Julie's Flag

Julie’s Flag

 

Julie and I share the value of patriotism.  We also share our mutual distress at the erosion of civic pride in our very unique, though flawed democracy. 

She has observed to me that she is not going to let the authoritarian American right have exclusive right to flag waving.  She is going to own her share of it.

So, since I’ve been her partner, she has owned a large American flag and has displayed it routinely on significant patriotic holiday.

Lately though, she has brought the flag out, lovingly folded in a triangle and hung it on our porch overlooking Wilmington Delaware. 

This simple act of an activist, dedicated American, my life partner moves me every time she does this which is, if not daily, very, very often.

I treasure the fact her father served our nation, as did I and my father and his father.  The latter volunteering for Army service as officers during WWI, WWII, Korea and during the Viet Nam era.  Notwithstanding Julie’s and my work as anti-war activists during Vietnam and Iraq/Afg.

It so moves me that this brilliant woman and devoted spouse, mother and grandmother will not let the right own patriotism and displays of dedication to our democracy so under threat of extinction and sabotage by forces of authoritarianism and fascism.  It so moves me when she often chokes up when the pledge of allegiance is said or the national anthem is played.

I am so proud of her leadership in a women’s activist group promoting democracy here in Delaware starting with the Women’s March in 2017 to rise up against the authoritarian elected by our Electoral College to undermine women’s and American’s rights. 

She’s a fighter and lover of freedom for all.

 

Here's A Crazy Idea-An Ununited State for Authoritarians

Clearly, the democracy consensus in America is broken. I'm struggling for an idea as to how to rebuild a democracy consensus.  But here is an idea to liberate us from these crazies who want to destroy the U.S.A. and embrace authoritarianism.  They can even choose Trump as their leader, or Rudy Giuliani, DeSantis or whomever.

Let's allow one or two states to disengage themselves from our democracy and set up a refuge for those hating the liberal democracy we created 250 years ago and want their own thing.

Here is what that would look like.  Their citizens would not be subject to federal law and regulation.  They can pollute freely as long as it does not impact neighboring states.  They can embrace racism,   reinstalling something like Jim Crow.  Let them outlaw homosexuality and sex confirmation procedures.  They can install a state religion and require adherence to its tenets, be they protestant, catholic or whatever the rulers choose.  They can abolish all regulation and taxation and rely on voluntary contributions to run the government services, if their rulers want any such services.  

Healthcare can be totally free market, with care providers charging as they see fit and serving whomever they choose.  Capitalism can be completely free market.  

There would be no public education with families deciding how to educate their children with their own curriculum or unregulated private schools teaching what they want excepting chool curriculum will be provided for them and sanitized to exclude the genocide done on the first Americans, slavery described as happy cotton pickers singing spirituals in the fields and segregation the choice of all involved in society.  Firearms would be totally unregulated with open carry allowed with any form of weapon.

Fire Departments would be private, with a subscription required for service.  Neighborhoods can provide their own voluntary police forces or wealthy people providing private policing for themselves.

There would be a central committee assigned to approve of appropriate conservative content for books. Libraries would contain only those approved books.

Press and news services would be private organizations reporting and disseminating any content they choose with no fact checking or licensing in the case of electronic media, modeled after Fox.

Speech would be monitored and violators expressing liberal or progressive ideas would be charged, tried and incarcerated.

The rulers can choose any form of government organization they wish with no Constitution and can change the form at will.  They rulers would be appointed by the wealthy and deposed as they choose at any time.  There would be no elections, ever.  Military protection from invasion would be provided by private militias.

Grocers and pharmacists can charge anything they choose for products and services. There would be no regulation of the safety of their products.   There would be no public mail services; Fedex et al  would serve this purpose and charge at will, case by case.

There would be no currency; the state can set up its own bitcoin or bartering service.  There would be no retirement funds by employers and citizens would be on their own to provide for their own support.

I'd be open to suggestions on my Facebook page where this would be published as to which states might opt to volunteer for this undemocracy project......Montana, Idaho, Florida, Texas, whatever.

Texas has had a longstanding secession movement.....maybe Abbott or Cruz would like to lead this movement.

