I received inquiries from European friends asking me what was going on in the America they once knew? Many of my friends and relatives live in countries in the Ukraine neighborhood. The fall of Ukraine to Russia or a giveaway by Trump is of serious concern and causes fear for their own futures. One inquirer asked about the rule of law. Does America still have it?. I replied with blog links on those issues as of today, but I had another thought. I am beginning to feel like we are becoming a fascist country, and we are already experiencing some of it. Here is why.
Dissent with Trump is not tolerated and punished using tools of law enforcement prosecution or being primaried. Press and media daring to report facts and news contradicting Trump get denied access to the Oval Office or Airforce One.. Members of the Trump administration openly say that if the courts rule against them, they can ignore the orders with which they disagree. Or even Trump himself: No laws are broken if he saves the country. No wonder he can say it and get away with breaking criminal laws because the Supreme Court gave him immunity. Now, he thinks it applies to anything he does. The rule of law means the rule of Trump, or so it appears to him. 3/5/25: The Supreme Court on a 5/4 vote, showed a "stunning" attempt to uphold the rule of law. In one of the first test cases to reach it, it ruled against the Trump administration on the issue of stopping USAID. Next, will the Trump administration obey the ruling? Is this the new pattern, or was it a one-off? Supreme Court rejects Trump’s request to keep billions in foreign aid frozen | CNN Politics MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: What those who support the rule of law should fear the most updated
Political control of his base is already complete. Those of his party in Congress get threatened and fear for their political lives if they raise an objection to Trump's policies. Trump's oligarchs will provide unlimited campaign funds against any dissenters.This past week, we saw that in full array as former hawks against Russia fell into line on Ukraine, contradicting years of past public statements. Now, social media provides the approved word of the day or the rationale for whatever policies Trump supports. Not one GOP voice in Congress (may be one exception) now objects to Trump dumping Western alliances, voting with Russia in the UN, and, as the Kremlin acknowledged, Trump is now aligned with Russia. In his state-of-state address on 3/4/25, the GOP members applauded and rose as a body at his every pronouncement.
Mind control is halfway there as favorable polls of Trump only deviate a little from November 2024. What is different from the fascist rulers and dictators of the past is how the message gets delivered. Once in communist or fascist countries, it was blaring slogans from loudspeakers, banners, and total control over TV and radio. Western press was not allowed. These days thought control is even more effective. Algorithms ensure the faithful get the message, not just on TV but on all the newfangled outlets and social media, and other thoughts are steered away or not reported. The voice of Trump is right there in their smartphones 24/7, and the chances of hearing what the "other side" is thinking are either rare or dismissed as political propaganda. MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: How stupid does Trump think Americans are?
Born in 1938, I have seen much, including the fall of fascism and the Iron Curtain consolidating power, as a student in Berlin in 1958 as Kruschev threatened to close off Berlin, and another airlift was a possibility. I met my forever husband-to-be in Berlin in 1957-58s, a fellow student planning to become a refugee from a communist country. From him, I learned what it was like for ordinary people to live in a dictatorship. We were later able to make nearly annual trips to visit the family as that country liberalized. Still, even then, I had close-up and personal observations of how dictators operate, gain, and maintain their power. I knew what it was like firsthand.
Communist dictators and fascists have much in common, though their messages and ideology are different. The ones I witnessed used the same techniques, blaring loudspeakers and banners everywhere, and no free press was allowed. To succeed and survive, regardless if you had a bone to pick, you had to keep your mouth shut and keep your head down low. Someone was always listening and reporting on you. Dissent was not only not allowed, dissenters would be punished. Rule of law was not what was on paper or their "constitution" but how it was practiced, and the interpretation had to comply with the dear leader's or party functionaries' words du jour.
Does any of this sound like what you are witnessing develop or where we are heading in our own country in 2025? It does to me. I am feeling deja vu all over again.
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