Tag: fascism

This is a Test

Pat Liberty

Fascism depends on people thinking that:

  • things aren’t that bad.
  • what’s happening there won’t happen in my area.
  • it will all work itself out and I don’t need to do anything.
  • it won’t impact me because I’m a citizen.
  • democracy has always survived; it will this time, too.

Fascism assumes we will be lulled into a false sense of security because the horrors are not knocking on our door. Fascism assumes we will grow tired of protesting and contacting senators and representatives because we think it won’t do any good. In short, fascism depends on our docility.

It is, however, time that we ask the question, how long will we:

  • tolerate the federal government deploying national guard troops against US citizens when the national guard is called out at the state’s behest?
  • ignore the inhumane conditions at Alligator Auschwitz because we don’t personally know anyone who has ended up there?
  • dismiss the attacks on civil rights for the LGBTQI community because we are not in that population?
  • Ignore an undone, mentally incompetent, megalomanic presiding over the demise of our democracy while we twiddle our thumbs?

It’s past time we remember Hitler didn’t start with concentration camps. He started by creating “us” and “them.” He started by dehumanizing groups of people and giving people a common “enemy.” He started by suppressing dissent and punishing those who publicly disagreed with him. He started by creating disinformation campaigns.

We cannot ignore that all of that, and more, is already happening here. And we cannot forget that Hitler’s rise to power could not have happened without the tacit consent of the German Church. The state church became the Reich church and supported the policies and pogroms Hitler promoted. The Roman Catholic church was largely silent as the horrors unfolded. Even the Confessing Church eventually capitulated to the pressures of the third Reich.

In the United States, fascism and the entrenchment of white Christian Nationalism cannot happen without the tacit consent (or silence) of the church. In a world where the loudest voices get airtime, what is needed is a cogent voice that cuts across denominational and political lines. It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or granola groupie, what is happening to people across our country is wrong. It’s not about politics; it’s about being human. Standing by silently while ICE agents create terror (which is the point) is one sign of our agreement with these inhuman policies and procedures.

Make no mistake, this is all a carefully orchestrated plan. The goal is to create an authoritarian regime that gives the message that it cannot be challenged. It also gaslights people into thinking that this leader, in this case the not-so-great Cheeto, is the only one who can “save” the country.

With the demise of the integrity of the Supreme Court, there is no limit to the power this unhinged, deranged man-child can exercise. His minions all kiss his ass and carry out his bidding just to preserve their own political power.

So, what to do? Every single day make your voice heard. Contact senators and representatives (they do not have to be from your state) and protest the policies of this corrupt government. Stay informed about what is REALLY happening and not what you are fed by major news outlets. Listen carefully to the language that is used to describe what is happening. It will give you an idea of their “spin” and their priorities. Look for the most neutral news outlets you can find.

Read, read and read some more. Understand history and how it repeats, especially when our leader looks with admiration upon the most abominable human being in recent history. We can recite the statistic that says six million Jews died in the death camps, and it is true. What is also true is that four million LGBTQ persons, those with mental limitations, Roma people, Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, Jehovah’s Witnesses, artists, writers and political opponents (like Dietrich Bonhoeffer) also died.

We do well to remember the words of Martin Niemoller:

“First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a communist.

            Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.”

This is how I rewrite it for our time:

            First they came for the immigrants, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t an immigrant.

            Then they came for the journalists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a journalist.

            Then they came for the transgender and LGBQI community and I didn’t speak up because I was not a part of that community.

            Then they came for the liberal church, and I didn’t speak up because I was not a practicing Christian.

            Then they came for the poor, and I didn’t speak up because I can afford my groceries,

            Then they came for the chronically ill and removed their health care coverage, and I didn’t speak up because I can afford to pay for my health care.

            Then they came for me and everyone was so pissed that I didn’t speak up for them, they ignored my cries for help.

The truth is, we are all in this together. We need to use our voice and our privilege to speak for those who are systematically disempowered by the fascist regime that is firmly established in our country. There is still time, but it is running short. What will you be remembered for?

Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, Fascism and Faith

Pat Liberty

The words totalitarian, authoritarian and fascist are used interchangeably, but each of them is a political system in its own right. While there are similarities and overlap, there are important differences that can help us critique the direction in which American politics is heading.

Donald Trump has said that if (or in his mind when) he is elected, he will be a dictator from day one. What the three political systems have in common is that each requires a singular political leader who demands ultimate allegiance. The difference is in the system that surrounds them to carry out their “vision.” A dictator is one who exercises complete authority and has absolute power. They are subject to no checks or balances to prevent the abuse of power.

Twentieth century dictators included Joseph Stalin, General Secretary of the Communist part of the Soviet Union; Adolph Hitler, Fuhrer of Germany; Augusto Pinochet, President of Chile; Mao Zedone, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party; Benito Mussolini of Italy; and Kim Jong-un of North Korea.

“Totalitarianism, fascism and authoritarianism are all forms of government characterized by a strong central rule that attempts to control and direct all aspects of individual life through coercion and repression.” 

In totalitarianism, there is unlimited power in the state. It controls virtually all aspects of public and private life, morals and beliefs of the people and political and financial matters. “One distinct feature of a totalitarian government is the existence of an explicit or implied national ideology–a set of beliefs intended to give meaning and direction to the entire society. Totalitarianism is typically distinguished from dictatorship…by its goals of replacing all existing political institutions with new ones and elimination of all legal, social and political traditions.”

An authoritarian state has a strong central government and allows people a limited degree of political freedom. However, it is all controlled by the government without any constitutional accountability. Its leaders cannot be replaced through freely conducted elections. The ability to form opposing political parties is limited or prohibited entirely.

Fascism is the most extreme expression of totalitarianism and authoritarianism. It is characterized by the “…imposition of dictatorial power, government control of industry and commerce, and the forcible suppression of opposition. Historically, fascism has kept nations in a constant state of preparedness for war. There is also a quest for ‘racial purity’ that defines anyone other than white Europeans as inferior.” Fascists see democracy and free/fair elections as obsolete. They also emphasize one party rule to accomplish their perpetual readiness for war.

What these repressive forms of government have in common is that concern for the common good is eliminated. To accomplish their goals, these regimes will divert resources from social safety net programs like Women Infants and Children (WIC), Medicaid and Medicare, Social Security, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), early childhood intervention programs and more. All resources are directed toward whatever goals the regime has stated as primary. It creates widespread suffering among the poorest of the poor. Further, it makes those on the bottom of the middle class downwardly mobile into the working poor.

These governmental regimes also tend to create wealthy oligarchs who control the nature and the means of production. Unions are dismantled and worker protections are eliminated in the name of increased productivity for the regime’s stated goals. Wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few at the expense of the many.

Further, such regimes often adopt a singular “religious” emphasis that corresponds to their goals and suppresses all other forms of religious expression as dangerous. There can also be propaganda that lulls religious institutions into a state of complacency. This was clearly on display in Nazi Germany when the German church was hypnotized into a coma that was blind to the atrocities committed by the Nazis.

What this means to us as people of faith is that we must remain alert to the implications of proposed and hinted at changes to our democracy. Government is intended to be “of the people, by the people and for the people.” This means that governmental system, structure and process should benefit the greatest number of people, beginning with the poorest of the poor. Jesus’ primary concern was for the poor, the outcast and the needy. He regularly criticized the powers for treading on that vulnerable population. He advocated for a radical redistribution of goods and services to benefit the neediest among them.

We are tempted to check our faith at the door in favor of some distorted view of the separation of church and state.  In fact, the establishment clause of the Bill of Rights was intended to assure that there would not be a state sponsored church (as there was in England). Further, the first amendment guarantees the right of free exercise of religion. We cannot allow the demands of our faith to be eclipsed by our sense of hopelessness, powerlessness and despair. We must listen carefully to the hyperbole and doublespeak that seeks to lull us into either a false sense of security or an utter mental check out of the process because we are so disillusioned. This is the goal of disinformation and gaslighting political rhetoric.

In this time, we must be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)

Resources

Longley, Robert. “Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, and Fascism.” ThoughtCo. December 5, 2022.