The Deepening American Constitutional Crisis

Recently, after the treasonous and felonious installation of Brett Kavanaugh on the US Supreme Court, I signed an online petition calling for his impeachment and also posted it to my Facebook timeline and sent the message on a large group e-mail to nearly every person on my e-mail list with whom I have a personal relationship.  I received back two responses from people who had also signed the petition and passed it on.  I also received two responses stating the senders' desire to be removed from any future political messages I might send out.  The first came from a distant cousin with whom I renewed a relationship a year or two ago after years without seeing each other.  That person had this to say about the petition and my choice to send it out.   

  

"Roger, please remove my name from political requests like this.  You’re not going to get anywhere except have your name identified as a radical. I would rather not be labeled in their perilous times. I am very much afraid. You are very brave."

Included below is my response to that person:

Hello,

I will not put your name on any more politically directed messages but having you say that you are fearful because I exercise my constitutional right to free speech tells me that I have always been correct in my assessment of the damage that is being done to America on a daily basis by the Russian Owned Criminal Syndicate which illegally occupies the White House after having committed TREASON with Putin.  As for being labeled as a radical, I sincerely hope that you understand that the true “radicals” in America today are the Right Wing Repugnican Radicals who support the TRAITOR, International Terrorist, Russian Agent, Unconvicted Sex Offender, Pathological Liar, and Quisling Trump and the Russian Plan to destroy America.  If you would like, I can give you a short list of the names and contact information of several retired US Intelligence Agents and Retired Military who will tell you the same things I am telling you.  This country is embroiled in the worst constitutional crisis since 1861 and it is far more dangerous than any of the previous crises.  Jefferson Davis, the Confederate Generals, and Richard Nixon all were less dangerous because none of them committed TREASON.  This gang of Russian Owned Criminals have committed TREASON and must be held responsible for their crimes.  Unless TRAITOR Trump dies in a federal prison cell, this will be the greatest miscarriage of justice in American History.  As for bravery, I have no idea if it is bravery or just my deep seated fear that America is in very grave danger of becoming a Third World Dictatorship.  What is happening in America today is exactly what happened in Germany from 1933 to 1945 and for the very same reasons.  A psychiatrically unstable megalomaniac by virtue of his TREASON has achieved every megalomaniac’s ultimate dream and gotten some ill gotten power.  But don’t worry about the idea of my being labeled.  I was proudly standing in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue on May Day in 1971 protesting against Nixon and I was proudly standing at the front of the protestors in Huntington, WV, giving a television interview in 2017 when TRAITOR Trump came to town.  Whatever labels might have been placed on me were earned over the last 50 plus years.  I will be in Owingsville on Friday with Amy McGrath and Joe Biden and, if not for the KCHS Reunion, I would be in Richmond on Saturday protesting when TRAITOR Trump comes to town. I was mentored by at least 4 people who were hauled in front of Senator Joseph McCarthy during the witch hunts, one of whom wrote the union song “Which Side Are You On”,  and another had three homes burned down and never ever stopped speaking out.  If you have enough courage to find out what is actually happening in America today here is a short list of books you can read.  Notice two things, please, about the list.  The authors include a former US Presidential nominee, a former US prosecutor & FBI Director, a former US Director of National Intelligence, 27 of the best psychiatrists in America, a former US Secretary of State, and the man who broke the Watergate story.  The second thing to notice is that two of the titles from two of the most experienced people on the list use the word “Fear”. 

The Restless Wave by John McCain

Facts And Fears by James Clapper

A Higher Loyalty by James Comey

Fire And Fury by Michael Wolf

Collusion Secret Meetings, Dirty Money And How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win by Luke Harding

The Dangerous Case Of Donald Trump Edited by Bandy Lee, M. D.

Fascism by Madeleine Albright

Trump/Russia by Seth Hettena

The Plot To Destroy America by Malcolm Nance

Russian Roulette by Michael Issikoff & David Corn

Fear by Bob Woodward

The Apprentice: Trump, Russia and the Subversion of American Democracy by Greg Miller

Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever by Rick Wilson

House of Trump, House of Putin: The Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Russian Mafia by Craig Unger

I hope you read at least a few of these and choose to speak out afterward.

I have learned several things from this interchange.  Not everyone, not nearly enough intelligent, literate American citizens are sufficiently alarmed about the current constitutional crisis which is working on a daily basis to destroy our country.  Many of those who are, to any degree, aware of how serious this problem is are unwilling or afraid to speak out about it.  As I said in my response to the e-mail above, I know that I am correct in my assessment about the damage that is being done to America by the TRAITOR Trump.  I am also correct in saying that "what is happening in America today is exactly what happened in Germany from 1933 to 1945 and for the very same reasons.  A psychiatrically unstable megalomaniac, by virtue of his TREASON, has achieved every megalomaniac’s ultimate dream and gotten some ill gotten power."  I know that I am also correct in saying that the plan being carried out is rooted in the mind of Vladimir Putin and in Russian espionage which has worked since 1987 to bring TRAITOR Trump into their fold and under their control.  Numerous acts which he has perpetrated in support of Putin and Russia have made it absolutely clear that he is controlled by Russia and working daily to repay his debt to them.   

