Please do not refer to Trump as the leader of the free world

Please stop referring to Trump as the leader of the free world. Trump is fast turning the USA into a pariah nation and a bully while destroying freedom in his own country. He is obsessed with consolidating power in his hands by abusing power and conducting a campaign of fear and retribution to shut up his opposition and political adversaries.  His preferred alliances are with other pariahs and bad actors, from Putin to China to even Hungary and Turkey. We are no longer a democracy, but Trump's method of operation resembles the fascist leaders of the 1930s. MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: Take the test: is the Trump regime is already a fascist government

There are few of us left alive who realize what living in a dictatorship, communist or fascist, is like or what freedoms are taken away that you once enjoyed. Those who wish for such a dictatorship/strongman/rule by a single or small group/ autocracy/tyrannical king, fascist,  are ignorant fools, even if the wannabe dictator is one making promises of policies you favor. If the dictator fails to deliver, and you object, you, too, will be on his enemies list if you seek any favors from your once-beloved leader.  It is the opposite of what freedom means in a democracy.

Trump's newest example of fear and retribution: find bogus, unrelated to official conduct ways to attack political adversaries to Trump himself, past and present, such as  Letitia James and Adam Schiff. These   Department of Justice actions are designed to make an example of them of what happens if you cross him.  Whether the DOJ succeeds or not, it is the pain they hope to inflict on adversaries with expensive defense and bad propaganda, whether there is any fire causing whatever pretense or any smoke.

 He fancies himself as a strong man and acts like a dictator, issuing executive orders that, on their face unconstitutional, to see how much he can get away with. The trail of court decisions for and against Trump's interests are witness to that. One you count on from the Supreme Court majority 6-0 majority: if the power of the presidency is the issue, decisions will favor giving Trump more power. 

Only one thing may stop him: the stupidity of his judgment on economic policies that could lead to a recession. It certainly is already obvious that his promises for lower prices, fuel, food, and necessities are going to be ignored.  It is certainly not becoming more affordability for those hoping for some relief from the increasingly higher cost of living. Any attempt to present made-up or distorted, or suppressed data will mean nothing if middle America sees and experiences reality themselves.  Tariffs and less access to health care providers are only part of the problem, as fear still lurks of a Trump-made recession.

We are no longer the home of the free and our homeland is full of cowards. How do we know this? To speak out in any way that shows disloyalty to Trump himself, the media, or personal social media postings in the past or present, will get you on his enemies list if you come to the administration, hat in hand, or to redress your grievances or seek a job in his government of even a promotion to flag officer in the military. Loyalty to Trump trumps all. Loyalty to the constitution means nothing to him, but is a barrier to be broken.  A reality check: We are no longer a free country and the home of the brave, but if we speak out, we will have consequences. The brave will do it anyway, or the cowards will dominate the response to a bully, from broadcast media to major law firms and any elected official facing the prospect of a partisan primary. If you dare speak out on the civil rights of migrants or a racial minority who is a fellow citizen, you are now calculating whether you want to take political risks and suffer consequences to your well-being or your family's. That if opposition demonstrations get too powerful, expect a dictator like Trump to claim there is a national emergency where there is none, and send in the military.   That is what it means to be the subject in a country run by a dictator.   We are seeing it happen before our very eyes. 

 It is not too late to fight back and aside from waiting for the economy to collapse,  we can begin by taking back the House in 2026...and for that reason, the Texas gerrymandering dirty trick to distort and steal the vote must be stopped.  If it means fighting fire with fire, I am all in.

MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: Happy to have Trump act like a strong man leader? Careful what you wish

From a Muftic Forum facebook posting: another test of what is fascism:

It would be easier to look at this list of what fascism is and see which ones do not apply to the current regime. So far, it looks to me he meets all of the criteria...or at least a case can be made. This list is from a earlier post on my blog. Does Trump resemble any of the fascists? He began his political life with "birtherism" to try to delegitimize the first African American president, calling immigrants rapists and murderers and terrorists from the beginning of his campaign and praising white nationalists and militia hate groups as patriots and fine people.., This culminated in January 6 violence mostly fueled by those carrying confederate flags, and neo Nazi symbolistic insignia and banners, Instead of brown shirts of Nazis, in Charlottesville, they were dressed in polo shirts and recently in Arizona crowds awaited the "forensic audit" dressed in mail order camo, waiving weapons of war accompanied by military-like trained dogs., These are who Trump has called patriots and fine people. This is the kind of governance Trump likes and praises. , This is the future of America he favors. He made strides in his first term. Should he be given another chance to take us further down that path?

Are those who support Trump fascists, too? Take the test.

