Well, that was a somber Fourth of July unlike any other. The so-called big beautiful bill passed which basically cut an already bare bones social safety net to ribbons Just so the wealthiest could have a massive tax cut. Were billionaires really out there clamoring for tax cuts? Perhaps there still are a few people living under rocks who still buy the long debunked theory of trickle-down economics. It's really not hard, demand is what creates jobs, not generous billionaires! That's bad enough but there is another part to this bill, possibly even more sinister and terrifying. That would be the massive increase in funding for ICE, or Trump's Gestapo. Masked gunman are literally ripping people off the streets and throwing them into for-profit, so-called, detention centers (soon to be concentration camps) without due process. The notion of extraordinary rendition has been revived for others, including American citizens All without any form of due process. What the righties don't seem to understand is what's done the least of us can be done to any of us. It's only a matter of time. Say or do something the regime doesn't agree with and bam! you're on a plane to who knows where. The only thing you can be sure of is that it will be very dark. Totalitarians need scapegoats, isolation, fear and misery to thrive.
American Totalitarianism is different from what we found in the last century. Sure, there's still the scapegoating, a rising secret police force, a desire to erase history along with a heavy dose of faux patriotism. We've added a few very American twists. Hitler and Mussolini were many things but neither can compare to the outright graft and corruption of one Donald J. Golden Visa cards, golden cell phones, murky crypto deals and rapidly expanding for profit prisons just scratch the surface. Our current regime and their enablers allow mass protests because they feel they can ignore them. Our Free Press is mostly neutered by the mere threat of lawsuits. The same is true for many of our most esteemed learning institutions. In both cases, there are exceptions. One last uniquely American twist on totalitarianism is merchandising! Yes, you can buy hats and t-shirts blazed with the name of your favorite concentration camp! Hey, we cannot forget our trillion dollar military and its global reach. How bad will it get? I think that's up to us, each of us. Last year, we failed to prevent a totalitarian takeover of our government. That ship has sailed already. Our courts failed, Our media failed. The last line of defense, the voters, also failed. If you sat this election out for whatever reason, a part of this mess is on you. Here is the take away- history doesn't stop. Yes, we are in a bad place but remember all storms pass.
One day this regime will be gone. Then we will have to ask ourselves what do we want to replace it? Will we allow this nightmare to evolve into something even more scary and dangerous? Clearly, there are a number of Americans who are apparently fine with being ruled rather than represented. Then there's the group that believes as long as it is not happening to me, it is not a problem. There will always be some people who view some lives more important than others. The number of people who like rulers, the not my problem crowd and those who don't see all lives having equal value are a minority. If we fail to regain our vigilance, active civic engagement and concern for others, then it truly is game over. The Trump regime will only be the start of something much more dark and destructive. When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging. Trump will not be around for long and we cannot let this be the first totalitarian state with a viable successor.
To be continued…
