Constitution by Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court; all of whom have engaged in meaningless parlor games over the decades regarding its authority.  If we survive the miasma of Trump's swamp, we need to consider changing our motto from "In God We Trust" to "No One Is Above The Law."  Fear of the law is obviously more effective than fearing God; especially, when it comes to the current regime.  

* * *   

EN AVANT

Governor Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Frey have preempted the need for military force as Governor Walz has called in the Minnesota National Guard to protect the streets of Minneapolis.  Both Governor Walz and Mayor Frey have urged calm and peaceful protest, which on the part of the citizens protesting has demonstrated immense restraint thus far, given the extreme violence leveled against them by ICE agents.   ICE should not be weaponized against President Trump's political adversaries. No President of the United States should ever expect one hundred percent loyalty from U.S. citizens.  Such expectations are totally un-American and reek of dictatorship.      

If anyone is attempting to incite an insurrection, it is President Trump who, in an act of unfiltered transparency, has offered to pull back his ICE agents on the condition of  Minnesota turning over its voter registration records to the Department of Justice.   Everyone should know where that is going, given that we are nearing the mid-term election.  

That blatant act of extortion being exercised by the current regime is astounding.  Every American should be aghast at this obvious attempt to discredit the upcoming election because the current regime fears losing both the House and the Senate.  Every member of the House and Senate should be chomping at the bit to see the current regime impeached, convicted, and removed office. We need to protect our electoral system from the felonious behavior of a bamboozling liar.  The only way forward is to prevent it from meddling with the upcoming election.  Congress, do you duty!  You have more than enough to impeach, convict, and remove the current regime.   

We must stand with Minnesota and the brave citizens of Minneapolis who are defending not only their rights but our rights by demanding justice for all and a return to civility in government.  Let us keep our gaze fixed on L'Étoile du Nord.   The world is watching and waiting to see if we have the courage to correct our course.  The question is how long will they wait?

Norm