Anxious
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Exhuming McCarthy.

[media=https://youtu.be/Az5dzXRRh4E]


You're beautiful, more beautiful than me. Honourable, more honourable than me. Loyal to the Bank of America... Vested interest united ties landed gentry rationalize

Michael Stipe, 1987

This is McCarthyism, but this time, it's aimed at anyone on the left of the centre of US politics. Following Charlie' Kirk's tragic murder, something rightly condemned across the political spectrum, the Trump regime has decided to introduce a raft of new draconian laws aimed at its opponents.

Trump designated 'Antifa' a domestic terrorist organisation. Given that 'Antifa ' (as opposed to actual Antifa) is an established conspiracy theory that means a global conspiracy of evil subversives and also anyone at a protest, this has worrying implications. If all BLM protesters are Antifa, then all protesters are terrorists, right?

[media=https://youtu.be/BadjJerYTpU]

Trump's latest directive designates 'anti-Americanism' and being against 'traditional American views of religion' as potential terrorists. This mandates federal agencies like Homeland Security and the FBI to go after them. It explicitly makes these agencies partisan and uses lawfare against political criticism. Yes, it is unconstitutional and could see its investigations struck down by the courts. Noetheless, it means that anyone with a platform who criticises the Trump administration is liable to be investigated and prosecuted by federal agencies.

If fascism were to actually happen, it probably wouldn't call itself fascism. It would probably make its move by increments, slowly strangling dissent and capturing institutions. It would probably support conspiracy theories that depicted all criticism as extreme and dangerous. It would have a reading of history that called Hitler a socialist. It would use existing contradictions and authoritarian tendencies of the US state and culture: weaponising them and taking them to an extreme conclusion. McCarthyism against liberals. The War on Terror against 'bad' Americans.
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Bumbles · 56-60, M
I would say it is happening, just not everywhere all at once. Fascism seem adaptable to the particular country.

There have been calls, following Kirk’s murder, to make calling Trump fascist illegal because doing so “foments violence” and so it outside the protection of the First Amendment.

ICE has announced it will be present at the Super Bowl because the half time show performer, a Puerto Rican(!), opposes MAGA. MAGA aims to leave no space left alone, so can’t resist being at the American Civic Holiday, the Super Bowl. How very fascist.
Burnley123 · 41-45, M
@Bumbles The irony of using state repression to ban people from calling you fascist. If that's not Orwellian, what is?
Bumbles · 56-60, M
@Burnley123 Exactly…and an appeal of fascism is its utter lack of irony or need to deal with hypocrisy.