Part I:Trump Racism Is Bad For America-
By Trevor K. McNeil
Trump racism, antisemitic attacks, and political threats: *”The die hath been cast” my friends and the writing is on the wall. In twenty-foot high blood dripping letters. Donald Trump is a racist; or, *”at least all the racists think he is”. Donald John Trump, Defiler of Democracy and Desecrator of Innocents has well and truly gone too far. With a wink and nod, accidentally on purpose, Trump inspired the worst instance of mail bombing since the Unabomber. Trump has made shifting lies, heated rhetoric and vicious attacks on his rivals a winning strategy for small base election victory.
Words matter: Clearly Trump has moved the thermostat of racial hatred to high. The endless attacks on his political rivals, people of color, and immigrants ignite his narrow support base. His reckless inflammatory comments, his race baiting, his name calling have made him an idol of the alt-right. What is becoming ever more clear is Trump’s racism.
A bomber’s agenda: Let’s be very clear the names on the bomber’s hit list were taken right off the Trump rally hate list. Mind you, four of the people on the bomber’s hit list were two former U.S. presidents and their wives! This is the worst attack on a political party in American history. Investigators revealed that the bomber’s list included over 100 people. One hundred people, from the “Other” side. As far as we know the bomber mailed only 14 pipe bombs.
The common theme is hate: A white gunman known for posting disturbing online threats against blacks was seen attempting to break into a black church in Jeffersontown, Kentucky. Failing at the church break-in the he headed to the local Kroger grocery store where he approached two black customers and shot them point blank in the head. He was arrested near-by after the event without resistance. Authorities have charged him with multiple hate crimes.
Ak-15 the weapon of choice: On Saturday, Oct. 27th, 2018 the worst attack on Jewish citizens in U.S. history occurred. A radical voice of extreme right messaging walked into the Tree of Life Synagogue and massacred eleven Jews while they prayed. The gunman, using an AK-15 seriously wounded six more, three of the wounded included responding police officers. Prosecutors have charged the suspect with multiple hate crimes.
More inappropriate response: Inconceivably, several self described vigilante groups have formed in response to a caravan of immigrants from Central America reportedly headed north toward the U.S. southern border. The migrant caravan is at least a 1,000 miles away, and consists mostly of women and children. The right wing propaganda machine is fueling fear and anger among American citizens. The vigilantes vow to shoot the immigrants “if need be.” My question is, will we soon be witnessing a massacre of asylum seekers at our southern border? My God, I pray not.
Dark history: After the end of the Civil War a period of Reconstruction was begun in the south. Resistance to the northern oversight quickly formed. Southern activists formed paramilitary groups of White supremacists to thwart forced Reconstruction. Military groups lynched blacks and burned their homes. Disenfranchising and terrorizing the black population was the central goal of the white supremacy groups of the period. Of those 19th century hate groups the Ku Klux Klan was the most infamous. After the cementing of Jim Crow laws the original Klan disbanded, their goals achieved.
A rebirth: New leaders revived the Klan in the 20th century for a new cause. The revival was a defensive reaction to the massive wave of immigrants arriving in America. The “new” Klan refused to limit its hate. The new version of the Ku Klux Klan expanded their targeted hate campaign beyond the Blacks to include immigrants, most particularly the Jews, the Mexicans, the Catholics, the Asians, the Irish, and the Poles. In effect, anyone not white and native-born.
Tell tale surge: There has been a palpable uptick in terms of hate groups since the ascension of Trump and Trump racism. The Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan claim to be the fastest growing hate group in America, proclaiming their membership numbers have gone up by thousands since Trump was elected, particularly in predominantly African-American cities such as St. Louis and Baltimore.
Change is in the air: Attitudes are changing and that isn’t necessarily a good thing. In August 2018 there was a White Power group rally in the small rural Pennsylvania town of Ulysses. The town was proudly awash with Nazi flags and swastikas one year after Charlottesville, Va where a group of “very fine” white supremacists rallied, terrorized the town and left one counter-protester dead.
White supremacists groups surge in membership: Quite simply Trump racism is setting the tone. The election of Donald Trump has emboldened hate groups in the United States. The Traditional Worker’s Party, formed after the 2016 presidential election reports large numbers of new recruits.
Trump racism shows itself: Trump racism is right there in his rhetoric. His near constant use of “they” and “them” is classic moral dissociation. He might as well say, “us” and “them”. Is Trump a member of the KKK, or the Nazi’s? Not demonstrably. Evidence indicates Trump Sr, had ties to the KKK. Although there is not direct evidence of such an affiliation for Donald Trump it doesn’t mean it is not true. David Duke, Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan fully embraces Trump and Trump does not criticize the Grand Wizard, because they are all “fine people.”
Racism isn’t such a new thing: There have been many openly racist politicians in American history, at least 10 of them became American presidents. Slowly over the past 60 years public pressure has mounted against hate speech and racial inequality. The N-word was, due to social pressure, going the way of other extinct epitaphs, effectively banned from civil discourse. Until Trump came into office, we as a nation discouraged openly expressed hatred and bigotry. In fact, we wrote laws to punish people for hate crimes.
Times change: No longer would Presidents like William Henry Harrison publicly relive their ‘Indian Wars” exploits of murder and atrocity committed against the continent’s Indigenous Peoples. The display of overt hatred based on ethnic targeting was coming to an end in America…………. Or, was it?
Increased episodes of violence: There are some similarities between the racist ideas of Trump and a particular German Chancellor whom I will leave unnamed so as not to confirm Godwin’s Law. One of the most striking similarities to me at least has been the conduct of Trump’s supporters. I’m thinking most particularly of the Proud Boys. In the lead up to the 2016 election Canadian white supremacist Gavin McInnis and his followers seemed to be instigating violence at rallies across the United States. Watching the Proud Boys I could not help but draw similarities between them and the goon tactics of Hitler’s Storm Detachment, better known as the “Brown Shirts”, prior to the 1933 election in Germany. Whenever a president encourages violence the most likely result, is violence.
Media savvy: As noted by some, Trump is also very similar to a different World War II dictator. Mussolini used “Make Italy Great Again” as a major catchphrase. He was a former journalist. Mussolini, like TV-savvy Trump, knew how to manipulate the news cycle in his favor. While Trump revs up his crowds with screams of “Fake News” Mussolini’s preferred the more traditional guns to the head method of control.
Facism (Fascismo in Italian): Mussolini is the guy that coined the term Fascism to describe his political world view. The main difference noted between Trump and Il Duce is that for the Italian strongman the “state” was all, it was everything. For Trump his only belief seems to be that he should be in total control of everything, which is a lot scarier.
Where are we headed?: Mussolini was shot and killed by partisans as he attempted to escape Italy for Switzerland, just 2 days before Hitler killed himself in Berlin. I’m not suggesting Trump will commit suicide, or be shot, but Trump’s racism frightens many historians. Less than 100 years ago a drug crazed demagogue set the world on an irreversible path to world war. Race fueled hatred stoked by Hitler led to death squads, concentration camps and gas ovens where 6,000,000 Jews were exterminated. Take notes people. History really does have lessons. We only need to pay attention to them.
*”the die hath been cast” Julius Caesar upon crossing the Rubicon *”all the racists think he’s a racist.” Andrew Gillum 2018 debate for Florida governor
Trump Racism-Bad For America Part II-by Trevor K. McNeil 11-2-2018 @www.calamitypolitics.com
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