1. Almost immediately after being sworn in, TRAITOR Trump brought Russian Ambassador Kislyak to the Oval Office accompanied by a purely Russian "film crew" and bragged about firing FBI Director James Comey and putting an end to the Russia investigation.  This was an incredibly egregious failure of both security and diplomacy.  The fact that no American journalists were allowed in the meeting was a blatant insult to the American press.  It was also an incredible violation of security protocol to allow a so-called "film crew" from Russia inside the Oval Office.  Beyond a shadow of a doubt, every person in that entourage around Kisylak was either an FSB agent or under the influence and direction of the FSB.  God only knows what was learned by Russian intelligence by virtue of this act. 
2. Congress had allocated $120M dollars to fight Russian hacking and to prevent further security breeches of the US election system such as those which made it possible for Russia to steal the 2016 election.  To this day, not one dollar of that money has been spent by TRAITOR Trump.  That is not negligence.  It is TREASON and clearly intended to prevent the full truth of Russia's crimes in support of TRAITOR Trump from ever being found out and to prevent TRAITOR Trump, Russia and Putin from ever being held responsible for their crimes against the United States of America.
3. TRAITOR Trump has held two meetings, and only two so far as we know, face to face with Vladimir Putin and neither was attended by US security personnel or journalists.  One was attended by an American translator and TRAITOR Trump stopped all congressional attempts to have her testify to what was said in the meeting by claiming "executive privilege".  These meetings were both absolutely incredible and indefensible breeches of both diplomatic and security protocols.  I am certain that every trained, professional diplomatic and security expert in the world not in the employment of Russia shuddered in their boots at the thought of these meetings and what American secrets and TRAITOR Trump promises were given up.  They left absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind about which of the two men was in charge at these meetings.  
4. In January 2018, TRAITOR Trump proposed at the G7 meetings that Russia be allowed to rejoin the G7(8).  This was a direct insult to every other member of the G7 and the free world at large.  It was also an act that clearly showed his loyalty once again to Russia. 
   
   

 After this long and ever growing list of demonstrations of TRAITOR Trump's loyalty to Putin and Russia, no rational person of average intelligence should be conned into thinking that he is speaking for the United States or willing to defend her.  We can only hope that the Mueller Investigation reaches the point as soon as possible that TRAITOR Trump and his entire band of Russian agents can be indicted, convicted, impeached, and imprisoned.  We also must hope that no irreparable damage has been done to the security of the United States and our diplomatic partners.  We must shudder when we think of the secrets which have been passed directly to Putin by TRAITOR Trump.  We must work, as loyal citizens, to help educate the sheep who follow in his path and believe his lies and to try to bring about the day when the prison door finally closes behind this worst TRAITOR in world history.  

I choose to end this blog post with these quotations from loyal, patriotic Americans which are found on the bottom of nearly every e-mail I send and which were on the bottom of the one which prompted this post.  They are highly accurate and timely quotations. 

“I have lived my life and I have fought my battles, not against the weak and poor—but against power, injustice, and oppression.”  Clarence Darrow 

“Worse misfits have not been seen inside a White House since William Taft got stuck in his bathtub.” John McCain, “The Restless Wave, p. 327

“I am asking you to hold fast to that faith written into our founding documents; that idea whispered by slaves and abolitionists; that spirit sung by immigrants and homesteaders and those who marched for justice; that creed reaffirmed by those who planted flags from foreign battlefields to the surface of the moon; a creed at the core of every American whose story is not yet written: Yes We Can. Yes We Did.  Yes We Can.”  President Barack Obama

“These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” Thomas Paine

“All people should have free health care.  Every man, regardless of who he is, should be trained to do skilled labor.” Dr. Mark Dempsey

"Raft Tide and Railroad How We Lived and Died" by Edwina Pendarvis--Book Review

Pendarvis, Edwina. Raft Tide And Railroad How We Lived and Died. (Frankfort, KY, Blair Mountain Press 2008)

"Raft Tide and Railroad How We Lived and Died" by Edwina Pendarvis is labeled as memoir although I would tend to call it more of a historiomemoir if creating such a word does not bend the English language too far.  Eddie Pendarvis, as she prefers to be called, and I have been friends for a couple of years and the better I come to know her the better I like her and her work.  She is a retired professor emeritus of the Education Department of Marshall University, an Appalachian author and poet of some note, and the author of numerous books in several fields.  She grew up in several locations in Appalachia including the Left Beaver section of Floyd County Kentucky and Kopperston West Virginia. Several members of her extended family worked in company stores and the coal mines.  

This book covers the history of her family as it immigrated into Pike County Kentucky and then spread out over Appalachia, West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and Central Kentucky.  The first several chapters are highly fictionalized which, while it may have been necessary due to poor or no documentation two hundred and more years ago, is a quality I do not like.  There is also some fictionalization in a few of the later chapters but it is of a much more creative and deliberate nature and much more acceptable in the work.  Ms. Pendarvis does an excellent job of researching and documenting the available records, both verbal and written, about her ancestors.  The book will be especially popular with individuals who have spent at least part of their lives in the coalfields of Eastern Kentucky and Southern West Virginia.  It is filled with wonderful stories and vignettes about the family, its many unique members, and the complex lives they lived.  Ms. Pendarvis, as a babe in arms, was present at the murder of her maternal grandmother on the porch of the family home in Pike County.  As a result, her maternal uncle Donald Johnson spent most of his remaining youth in Ms. Pendarvis' home under the care of her mother who was his older, married sister.  He grew up to become rich in the Pike County coal industry and eventually made and lost two fortunes.  He was also the breeder and seller of a Thoroughbred colt who set a world record auction price of $10.2 million dollars at the Keeneland Summer Select Yearling Sale in July of 1983.  In a mildly strange coincidence, I was present in the arena at Keeneland the night that colt sold since I had spent nearly twenty years working in the Thoroughbred industry of Central Kentucky.  