I have seen one provided in 2013, well before Trump's political rise and before the term was applied to Trump supporters or to Donald Trump himself. Dr. Lawrence Britt, an Australian political scientist, wrote "14 Defining Characteristics of Fascism." Those who wonder if they are ideological fascists or object to being called one, take the test and see how many with which you agree. If the shoe fits wear it

Nationalism: saying one's own country is better than other countries

Disdain for human rights

Scapegoating: blaming someone else for the country's problems

Putting the military first

Sexism: saying men are better than women

Control of mass media: telling newspapers and other sources of news what they can and cannot tell the people

Focus on national security

Close ties between religion and government

Protection of businesses and corporations

Suppression of labor power: preventing labor unions from becoming powerful

Disdain for intellectuals and the arts: telling people not to listen to scientists, scholars, and artists

Focus on crime and crimefighting

Corruption

.Fraudulent elections: Even if the people vote, the votes are either not counted or otherwise abused. In some fascist governments, leaders will have their opponents killed. .

What impact will NO KINGS have on Democrat's prospects in the future?

 An interesting discussion on MSNBC last night in the glow of 5 million turnout at No King's events nationwide. What now, and what good will it do from now on? My phrase: Was this preaching to the choir, and was it just the choir who turned out? Those who thought it would be helpful in 2026 believed it would encourage Democrats who did not vote for Harris to get off the couch. There is evidence of a drop-off in Democratic turnout from 2020.

My own thoughts: It was more than just getting more off the couch to actively support Democrats. It raised awareness of the democracy/autocracy issue; provided a training ground for new leaders, reached a needed demographic group, illustrated the advantage of peaceful resistance over violent political action, and may help inspire greater Hispanic support.

Details:

What No Kings did do is raise the fear of the loss of democracy as a critical issue, and it has been a teaching, learning, and inspirational moment, which is of great value.

-Training and inspiring a cadre of new young activist leadership for the future may be the greatest legacy of that day. The organization and techniques were top drawer

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-The other, the demographics were overwhelmingly white and young enough to march for blocks...the demographic that is the weakest for Democrats. That is good.

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-NO KINGS was a lesson to all of us that peaceful demonstrations could be organized and controlled if the preparation and training were successful, as the coalition of so many diverse groups joining together did to pull this off.. The positive press of the peaceful turnout overshadowed the negatives of the troublemakers, who were a minority. That may give fence-sitters and couch loungers a feeling of comfort in supporting the movement's aims of supporting democracy and opposing dictatorship/strong man lovers in the MAGA base.

The movement of a peaceful resistance in 2025 owes much to Gandhi in India, but civil disobedience was a feature of his methods. Martin Luther King adapted Gandhi's technique. Indivisible and 50501 honed it and appealed to mostly white crowds, but civil disobedience was replaced with obedience of local laws...staying on sidewalks, not blocking traffic, coordinating with local police for permits. Using social media and modern communications, accumulated lists of participants (I had registered with the local sponsoring group in advance) were a key to NO KING's success. The modern twists employed by these new political movement organizers, who tapped into a wide variety of existing organizations in a coalition, as well as an online system for individual participation and message notification,were impressive. The success depended on the masses of participants waving homemade signs. It succeeded.

It is also important to buck up opposition in ruby red towns and states: Not only does it give a backbone to local resisters to know they are not alone, but it also gives those who listen only to Trump supportive media to hear another side and to see the messages on the cardboard posters. It also sends a message that the Trumpster majority in that locale cannot bully to quiet and submission by their tactics of shaming and supression. In ruby red Douglas County , a southern suburb of Denver, local officials tried to snuff out an expected NO KINGs demonstrations by requesting they postpone it because they had another event scheduled. The result was a doubling of estimation of the turnout on June 14. Thousands march in "No Kings" rally in Douglas County

The removal of the civil disobedience element as a technique used by MLK and Gandhi made it possible and safer for those less brave, including children, the elderly, mothers, fathers, and grandparents, to participate. It was multi-generational and at times, joyful. It gave an outlet for many who wanted to express their resistance to Trump but were not violent or confrontational. The use of NO KINGS was the least partisan and anger-rousing substitute name for Trump possible. It was a group civics lesson as it inspired a deeper appreciation of the benefits of democracy. It was a history lesson, too, that highlighted the reason our form of democracy came about in the first place 250 years ago. It was the spirit of 1776 and the beginning of resistance against a tyrant, too. The children and young people who participated will probably never forget June 14.

June 14 NO KINGS and the numbers and kind who participated put a lie to Trump and his minions, who in advance tried to paint it as a bunch of paid professional demonstrators.

-What was not reflected in the marches were minorities ...especially Hispanics, who were likely in hiding (exception LA first generation). That may help inspire more support from the Hispanic community. That this was mostly white does not reflect the strength of the Hispanc vote. The anti-DEI racist agenda of MAGA is an accelerant. We cannot take this for granted..and make sure that NO Kings also implies support of minority and civil rights, too. I am closely monitoring the polling of Hispanics to see if the losses Democrats have experienced in recent years have been reversed, and it would be a significant advantage in 2026. The assumption that Hispanics would be for Democrats because of Trump's anti immigration stance was wrong. Many Hispanics also feared or looked down on the recent immigrants, and they too saw the economy as a problem that Trump promised to fix.. However, Trump's cruelty may change some minds there.