Three Books To Read On The Way Out of America's Fascist Distopia

 I've been trying to figure out all this fascist insanity going on.  I've read three books I recommend you read to figure it out with some hope.  The way out first is I think well identified in Thomas M. Nichol's OUR OWN WORST ENEMY.  The way in to where we are I think is best understood by two books written by House Impeachment Managers: MIDNIGHT IN WASHINGTON   by Rep. Adam Schiff and UNTHINKABLE by Rep. Jamie Raskin.

Schiff's book is a  massively chronicled detailing of all the evidence of Trump's betrayal of America in the Ukrainian saga attempting to secure dirt on President  Biden's family for political/campaign advantage and all the players complicit with him in that effort and the integrity filled story of how your Congress worked to secure legitimately secured evidence of that abuse of power.  

Raskin's book reveals massive evidence of Trump's betrayal of the country that enabled all his personal financial success and resulting influence over the gullible among us.  Here the impeachment centered on the Trump lead insurrection effort leading up to, including and continuing after the January 6 attack on democracy, our Capitol and duly elected government leaders.  Raskin identified in this book the three rings of the insurrection.  He details the three rings as the protesters feeding the riot, the outer ring.  The middle ring, the insurrection itself. And the inner ring, the plotters and executors of the first failed Jan. 6 and future planned coups. 

Nichols provides some well researched historical examples of un-engaged citizenry in communities in Italy and Utah and their parallels to the more recent America as we know it with what he describes as clannish self interest and disengagement from civic participation and abandonment of the idea of the common good influenced by libertarianism and our extreme cultural prioritization of individuality over community cooperation.  This trend was identified in the 90's by researchers as cocooning.   The evidence has been clear Nichols observes with our historic low voter participation and a prevailing attitude expressed by  many including my own family members as "fuck politics".

I will not be a spoiler regarding Nichol' solutions.  I want you to join me in reading his book to formulate your own solutions to restoring our democracy which takes hard work compared to autocratic governance.  Reliance on authoritarian leaders looks to autocrats  to do the work,  not the citizenry.  Under fascist autocracy history tells us, citizens are willing to forego their personal agency and impede the freedom of others in their interest not to be bothered with the work of self-governing a community and nation, excepting their own family which they proclaim is their preferred lifestyle. 

SCOTUS Has a Central Role in American Corporate Fascism

 Legal analysis provided by Elie Mystal reveals history regarding Chief Justice John Robert's role in our declining democracy in his leading the high court to restrict voting rights.  He advanced the work of his predecessor, Republican racist Justice William Rehnquist who also made it his life's work to restrict voting rights for Black Americans.

Mystal cites Robert's leading the court to reducing the role of the Federal Government in protecting voting rights often restricted by States through the 2013 Shelby V. Holder decision overturning the requirement of States with a history of voter discrimination to protect voting rights.

Robert's prior political and legal history had a pattern of racism in his chosen work on public policy, in the tradition of two other modern Republican icons, Pat Buchanan and Newton Gingrich., completing the circle of all of the three Federal Branches led by Republicans in their day in this dreadful discrimination.  Republicans have a log history of promoting an apartheid, white nationalist America, post Lincoln and the short lived so called reconstruction era. This discriminatory behavior is also recognized in their Federalist and Heritage societies also dedicated to advancing white control of government. This is all about Corporate dominance of our economic and social systems.

This core value of Republican political leadership is at the root of their support of so called States Rights and  their longstanding work to diminish Federal authority over our States, excepting the Federal role in National Defense and low Federal taxation, particularly of the wealthy and corporations.  

Mystal argues that the 15th amendment has not been enough voter protection; it requires detailed statutory law to be enforceable. Thus our need for the recently failed voter protection the Republicans, in total fascist fashion, shot down with the help of two DINO Dems.  

As is the practice of Fascists across the globe historically, Republicans have focused their efforts on restricting rights, such as those for Women's choice as well as voting rights and as Mystal observes, maintaining white American  and Corporate dominance in the social order and politics.  Corporate dominance over government and public policy I would add.

They have done this with favorable treatment in taxation for the wealthy to preserve their wealth, authoritarian policies from the Executive branch, discriminatory legislation favoring the white wealthy citizens at all levels of governance from the Legislative branch and favorable treatment of the Corporate and wealthy classes in areas of criminal and economic justice. 