This book is full of wonderful moments which remind the native Appalachian reader of home, the old home place, mother's chicken and dumplings, and of the winter evenings when there was enough fire wood but maybe not enough pinto beans.  It takes us back to our youthful aspirations and memories of little failures we thought we had forgotten.  It is well worth the price of admission.  If you are a native Appalachian, buy it, read it, use it to remember the good times, the bad times, and those hopeful times when you knew in your heart that there were better times a coming. 

"The Barefoot Man" by Davis Grubb-- Book Review

As a lifelong student of Appalachia and Appalachian Literature, I have known about Davis Grubb and his work ever since the early 1970's. But I had never read a single word of his work until this month.  I had mistakenly arrived at the conclusion that all Davis Grubb wrote was suspense and thrillers.  Damn, was I mistaken! Davis Grubb set nearly all his work in the heart of Appalachian West Virginia even though he lived for many years in New York and wrote several scripts for Hollywood productions. His most famous novel, "The Night Of The Hunter", is based on the life of a West Virginia serial killer although it can be described as a thriller.  I deprived myself for all those years of reading his work and finally realized one day that "The Barefoot Man" is a novel about an ongoing coal strike in the coalfields of West Virginia in the fictional town of Glory and that is much more in my bailiwick.  I picked the book up somewhere a few years ago and actually listed it for sale on a website where I marketed used and rare books for several years.  It never sold and I finally picked it up a few weeks ago and read it.  Damn, what a nice surprise!  This man could write and not in an ordinary, functional kind of way. His work can survive comparisons with any major American novelist and I will leave the choice of particular writers to you. "The Barefoot Man" well above average literature and teeters on the edge of greatness in my opinion.  It is worth the time of any student of exceptional fiction whether or not you give a hoot about unionism, the coal mines, West Virginia, or Appalachia.  

The language in this book flows, rolls, sneaks around corners, whispers, shouts, surprises, pleases, and uplifts the reader.  Davis Grubb was an exceptional writer who apparently never received the critical attention he deserved.  "The Barefoot Man" title comes from a coal mine and union term for the person who is likely to become a strikebreaker and scab.  For those of you who don't know the term scab, the best way to learn what it means is to read the timeless description Jack London gave us.  A scab is a scurrilous, scrofulous, scabrous individual who is willing to cross union picket lines to work for a company in order to break a strike.  A "Barefoot Man" is a person who is literally poor and hungry enough to become such a despicable person.  Early in the book, the protagonist, Jack Farjeon, and his eventual lover, Jessie, both lose their spouses to strike breaking gun thugs on the same night as Farjeon and his blind, heavily pregnant wife are fleeing to no place in particular after having been evicted from their farm which has been lost in a foreclosure auction.  The bodies of both spouses and the murdered, stillborn child are all swept up by the county and buried in unmarked graves.  The surviving spouses seek each other's company as Jack Farjeon falls into pneumonia and delirium.  The ensuing sex scene is powerfully, emotionally, and lastingly written.  While it, and one other sex scene, are both clearly about sexual encounters, they are also about mutual suffering, bonding, and redemption for the two characters in the book.  Do not make the mistake of letting a few sexy words keep you from reading a wonderful and wonderfully written book!  

Davis Grubb photo by The Grubb Family

The book is also graced by the presence of a third very important character, Mother Dunne, the mother of Jessie's dead husband.  This character is based loosely on the highly important union organizer Mother Jones although the historical figure is never clearly named.  But her most important historical quote is used in the ending paragraphs of the book: "Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living."  For me, the one noticeable weakness in the book is the under utilization of this wonderfully gritty, and realistic character.  The characterizations of both the protagonists and the villains are  artfully constructed.  The characters are realistic, believable, and follow you to bed at night after an evening of reading this book.  Go buy it!  Read it!  Reread it!  It is well worth the time and effort. 

"Facts And Fears Hard Truths From A Life In Intelligence" by James R. Clapper--Book Review

Clapper, James R. with Trey Brown.  Facts And Fears Hard Truths From A Life In Intelligence (New York, NY Viking 2018)

First and foremost, let me say that this is one of the books that every American citizen should read.  If you only intend to read one book this year, this book is just as viable a candidate to be that singular book as any other.  James Clapper grew up in the American intelligence community because his father was an American intelligence officer.  His wife's parents also raised her in the intelligence community and she spent her career working in that area also.  Clapper rose from the lowest entry level position to be in charge of the entire seventeen agency American intelligence service.  He served honorably and well at all levels of the intelligence service and is one of the most experienced former intelligence administrators to ever work in the field.  His co-author Trey Brown served as his speech writer for several years both as an intelligence agency head and as Director Of National Intelligence.  The two men have produced an informative, honest, well written book.  

