The Road to Fascism

Fascism is defined as: “An authoritarian, far-right, ultranationalist political ideology characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism and forcible suppression of opposition. It prioritizes the nation-state over individual rights, often promoting national rebirth, racial purity and traditional values.” (Politico)

We are probably under-reacting to what is happening in our nation, because fascism is here and advancing quickly. There are several ways of looking at the characteristics of fascism which I will be exploring over the next several weeks. Below is one assessment.

1. Controlling the Media: All major news media outlets (CBS, NBC, and ABC) are owned by rabid Trump supporters. The news is now shaped and edited by a fascist agenda. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) threatens to pull the licenses of media outlets that criticize the Trump regime.
2. Targeting Ethnic Groups: In Minneapolis the target group is Somalis. In most cities Hispanic and Latino Americans/Migrants are the target. Haitian Americans and refugees are also on the hitlist as are Hmong Americans, Venezuelan migrants and Asian Americans. 
3. Scapegoating immigrants: The Trump regime consistently associates immigrants with complex social problems. Immigrants are blamed for crime and gang violence. The masked militia, also known as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), routinely target immigrants for detention regardless of their immigration status. It is straight up racial profiling. Their primary objective is to instill fear and anxiety. Travel bans and visa restrictions are another way the regime targets immigrants.
4. Threatening Sovereign Nations: The regime has a track record, i.e. invading Venezuela, bombing Iran, threatening to take over Greenland (a Dutch territory), and ongoing genocide in Gaza. Threats are now directed at Cuba.
5. Attacking Education: Trump strongarmed major universities into bowing to his educational agenda by threatening the termination of grants and research monies. Women’s Studies programs, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, support and study of LGBTQ+ communities, environmental sciences, and specific research areas are being defunded. The stated goal is to counter what he calls “radical indoctrination and woke spending.” In community schools, funds for school based social services have been discontinued and mental health and safety funding has been curtailed. In addition, desegregation grants have been discontinued. Millions of dollars for arts education and history/civics initiatives have been cut. Transgender inclusive policies have been terminated, as well as literacy and nutrition programs.
6. Detaining Without Due Process: Trump is trying to build massive detention camps all around the United States. While towns are pushing back, it doesn’t change the fact that the end goal is to detain thousands of people without due process and with no access to an attorney. This means long term incarceration in prison camps with deplorable conditions.
7. Punishing Free Speech: Peaceful protestors are regularly arrested for exercising their constitutional right to protest. Rebranding peaceful protestors as “domestic terrorists” means they can be arrested and held in detention camps.
8. Weakening Separation of Church and State: The regime is cozying up to White Christian Nationalism, which is a political ideology that seeks to merge American identity with a specific interpretation of Christian faith, often prioritizing the interests of white conservative Christians. The regime has established the White House Faith Office, which focuses on strengthening ties with conservative Christianity and prioritizing a nationalist interpretation of faith at the expense of all other religious traditions.
9. Dismantling Institutions of Democracy: The regime has taken a wrecking ball to the Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Education and Independent agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission. Independent leaders have been removed and replaced with liaisons that are loyal to the regime.
10. Oppressing the LGBTQIA+ Community: The regime is beginning to arrest LGBTQIA+ people simply for existing. The concentration camps in Germany did not begin with Jews, they began with the LGBTQIA+ community. Civil rights and legal rights are being eradicated. The trans community is disproportionately targeted.
11. Rewriting History: Eradicating Black history and forbidding any teaching around Native American Genocide are just a few examples. Textbooks are being rewritten to suit the white agenda of the regime.
12. Rejecting Election Results: Though it has been proven time and time again that voter fraud is virtually non-existent, the regime is sowing seeds of distrust in the electoral process (which is regulated by each state) and threatening to take over the election process. The results of the election, should they favor Democratic leaders, will be met with a cry of election tampering.
13.  Advocating Cronyism: Trump surrounds himself with sycophants who unconditionally bow to his agenda. In return these oligarchs receive tax breaks, relaxation of environmental regulations and labor laws.
14. Militarizing Secret Police: the regime has militarized the Immigration and Custom Enforcement Agency to function as a Secret Police force. They have little training and are free to use whatever tactics they want to arrest, terrorize and brutalize whomever they choose. They have even committed state sponsored murder in the death of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
15. Denying Reality with Constant Lies: if Trump’s lips are moving, he is lying. He is increasingly losing control of the narrative around the Iran War. It has amped up his lies. He continues to deflect attention from the war to his pet peeves (immigration, anti-Trans legislation, threats to invade other sovereign counties, etc.).
16. Fear Mongering to Gain Power: There is a part of the population who laps up his lies. They believe immigrants are the problem. They believe the United States was founded as a Christian Nation. They believe the government should have the power to create and enforce laws that feed their ignorance and bigotry.

The unspoken hope of the regime is that we will stop being shocked, stop being horrified and begin to normalize these behaviors as “just the way it is.” With each tactic being more outrageous than the last, we lose sight of the horrific things already accomplished and focus, until the next time, on what he is currently doing. The 24-hour news cycle quickly pushes that aside for something else.

We must not see any of this as normal. It is not “just the way it is.” It is tempting to despair and lose hope. It is tempting to ignore the encroaching fascism because it does not affect us (yet). It is tempting to minimize what is happening because it is too horrific to believe that our democracy is being disassembled right before our eyes. We cannot give them the satisfaction of being docile subjects who swallow whatever the regime declares is true. It is paramount that we stay informed, keep protesting and keep writing to legislators to decry what is happening. I know that is the advice all the time. But the truth is, it works. Don’t lose hope. Don’t despair. There are cracks in the regime’s foundations and one day they will be called to account. But only if we keep up the pressure.