parallel to Hitler’s tactics in his rise to power. A few years ago, I had the privilege to visit Hitler’s Nazi Congress Hall in Nuremberg. It was after Trump had been elected and we were seeing clearly that he would not “become more presidential” as the media kept claiming, but instead began his campaign to promote the hatred of minorities and to undermine truth and facts. Part of the Congress Hall is now a museum chronicling Hitler’s reign of terror, including the early days as he rose to power using propaganda and staged violence. As I went through the museum, I saw frequent parallels between Hitler’s tactics and what Trump and Republicans were doing in the US, aided by Fox, the equivalent of Hitler’s state propaganda. It was chilling to say the least.
We have had a respite with Biden’s election and Democrats holding on to the Senate, but DeSantis is living proof that the nightmare is getting worse. The Republican playbook of destroying public education, banning books, changing curriculum to fascist ideas, and claiming lies as truth is straight out of Hitler’s history of how to build fascist power. We saw the desire to hurt people during Trump’s years in the White House. Putting kids in cages raised barely a whimper among his supporters because he claimed migrants were animals. His mockery of a physically disabled reporter was disgusting, but his supporters loved it. That’s how you desensitize people to hurting others without any qualms.
And today, Republicans have continued to hurt people, especially with their persecution of LGBTQ and trans kids. DeSantis and Abbott have been leaders here, and they keep pushing the envelope to convince voters that everything LGBTQ must be wiped out. Abbott issued an order last year for child services to investigate families of trans kids with the threat of removing them to foster care. Some counties refused to go along, though some did cause huge trauma for parents and kids who didn’t know whether the state would just swoop in one day and take their children. Now that the legislature is back in session, I expect this heinous policy to become law.
Lots of reflection this morning on how I see the potential future, and it is not good. DeSantis has gained power that he will use as a springboard to national election. Whether he can win remains to be seen, but even the mainstream media is promoting him as a sane alternative to Trump. He is not. He is more evil because he hides his evil better and he is much smarter than Trump.
Fascism has already arrived here. Now, how do we kill it when we have a media mostly ignoring it or supporting it?
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