The one real drawback to the book in my mind lies in the fact that both authors are incredibly well versed in the language of acronyms which permeates all levels of government service.  The average reader is not likely to be so and the book is filled with hundreds of acronyms for numerous agencies at all levels of the federal government.  In defense of the authors, editor, and publisher, the book does have a Glossary of Abbreviations in the back which actually covers more than three pages.  But, if you are not particularly adept at reading and remembering those acronyms, you find yourself flipping back and forth to that glossary as you read which makes it time consuming and mildly irritating.  But, once again in defense of the team which produced the book, eliminating the glossary and printing the full names of all those government agencies every time they appeared would have added a sizable number of pages to the book, expense to the purchaser, and a different set of problems.  But nothing I have said in the preceding sentences should ever be considered justification for not reading the book.  If you love America, American Democracy, and world peace, you should definitely read it.  

There is a common misconception about this book that it is intended as an indictment of the crimes of Donald Trump just as there was a similar misconception about James Comey's book, "A Higher Loyalty...".  Nothing could be farther from the truth in both cases.  These are books about the lives of loyal, patriotic, American public servants and heroes and not remotely about the TRAITOR who is illegally occupying the White House due to his TREASON. Any and all references to the TRAITOR Trump are necessary as a part of the story being told and support the greater threads of discussion in the book.  This is a book about patriotism, heroism, and honorable government service by a man who will someday be clearly and universally honored as the hero his is, always has been, and will always be.  James Clapper would much rather have been allowed to end his government service quietly and peacefully in the company of his family and friends instead of finding it necessary to continue to serve his country as a retiree in order to further the defenses of America, American Democracy, and a peaceful world in the face of a Russian originated and directed plot to destroy all the aforementioned.  James Clapper is an American hero.  Read this book and you will understand to just how great a degree his heroism has grown as his country has been faced with the worst constitutional crisis in our history.  

"Kentucky Voices" Edited by James Alan Riley & Elgin Ward (Ass't Ed.)-- Book Review

Riley, James Alan, Ed. & Elgin Ward, Ass't. Ed. Kentucky Voices (Pikeville College Press, 1997)

This book is a collection of short stories by authors with Kentucky connections.  Not all the authors are native Kentuckians but all do have some arguable connection to the state and its literary movement.  The editor is James Alan Riley who has taught Creative Writing at the University of Pikeville since 1987. His poetry collection, Broken Frequencies, has been accepted for publication in 2018 by Shadelandhouse Modern Press. ElginWard, who is listed as the assistant editor, can be found listed as an Associate Professor of English at the University of Pikeville since 1992 although he is not found when a search of his name is run on the university website.

The book has several stories written by well known Kentucky authors such as Ed McClanahan, Jim Wayne Miller, Chris Holbrook, and Chris Offutt.  It also has a few stories by relative unknowns.  In my opinion, the stories vary widely in the quality of work.  For instance, "My Vita, If You Will", by Ed McClanahan, was the title piece in a collection of his work published by Counterpoint in 1998.  The stories by all the established writers cited above are all well worth reading.   "Out Of The Woods" by Chris Offutt is an unusual and highly readable piece of work which uses an unusual plot that reeks of both originality and genuine Appalachian Culture.  A few of the other stories would have been better off left on the cutting room floor. 

One truly baffling aspect of the editorial work, at least to me, is the fact that the stories are arranged in straight alphabetical fashion by author and the story used in the first position is not one that I would have selected to publish at any level.  I tend to believe that such a choice of arrangement speaks to some level of trepidation about making editorial choices such as using the better stories or more well known writers to "tent pole" the placement of the individual pieces. It leads me to believe that the editors chose to avoid the possibility of hurting the feelings of any of the contributors.  For the uninitiated, "tent poling" is a method of placing short stories by a single author in an arrangement where the best works or previously published works are scattered throughout a book to ensure that the reader will be less likely to become bored with too much lesser work running consecutively and, therefore, more likely to finish the entire book.   In an anthology such as this one, "tent poling" would either have the editors bravely choose the best story in the book, in their opinion, and place it at the beginning of the book and to choose a nearly equal story to end the anthology in the hope of leaving the reader well pleased at the finish. 

But the book is worth reading by the person who has an interest in the literature of Kentucky or Appalachia although not all the work is Appalachian or clearly understandable as Kentucky literature.  Some of the stories are just stories which might just as easily been selected for anthologies in Boston or Seattle.  But, I repeat several of the stories are above average such as "Out Of The Woods" by Chris Offutt or "Death Is A Stranger" by Mary Lou Brown-Byrd, one of the lesser known authors in the book.  She wrote extensively in a small town newspaper in Salyersville for years but had no national, or even regional, reputation as an author of fiction.  Yet her story is one of the best and most authentically Kentucky stories in the book.  When you read it, if you know anything about Salyersville, you can see the buildings, know the characters, and smell the Licking River.  

Hiking At Broke Leg Falls On Labor Day!