To not recognize these practices as fascism is to not read or understand both world and American history.  I find the majority of my fellow white American's just do not chose to understand this reality of our life here through willful ignorance.

A significant influence on America's flirtation with fascism is Corporate America. In the 1930's major Corporate leaders were harsh critics of the Roosevelt initiatives to dig America out of a Corporate caused depression via casino capitalism, generating fear that these remedies to the collapse of the economy would lead to communism.  This was repeated in the 1950's and now again in the early 2000's.

Some of these Corporations went on before and during WWII  with trade with fascist Germany with slight of hand initiatives to conceal their betrayal of the American people.  This included aiding and abetting U.S. money supporting manufacture of tools of war in Europe covered up with a shell game.  

Further, Corporate America initiated complicity with support of central American authoritarian government leaders who collaborated with them in economic initiatives in their countries.  America's shameful history with our own authoritarian take over of economies and ultimately governance of Hawaii and Puerto Rico for the sake of Corporate profit. 

American citizens' apathy toward their own citizenship and responsibility to maintain democracy has enabled authoritarianism as the economy reigns supreme over self government.  America has advanced itself through get rich quick schemes over increasing freedom and self governance schemes. 

This in my view explains the current crisis to maintain our union.  We are led by economic predators who have attached themselves to Republicans and Wall Street Democrats. 

Our way out of this is reform of our Corporate regulatory policy and emphasis on domestic economic cooperation over competition evidenced  by our emphasis on education to further economic advancement rather than enlightened citizenship and improvement of lives for all of us, not just the chosen few.  This is how we have wound up with a hand full of billionaires calling our shots, not patriots advancing democracy over autocracy. Racism is fueled by our economic need to foster an underclass in service to white nationalists, the privileged class in America who advance a theory of our genetic superiority to motivate the white underclass to support the advancement of the predatory privileged few. 

Note the appeal to Christians behind Bannon over his right shoulder.  Christianity in service to fascism. Germany and Italy showed these predators how it's done.

American Fascism- Ideological Chaos

 The Republican Party adoption of the Trumpian version of fascism mirrors the mental chaos of Trump and his enablers.  This strain of fascism finds its roots in the ideological work of  Republicans like Wm. F. Buckley Jr., Pat Buchanan and Newt Gingrich.  As a former and recovering Catholic, I cannot help but be struck by the influence of hyper orthodox  Catholicism with these three as well as the Republican party.

The ideological strains to which I refer in Republicanism include libertarianism, authoritarianism, Catholicism and evangelism. The coalition that is Republicanism has created a dysfunctional merging of these very dissimilar value systems that explains the chaotic nature of this party and its destruction of our attempt at advancing our form of democracy for the past 250 years.

Libertarianism finds its American roots in our esteem for rugged individualism as a part of our national character.   It is highly incompatible with authoritarianism found both the Evangelical and Catholic traditions espoused by many Republicans.  What they have in common with libertarian political thought is a certainty of their rectitude and the undermining of individualism by community responsibility espoused by liberalism.

Magical thinking is a characteristic of libertarianism in common with Evangelism and  Catholicism and their embrace of fantastical ideas such as those found in theology such as miracles, divine intervention and salvation. I attribute the Republican/Trumpite  embrace of conspiracy theories and rejection of critical thinking and the scientific method to this magical thinking to these influences.

This dysfunctional coalition of conflicting ideas and values explains the chaos we experience today in American political life and the inability of people grounded in rationality and logic to find common ground with the American fascist right.  Cynicism found in liberal suspicion of hero worship and myth further accounts for the challenge of unity with Trumpite Republicans.  This explains the challenges for any kind of national reconciliation.

Traditional Republican favor states rights over federal governance has given way to a full blow fascist effort to destroy our federal system.  They fail to embrace the positive contributions federal legislation has made to enhanced citizen rights often neglected or undermined by local governance.

This sabotage of the system envisioned by the founders, combined with American propensity toward myth driven religion largely abandoned in Europe has set the stage for much of our populace embracing authoritarian rule seeking faster, easier, less citizen engagement in government democracy requires. 

The propensity toward faith rather than reason and critical thinking has led to hero worship and acceptance of wild, unverified distortion of truth and unverified, fantastical thinking. The presence now of social media relied upon by many for information has undermined validation, verification and fact based analysis by much of our population.