In the long run, which way the economy goes will still be a significant factor in where the swing and Hispanc vote goes. Trump is doing his best to increase the cost of living, but TACO Trump is showing flexibility daily on his policies.

https://ballotpedia.org/Election_results,_2024:_Analysis_of_voter_turnout_in_the_2024_general_election

Beyond two platitudes: freedom and democracy; credos and contrasts

 Listening to President Biden's speech at the cliffs of Normandy, in memorial of those who died in the epic invasion that turned the tide of World War II, leading to the defeat of Nazi Germany, I was struck by his repeated use of two words...freedom and democracy ...and how so many sacrificed for the United States to survive with those values. Those two words are used so much that they become platitudes when we forget their meanings. They can then easily be abused by those who have no clue of what they mean other than somehow they just sound right by those who think they are righteous. 

 Those who lost their lives in the Normandy invasion were not suckers and losers, as Trump called those who died in service to the defense of our country.  I was 6 years old then. My uncles fighting in both Europe and the Pacific were my heroes. I remember my parents  (dad was in charge of local strategic telephone services) dreading any telephone call or telegram arriving in our house because it could be bringing news of their death or injury.(we were fortunate; that news never came)  I never could imagine there would ever be those who could use it to mean the opposite of what we fought for, but now I have seen it happen. 

So here is what it means to me and what I am hearing from those who have turned it to mean the opposite.  These values of mine once got me scholarships from the Daughters of the American Revolution and the regional winner of the American oratorical contest in 1956.  While I did not always vote for Republicans and had many public policy differences, I always felt both they and their Democratic opponents saw democracy my way, up and down the ballot, without even thinking any American could believe anything else.  That is until Donald Trump came to political prominence. How many things have changed since then?

MAGA  in these following credos and comparisons refer to what I am hearing from their partisan leaders, media and elected officials, legislative and administrative spokespersons, and their most loyal supporters of Trump who believe he always speaks the truth. Whatever he says, they, too, must approve and do.   There are many who support MAGA candidates for business reasons or political advantage, who know better, but ambitions and wealth take precedence over the values of freedom and democracy.  They belong in a different category, sad, but they contribute with money and words,  nonetheless, and not unexpectedly.  It was Hitler's alliance with such b as well as Putin's and Orban's, who were and/or are theirs and Trump's enablers.

Freedom is not just the freedom enjoyed by one political party or loyalists to their leader; the same rights and the system protecting freedom apply to all, even to MAGA's opponents. 

Freedom then and now to me means my country is free from some foreign domination or control of my country. by an enemy or adversary.  It does not mean following the same rules of dictators and adversaries or opening the door to them in determining the outcome of our own elections, as MAGA means to do in slavish praise of Putin and Orban and their leader lusts to have the same kinds of power.  It does not mean appeasing such aggressors works or ever has,  just we once tried before they attacked us in December 1941. Aggressors see appeasement as a sign of weakness or a lack of resolve to resist.

Freedom means everyone enjoying the protections of the First Amendment and human and civil rights. It does not mean freedom for one group alone, able to suppress and dominate another group, as MAGA wants to do to control all of the power levers of the judicial system that determines their application and enforcement.

Democracy, even in its Greek form, means the rule of the people. To our founding fathers, it meant rule by and for the people. It does not mean rule by one man, of, by, and for him, a dictator, an autocrat, as MAGA wants to have.  

Democracy It does not mean that loyalists to the dictator control all the levers of the process of voting, only calling fair when their leader wins, and corrupt when he does not, so the results can be ignored or changed by loyal actors or overturned by violence.  It does not mean those who used violence on January 6  deserve to be pardoned for crimes the committed that day. and called patriots, as MAGA believes. 

Democracy It does not mean the autocrat in control should be immune from breaking criminal laws, as MAGA believes. It means that no man is above the law and ignores the law as the legislative branch intended, the branch elected by fair and free elections. 

Democracy does not mean truth and evidence are meaningless if they do not justify their autocrats' wishes to govern.  

Democracy does not mean media or press should be silenced or delicenced that does not support their dear, but MAGA's leader promised that if he has a chance to be elected again. 

Religion:  https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/09/opinion/presbyterian-church-evangelical-canceled.htmlNot my Presbyterian church. This one went rogue. I am a lifelong Presbyterian. There was a split years ago, and Presbyterian Church USA continued with the values I hold dear: inclusiveness and caring, holding high the Sermon on the Mount and the Golden Rule. Not this one.  Donald Trump, when asked his affiliation, says Presbyterian.  Ask him what kind.