Broke Leg Falls Photo by Roger D. Hicks

On Labor Day, Monday, September 3, 2018, my wife Candice & I traveled about 30 or so miles from our house to Broke Leg Falls County Park in Menifee County, KY, between Ezel and Wellington right on US 460.  Since Candice is in a wheelchair, she could not hike or even easily access the handful of available picnic tables since there are either steps or rough routes across grass to all of them.  She gracefully had come up with the idea for the trip so I could get some hiking in and continue my daily exercise routine.  She took a book and her reading glasses and found a shady spot in the edge of the parking lot to read.  I took our camera, which is possibly on its last legs.  I do not waste my time, money, or effort on an I-Phone since I really do not care to see the majority of people with their faces stuck in their phones in a multitude of places where they should either be paying attention to those around them or the scenery. I sure as hell have no intentions of becoming a part of that rampant desocialization of America.  I also somewhat despise the practice of taking selfies and have never done that and never will.  I use the internet every day of my life but last October on a 26 day road trip vacation across the south and southwest I was probably not on the internet five days total for any amount of time and did not miss it. But, anyway, I took some photographs of the area around Broke Leg Falls and will add some of them here.

Broke Leg Falls Photo by Roger D. Hicks

Broke Leg Falls has a long and interesting history and I am certain that it extends well into prehistory as well. Since I am not very well versed in geology, I am uncertain just how far back in prehistory the area was formed. There are several commonly used travel and hiking websites which have pages devoted to the falls and I have provided links to two of those above. The website KYHomeTownLocator is one to which I have not bothered to provide a link because of their erroneous and condescending decision to list it as Broken Leg Falls which is not and has never been the correct name of the site.  It has always been and will always be Broke Leg Falls.  Enough said about that website and their condescending ignorance.  For many years, Broke Leg Falls was under private ownership and for awhile you had to pay ten cents to see the falls and there was a restaurant beside the highway run by the owners.  Then for  a few years, it was leased by the Kentucky Parks Department and operated as a state park.  Then, presumably because of low traffic and/or money losses, it was allowed to revert to private control.  Eventually, a few years ago, Menifee County bought the property and returned it to use as a county park.  The tornado which destroyed West Liberty, KY, on March 2, 2012, ravaged the trees around the falls and they are still not fully recovered.  The county wisely, and partly due to the difficulty of the geography, decided to leave most of the down timber around the falls to lay where it fell but cleared the paths and steps down to an area below the falls, built two picnic shelters, and set up a few other picnic tables after the tornado.

Broke Leg Falls Photo by Roger D. Hicks

No one knows exactly how Broke Leg falls got its name but it is safe to assume that some person or animal most likely suffered a broken leg in the area in the early days of white settlement.  I have never seen or heard any claims as to any Native American name the falls might have had.  But I am certain that the tribes which commonly hunted in the area before the white settlers came had to have a name for such a unique place.  The major waterfall is somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty or sixty feet high with a narrow, damp, and slick rock overhang which must have been used by both Native Americans and settlers at times. The overhang is not deep or dry enough to have been a long term living situation for either of those groups.  But I am certain that it has provided brief shelter in bad weather for thousands of years. The stream which runs over the falls is small and in places can be jumped across above the falls and most probably below also although I have never hiked the downstream area.  The stream flows from a small hilltop not far to the north of the falls and drops over a few small riffles until it arrives at the major fall.  There are a few pools of water which might be knee deep at times but are still not filled with fish, frogs or turtles.  The only wildlife I saw while I was there was a skink but there were several people in the area and some wildlife might have disappeared to avoid the noise and foot traffic.  But I also suspect that the falls are too high and the stream too small to support much wildlife of an aquatic nature or to allow it to return to the area after washouts.

Broke Leg Falls, Photo by Roger D. Hicks

  

Broke Leg Falls is a beautiful spot in Northeastern Kentucky, not far from Natural Bridge State Park, the Daniel Boone National Forest, the Red River Gorge, and Cave Run Lake and is well worth spending an hour or two hiking or having a picnic.  I actually met a couple from Northern Indiana who were on a motorcycle trip who had stopped to see the falls.  Visit it whenever you are in the area.  But be aware that there was no Porta-Potty on site and you would be well advised to go to the bathroom before you arrive.  There is also no overnight camping, no food available, and the area is thinly settled, but in a nod to modern business practices, there is a Dollar General Store at Wellington, KY, about three miles away which has a public bathroom and everything else you need to avoid starvation.

Broke Leg Falls Photo by Roger D. Hicks

The Fascism Of Donald Trump

Below is an article called "The 14 Characteristics of Fascism" by Lawrence Britt in Free Inquiry Magazine on which this blog post is based.  As we continue deeper and deeper into the ongoing American constitutional crisis which has been precipitated by the TREASON of TRAITOR, International Terrorist, Russian Agent, & Quisling Trump, it becomes more and more important for every citizen of this country to become aware of the issues at stake in this horrible situation.  Since January 20, 2017, this country has allowed a known Russian collaborator, election fraudster, career criminal, TRAITOR, unconvicted sex offender, and idiot to illegally occupy the White House.  Nearly every day the legitimate news media or the federal court system report another crime from another member of this man's coterie of co-conspirators.  Nearly every day this man commits another moral, legal, and political atrocity and never seems to be held responsible for his actions.  Why?