Some of this chaos can be diminished with regulation of communications outlets and the restoration of the equal time clause to both our conventional and social media outlets.  Enhancement of our civil laws governing harm caused by distortion of  truth and disinformation, holding communicators responsible for harmful speech and go a long way toward restraining  society harming speech and communications. 

The chaos is well understood by our foreign allies and rivals as well.  They observe a country rife with Americans killing one another, including children and a shadow post Trump administration challenging the very basic elements of democracy operative within our country, including our very electoral process.  This week, in the wake of international meetings, we are something of a laughing stock lecturing other countries on how to conduct a democracy in the wake of our own very visible chaos.

 Defenders of democracy embrace critical thinking and the scientific method, not method to madness. We will not convince these autocrats in our midst with logic and rationality embodied in critical thinking and the scientific method.  It appears our only recourse to preserve democracy is to use our legal system to shut down insurrection and punish leaders advocating it with the legal system which must be much more timely and real time, not letting the insurrectionists run out the clock or delay justice.  The passive supporters of this insurrectionist movement at the grassroots, including within our own families must be called out for the betrayal and shunned.  

Fascism wins when the people passively ignore it and fail to engage in the restoration and improvement of our governing system or challenge its betrayal. 

America Needs To Stop Trying To Export Democracy And Import It

The Trump era, and particularly January 6, 2021 urgently suggest that we have absolutely no business getting into other countries' business regarding governing with democracy.  Our own malpractice of it strongly suggests we have little to teach and much to learn about it. 

A significant portion of our own citizenry have a major deficit in their understanding of the workings of our democracy and neglect to hold our lawmakers accountable for protecting our rights as voters and the necessary focus primarily on our needs, wants and rights of us all.  This has led to corporate domination of our lawmaking and neglect of us as citizens.  It has also led to a crisis in the adoption of authoritarian ruling ideas by the Republican party whose abandonment of principled advocacy of policy  ideas to contrast with the Democratic party in favor of manipulation of the system to retain power without majority public support of their ideas on governance. 

I do not need to remind my readers of the myriad of Republican actions in recent decades and currently which have badly damaged our Constitutionally guaranteed rights to vote and have our economic and social needs and problems addressed.  The Trumpian takeover of the Republican party has resulted in many actions historically attributed to authoritarian fascist regimes, past and present.  

Our use of military force as a key instrument in our foreign policy designed to enhance our global economic domination has taught a significant minority of our citizenry that the exercise of force, physical power and intimidation is a preferred way to secure their domination over women, citizens of color, immigrants and those of lesser financial means rather than political bargaining and the refined art of political compromise with the competing party.  

Thus the loss of the core method to function in a democracy.  Republicans have adopted the practice of blockage of the competing party's programs, legislative proposals and election of those presenting themselves as candidates and officeholders rather than democratically competing for public favor with better ideas, legislation, candidates and officeholders.  The latter development is largely a result of Republicans currying favor with corporations and obscenely wealthy citizens and not doing the hard work as public citizens striving for improvement of the common good.

Our historic federal emphasis on military might and foreign military intervention has led to neglect and decay in our commons and common good.  Our clearly wasted investment of billions in our failed interventions in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, causing huge dislocations of people from foreign lands have contributed to world instability and resentment of immigrants and neglect of our immigration policies. It has led our citizenry to adopt similar practices of the tools of warfare such as firearms and the use of violence in our policing and settlement of disputes among our citizens, in my opinion.  

Yet, we seem to not have learned the lessons of our failure in the use of intimidation, violence and armament might in addressing foreign problems and perceived threats.  Our military in the early years of our country was intended to defend our people and land from foreign attack.  Early on it was converted to a tool of empire building and our own colonization of foreign entities, the very reason we engaged in our own successful revolution. 

America chose military intervention over skillful diplomacy in our foreign affairs post WWII and it has failed miserably.  

Now Republicans and fascist Trumpites are choosing intimidation, domination and violence and threats of violence over skillful exercises of democracy and it is doomed to failure, the failure of idealism and our own democracy unless the majority rises up to defend our very important though often flawed pursuit of a more perfect democracy and union. 

I want to thank personal and Facebook friend Donna Hackemack Bryant for my use of her American Flag graphic.