America's choice: Freedom or Fascism
In my recent article, Trump: American Terrorist (Pravda.Report, June 2, 2020), I quoted this phrase from an article by Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross."
At the time this article was written, Americans had already been shown the cross, thanks to an inane photo of Trump holding a Bible (which some critics noted he wasn't even holding correctly) in front of St. John's Episcopal Church.
Now the combination is complete. After NFL quarterback Drew Brees recently drew backlash for criticizing the national anthem protests started by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016 (for which Kaepernick was banished from the sport and hasn't played since), the leader of America's Nazi party (formerly the Republican party), Fuhrer Donald J. Trump, was quick to leap to Brees's defense by proclaiming his alleged "reverence" for the American flag.
In communication theory, one of the most commonly used reasoning fallacies is known as the "red herring." The purpose of the red herring is to divert attention from the topic at hand, usually because an individual is unwilling or unable to intelligently discuss it.
This tactic was used, by Trump and others, almost immediately after Kaepernick first knelt during the playing of the national anthem, effectively turning attention away from why Kaepernick was protesting-because of police brutality, oftentimes against African Americans, and the lack of accountability for officers who engage in it-by claiming he was disrespecting the military.
While it appears that Brees was perhaps continuing to embrace this red herring, the same cannot be said for Trump. Despite all his sycophants' sophisms to the contrary, Trump is an unabashed racist fascist white supremacist who knows that his political fortunes reside in continually and selfishly sowing the seeds of division, cruelty, and hate.
After all, despite their now denials to the contrary, it was Fuhrer Trump and his sadistic enabler, William "Himmler" Barr, who ordered peaceful protesters to be teargassed and shot with rubber bullets by members of the American military, just so Trump could take his asinine "Bible" photo.
Which of course is clue one to America's descent into fascism: feign reverence for the symbol while ignoring everything the symbol represents.
If you ask most Americans what the flag represents, they will say "freedom." Yet where do many of these freedoms emanate from?
The answer is the Bill of Rights.
So, if the flag represents freedom, then logically it represents the Bill of Rights, and the First Amendment in these rights gives Americans "freedom of speech," and allows them "peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
What could be more fascist than to send members of the military to invade and decimate other nations on the pretext of promoting "freedom and democracy," while using this same military to suppress freedom and democracy in their own country?
And what are the leading members of the new Nazi (formerly Republican) party doing? Ignoring issues like COVID-19 and systemic racism so they can ram through the nominations of judges who, they hope, will carry on their legacy of fascism for decades to come. Two of the most prominent leaders of the new Nazi party are from Kentucky and while one, Mitch McConnell, has thwarted Congressional efforts to pass a resolution condemning Trump's response to peaceful protests, the other, Rand Paul, as of this writing, is blocking "anti-lynching" legislation.
I know that great controversy can be generated by applying Nazi analogies to present day leaders. But to do any less-to sugarcoat the depth of evil within the people now running America-would diminish the sense of urgency about what a pivotal time in history this is.
Also, and I mean this sincerely, although I have called the Republican party the new Nazi party in this article, this is only directed at the politicians who currently control it, and not lay people who happen to be members. But to these lay people I will say-nay implore you-to look at what your party has become-a cesspool of hate, division, mendacity, corruption, racism, and unmitigated evil that is more than willing to sacrifice the nation for its own selfish ends.
Make no mistake about it. The teargas, batons, rubber bullets, and military forces America's fascist leaders are now turning on those protesting racism and police brutality, they will turn on you without hesitation or compunction if you cease to do their bidding. And don't be distracted by their condemnations of "outside agitators," because, while there may be a few, the reality is that this also is nothing but a red herring designed to divert focus for why these protests began in the first place.
Some critics, belatedly sensing the extend of Fuhrer Trump's megalomania and Himmler Barr's enabling of Trump's criminality and lunacy are seeking solace in citing the ultimate fates of other madmen, like Hitler and Mussolini.
But don't forget, the world also suffered fascists like Franco of Spain and the CIA backed Pinochet of Chile, both of whom enjoyed decades in power.
The allure of fascism-that people are absolved of having to think because their decisions are all made by some "great" leader-is also its greatest danger.
America is on a precipice, and Trump, Barr, McConnell, Paul and others of their ilk are more than willing to push it over and more than eager to wage war on their own people to do it.
Freedom or fascism. The choice is yours. But it might not be for very much longer.
David R. Hoffman, Legal Editor of Pravda.Report
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