There are a sizeable number of reasons why we have, as a nation, allowed this criminal occupation of the White House to linger almost two years.  The Right Wing Radical Repugnican majority in both houses of congress is unwilling to relinquish their ill gained power, at least some of which may well also be related to Russian interference and contributions, in order to rescue the country.  The Democratic party is outnumbered and has never had the requisite majorities in both houses of congress in order to bring about indictment and impeachment of the TRAITOR Trump.  They also seem unwilling to face the issue of impeachment out of fear of losing even more seats in congress.  While a significant portion of the electorate does support impeachment, no legitimate empirical political poll in the country has so far indicated a majority in favor of removing the TRAITOR Trump from the White House. But just today a poll from ABC News & the Washington Post found a majority of 60% disapproval of Trump's job performance in his illegally seized residence and 53% who say they strongly disapprove which is still a majority in a very empirical poll from two of the most professional and ethical news agencies in the country.  49% of those polled in the same poll also are in favor of impeachment which is only two percentage points short of a statistical majority.  Secondary to those aforementioned polling numbers, there is also a consistent 30% to 40% of the populace who are still supporting the TRAITOR Trump.  The electorate overall is poorly educated about constitutional remedies to the problems which are presented by allowing a treasonous individual to occupy the White House.  All of these factors have consistently combined to prevent the necessary actions from being taken. But this most recent poll does show that the worm has finally turned among the general electorate toward ridding the country of this treasonous conspiracy.  Also, on this same date of August 31, 2018, another of the associates of Paul Manafort has plead guilty to money laundering charges and failure to register as a foreign agent for funneling $50,000 in Ukrainian money to the Trump "inauguration committee".  We are getting closer and closer to the day when the key indictments come from the Mueller investigation which will clearly indicate to the country that Trump is a TRAITOR and a Russian Agent, no more, no less. 

Let's examine the article below point by point to discuss the multitude of ways in which the TRAITOR, International Terrorist, Russian Agent, and Quisling Trump meets the definition of a Fascist and how his Russian Owned Criminal Syndicate of co-conspirators are carrying out Fascist acts on a daily basis in America.

The first factor involved in Fascism which Mr. Britt discusses in his article is "Powerful and Continuing Nationalism".  The entire campaign and deliberately chosen public persona of TRAITOR Trump has always been based on his stated slogan of "Make America Great Again".  Do not be misled into believing that has happened or needed to happen.  The United States of America was far greater at sunrise on the morning of January 20, 2017, than it has been at any time since TRAITOR Trump was allowed to illegally occupy the White House.  The US National Debt is now $21trillion as of March 15, 2018. The national debt first hit the $20 trillion mark on September 8, 2017, according to government records. It rose more than a trillion dollars in less than six months due to TRAITOR Trump's disastrous economic actions built around and supportive of his treasonous trade war.  Nothing which is happening in the White House today is intentionally or accidentally making America great.  His frequent rantings about his love of the country and his efforts to please his Right Wing Radical supporters in the White Right are tailored in the mold of Adolph Hitler's language in Germany in the early 1930's and it has the same purposes, to instill both fear and pride in a significant portion of the electorate who by their very nature are inclined toward violence and irrationality in support of his TREASON, and to make TRAITOR Trump appear to be genuinely interested in the welfare of this nation which he has and will continue to betray on a daily basis.  His intentions are clearly Fascist.

Mr. Britt's second descriptor of Fascism is Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights and is being met on a daily basis by TRAITOR Trump and his minions.  The Zero Tolerance policy of immigration seizure and separation of children as young as two from their parents absolutely disregards the rights of those children and families to be protected even if they are being held for possible deportation.  It is both inhuman and inhumane.  It is Fascist.  His withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council is clearly a blow to human rights protections worldwide and a highly public admission that he has no regard for any human no matter who they are or what their particular individual limitations might be.  His disregard for humanity and the human race in general is Fascist.  Here is a link to a lengthy list of human rights offenses committed by TRAITOR Trump and every one of these acts was Fascist.  He is a Fascist.  There is no room for argument on that point. 

Mr. Britt's third contributing factor to Fascism  is Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause. There is no particular descriptor of Fascism that better describes the TRAITOR Trump than this one.  On a daily basis, he attempts to scapegoat a variety of groups who have the best interests of the country at heart.  That list includes the Mueller investigation; the Democratic Party; the free press which is constitutionally guaranteed; immigrants; Muslims; liberals in general; anyone who expresses criticism about him or his actions; and anyone else whom he believes he can make into a victim for any of those who support him.  He uses this kind of rhetoric on a daily basis to delineate others who do not support him as being anti-American and worthy of his abuse as well as the more directly violent abuse of his radical followers.  These actions on his part are clearly Fascist and so is he.  

 Mr. Britt's fourth described element of Fascism is Supremacy of the Military.  TRAITOR Trump's use of this tactic to gain his short term goals has been clearly demonstrated throughout his illegal and treasonous rise to and abuse of power.  It is clearly copied from the actions of Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Idi Amin, Sadaam Hussein and other dictators throughout history.  While his attempt to stage a military parade in his honor was largely an attempt to make himself appear popular and powerful, it was also an attempt to terrify the entire world just as has been his repeated antagonism of any other country or leader such as Kim Jung Un or the highest officials in Canada and Iran. His stated desire for the US to maintain the world's most powerful military is not genuine in any fashion.  It is simply a Fascist attempt to induce the US citizenry and the other countries in the world that he is in control of a powerful military force and willing to use it to destroy his perceived enemies.  His repeated threats toward a variety of people, countries, and organizations as varied as North Korea, Iran, Canada, the Democratic Party, Immigrants, and Germany are clearly irrational, unjustified, terrorist, antagonistic, and Fascist.  

Mr. Britt's fifth component of Fascism is Rampant Sexism and there is no human on earth more guilty of practicing, supporting, and fomenting rampant sexism than TRAITOR Trump.  He is a misogynist and an unconvicted sex offender who has been accused of sex crimes by at least a dozen credible women.  His numerous illegal payoffs to women whom he has either had temporary liaisons with or made unwanted sexual advances toward, his widely publicized admissions on audio tape that he "moved on her like a bitch" is clearly rampant sexism and borders on sexual assault which several women have accused him of committing.  The two group photos of the White House interns have been clearly dominated by the presence of white males with unconscionably low numbers of both women and minorities. TRAITOR Trump clearly meets this descriptor of Fascism. 

Mr. Britt's sixth key factor in Fascism is Controlled Mass Media.  No legitimate leader of a civilized, democratic country would ever engage in the blatant, unceasing attacks on the honest, constitutionally guaranteed free press as is being done on a daily basis by TRAITOR Trump.  He has frequently described the free press as "the enemy of the people" when they are actually one of the strongest bastions of defense for a democratic country and that is exactly why he is so unceasing in his attacks against them.  He does not want a free press.  He does not want a democratic country.  He wants to be unfettered in his ongoing attempts to gain illegal power and to further the aims of Russia and Vladimir Putin.  These attacks on the media are unfettered Fascism and clearly indicate that the TRAITOR Trump is a Fascist. 

Mr. Britt's seventh component of Fascism is Obsession With National Security and is clearly personified in TRAITOR Trump's chosen slogan of "Make America Great Again" and in his unjustified attacks on immigrants, other countries, and our economic and political allies.  He couches his Fascism in terms which are intended to gain the support of the poorly educated and those motivated by hatred of other groups and countries. He uses these attacks to instill fear in American citizens that America might be under attack but lies daily about the source of the attack, Vladimir Putin and Russia, who own and control TRAITOR Trump. He describes many, if not most, of his attacks on others and their countries of origin as being in the best interest of America when they are only attempts on his part to gain further control of the basket of deplorables which constitutes his cult of supporters.  All these actions being falsely described by TRAITOR Trump as being intended to create a stronger America are only intended to turn his stolen power into greater power.  It is Fascism and it is deplorable.  It proves once again that TRAITOR Trump is a Fascist.

The eighth descriptor of Fascism in the Britt article is Religion and Government are Intertwined. Traitor Trump is not remotely religious and actually meets many of the descriptors of the Antichrist which I might discuss in a future blog post.  But he has managed to gain support, and perhaps control, of many media based preachers who support him because they meet one or more of the qualities I discussed in my earlier blog post "Only Four Kinds Of People".  The hatreds he endorses are similar or identical to many of the hatreds and prejudices of these monetarily centered evangelists.  They clearly fit the category of "Hypochristians".  Their attempts to destroy the Separation Of Church And State, freedom for all religions as guaranteed by the US Constitution, and to destroy a woman's right to choose give TRAITOR Trump a readily and easily activated group of people who are willing to ignore his crimes, his attacks on the US Constitution, and his lack of any form of religiosity.  His willingness to lead these people on and mislead them into supporting his ill gotten power is clearly Fascist.  

Mr. Britt's ninth component of Fascism is Corporate Power is Protected.  The so-called Trump Tax Cut was never a tax cut for the majority of the population.  It was clearly intended and the numbers have consistently proven that it had two or three goals: to open the way for unfettered corporate destruction of the US Tax Code; to further damage the country in support of Russia and the goals of Vladimir Putin; to protect the billionaires of the nation; and to mislead the majority of less well off Americans into believing that they could benefit from it. TRAITOR Trump has even ranted recently about further cuts in taxes for corporations which will further increase the national deficit, weaken the country even more, and continue to increase the national debt as discussed above. The daily destruction of the Environmental Protection Agency and all forms or regulatory controls on corporations further manifest this attempt to please the filthy rich, destroy America from within, and further the desires of Russia and Vladimir Putin.  It is clearly Fascist and just one more part of TRAITOR Trump's Russian managed plan to destroy America.  

The tenth described factor of Fascism as discussed below by Mr. Britt is Labor Power is Suppressed.  Every action taken by TRAITOR Trump with regard to working class Americans, union members, and all supporters of the right to participate in a union have been intended to destroy any rights or power which the working class has gained over the last hundred years.  He is clearly anti-labor and anti-union.  He is also clearly anti-small business as demonstrated by the fact that, in his private business, he has been sued by more than 3,500 independent small subcontractors whom he refused to pay for just debts for labor they provided to his construction projects.  It is very telling that the majority of those legal actions either were settled in favor of the plaintiffs prior to court intervention or were adjudged in their favor by the courts.  This is a Fascist disrespect of the working class.  It is clearly detrimental to labor and America.  It is Fascism and it is being practiced daily by TRAITOR Trump.

The eleventh descriptor of Fascism as described by Mr. Britt is Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts.  Although TRAITOR Trump has consistently throughout much of his life sought to be a hanger on in the world of television, theater, and music in order to be seen in the company of genuine stars, he has sought that access purely to make himself appear to be far more important than he has ever been.  He has no respect for ability to understand or support genuine intellectual pursuits or the arts.  His literacy is marginal at best as demonstrated by his speech patterns and vocabulary.  When television shows such as Saturday Night Live have parodied his ignorance and criminality, he has done exactly what he does to anyone with enough intelligence to understand his crimes and speak out against him.  He attacks in a crass, gross, unintelligent, and unrelenting manner.  His disdain for the arts and intellectual pursuits and his attempts to destroy the National Endowments For The Arts and Humanities are Fascist and intended to further damage the country as a whole.  An educated populace, an intellectual populace, a highly intelligent populace would never vote for such an idiot and TRAITOR.  His attempts to keep us uneducated and uninspired are Fascist.  He is a Fascist. 

Mr. Britt's twelfth factor of Fascism is Obsession with Crime and Punishment.   Traitor Trump frequently rants and raves about various kinds of people who are able to escape what he claims to believe are just punishments for crimes but at the same time he describes a convicted Russian collaborator such as Paul Manafort as "brave" because he refused to accept a deal with the Mueller investigation under the belief that he might not be convicted or might receive a "pardon" from this illegal occupant of the White House.  It has been made clear that TRAITOR Trump only desires to punish his enemies, critics, or honest people who question his motives not real criminals such as the gang of Russian Owned co-conspirators who have assisted him in his ongoing crime spree.  But his gullible supporters believe these lies and continue to support him just as diligently as the Brown Shirts supported Adolph Hitler.  They are Fascist and so is TRAITOR Trump. 

The thirteenth component of Fascism which Mr. Britt describes below is Rampant Cronyism and Corruption. The Washington post stated in this story before the full gang of co-conspirators of TRAITOR Trump took up residence in the White House that they constituted the Worst Cabinet In American History and they were correct.  If you closely examine the closest, most relied upon associates of TRAITOR Trump it is clear that criminality was considered to be a job qualification as they were selected to join his Russian Owned Criminal Syndicate.  The cited news article preceding this sentence was actually written in early 2017, more than a year ago, and even more ties between TRAITOR Trumps co-conspirators and Russia are being revealed just as they were on this date, August 31, 2018, when Sam Patton plead guilty to funneling Ukrainian money to the TRAITOR Trump "inauguration committee".  We may well not know the full range of collusion, cooperation, and criminality between TRAITOR Trump and Russia until a totally new, legally, duly elected presidential administration regains control of the country, if we survive as a country.  These crimes, these criminals, these connections are a prime indicator of the Fascism of TRAITOR Trump and his co-conspirators.

The fourteenth and final element of Fascism discussed below by Mr. Britt is Fraudulent Elections.  God help us all as we fight this crime spree which was based on a stolen presidential election and the illegal occupation of the White House which was engineered by Vladimir Putin and Russia.  Since November 8, 2016, "a date which will live in infamy" for another thousand years if democracy survives these criminals.  As soon as the occupation of the White House began in January 2017, TRAITOR Trump attempted to create his fraudulent "election fraud commission" which eventually found no organized fraud in American elections other than that perpetrated by Russia, Vladimir Putin, and TRAITOR Trump.  The so called commission was eventually disbanded without being able to justify whatever imagined plans they were created upon to destroy democracy in America.  We see Right Wing Repugnican attempts to gerrymander elections in nearly every state in the union.  We know that Russia has attempted to hack state election commissions in nearly every key state in the union.  We see daily attacks on voters of color, minorities in general, the disabled, the educated, the poor, the intelligent and that is all Fascist and all fomented by TRAITOR Trump, his Russian Owned Criminal Syndicate, Russia, and Vladimir Putin.

There is no doubt that America is being held hostage by a rouge band owned by Vladimir Putin and Russia and being led by TRAITOR Trump and his Russian master.  When will America wake up?  I am not sure.  Will America and American Democracy survive?  I hope so but don't know.  Neither do you, dear reader.  Neither do you!  So, when will you begin to Stand Up, Speak Up, and Speak Out in defense of America and American Democracy and call for the indictment, conviction, impeachment, and imprisonment of the TRAITOR, International Terrorist, Russian Agent, and Quisling Trump? 

The 14 Characteristics of Fascism by Lawrence Britt Spring 2003 Free Inquiry magazine

Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt recently wrote an article about fascism ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20). Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The excerpt is in accordance with the magazine's policy.
The 14 characteristics are:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
   Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
   
   
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
   Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
   
   
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
   The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
   
   
4. Supremacy of the Military
   Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
   
   
5. Rampant Sexism
   The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
   
   
6. Controlled Mass Media
   Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
   
   
7. Obsession with National Security
   Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
   
   
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
   Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
   
   
9. Corporate Power is Protected
   The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
   
   
10. Labor Power is Suppressed
    Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .
    
    
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
    Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
    
    
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
    Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
    
    
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
    Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
    
    
14. Fraudulent Elections
    Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

Copyright © 2003 Free Inquiry magazine
Reprinted for Fair Use Only.

This article was based upon the article "The Hallmarks of Fascist Regime" by Skip Stone, at www.hippy.com/php/article-226.html.