One more step toward totalitarianism

     Does this article (i) scare anyone else?   I can't believe how many of my family and friends have taken an "oh, it's going to be okay" attitude throughout this debacle even if they are strongly against Donald Trump.  Here is yet another step toward totalitarianism. We should be afraid and take action. 

I grew up with an historian father - a specialist in Constitution. Maybe this is why I seem to be more aware of  ebbs and flows of history around me.  Perhaps this is why I take the saying "those who don't learn from history are bound to repeat it" so seriously.

Sports teams and fans should definitely understand the concept.  The team that doesn't review a game to see why they got their butts whipped is destined to get defeated again and again.  The people who believe that their government is immune to those things which brought down governments throughout history are one day going to be greatly surprised.  That's us.  

Freedom of speech and the existence of a free and unfettered press were the first ones listed in the Amendments to the Constitution.... freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.  Trump has openly said that he thinks this is ridiculous. We should do whatever he says.  Wait a minute.  Doesn't that sound like authoritarianism or totalitarianism?  We already have fascism according to the very definition of fascism written by its founder, Benito Mussolini. "The definition of fascism is the marriage of corporation and state."  "Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power."  (ii)   

Donald Trump has openly violated the constitution, calling it an archaic document and calling its authority over him "phoney". (iii)   Trump's most recent act of taking over the US Agency for Global Media and replacing its leadership with faithful followers should give all American cause for concern. Actually I propose that this is cause for more than concern. It is a cause for fear and action.  For most dictators, that's one of the first thing they do - take over or shut down the press. 

I did a bit of research.  I took twelve of the best known authoritarian rulers (dictators) in twentieth-century history and, reviewing their history and methods of rule, arrived at nine things which almost every dictator does.   None of the twelve had more than two of these nine that did not apply to them.  

All tyrants . . .

1. Attack the press
2. Have someone for people to hate and blame
3. Promise to make the country great again - the promise of lost glory makes uneducated people think they're going to get something.  Nationalism.
4. Attack intellectuals
5. commit human rights abuse
6. practice and promote political persecution
7. nepotism
8. corruption
9. economic mismanagement 

 The authoritarian rulers I reviewed were . . . . 

Benito Mussolini, Italy, 1922-1943   

Adolph Hitler , Germany,  1933-1945 

Mao Zedong, China,   1949-1976

Vladimir Lenin, Soviet Union   1917-1924

Joseph Stalin, Soviet Union  1924-1953

António de Oliveira Salazar, Portugal,  1932-1968

Francisco Franco,  Spain,  1936-1975

Abdul Qassen, Iraq,  1958-1963

Hafez al-Assad,  Syrdia,  1970-2000

Saddem Hussein,  Iraq,  1979-2003

Muammar Gaddafi,  Lybia,  1969-1977

Idi Amin Dada Oumee, Butcher of Uganda,  1971-1979    

Actually, on a global basis, this list just scratches the surface, but I couldn't check them all. 

Now consider how Donald Trump compares to them. 

1. Attacks the press.  Trump calls the press the "enemy of the people". This is not unique to him. While most commonly associated with Adolph Hitler, several of the above dictators used that or a similar phrase.  Trump has been tireless in his attempt to discredit the American press.  Fox News, which has been caught in lies and doctoring photos, is his only ally.  Now he is literally taking over the US Agency for Global Media.  
2. Have someone for the people to hate and/or blame.   Hitler used Jews and people of color.  Mao had the "capitalist pigs".  Hussein had the Shi'ites and Idi Amin had the English.  Trump uses Immigrants, Muslims and to some extent any non-Fundamental-Christian group, "liberals" and LGBTQ.  He has attacked these groups as not only un-American but a threat to America and all but given followers permission to physically abuse and attack them. 
3. They all promise to make their country great again.  Super-nationalism is not only dangerous but a very powerful control tool, especially over generally uneducated people.  This was part of the "dictatorship of the proletariat."  Question is, who defines what makes a country great. Trump obviously feels that making the super-rich even richer is making America great.  Nevertheless there is no doubt that he is using MAGA for his own purposes. 
4. Attack intellectuals. (iv)  All of the above dictators either attacked, tightly controlled intellectuals or both.  The Khmer Rouge (v) systematically jailed or killed most of their intellectuals.  We sponsored a young Cambodian girl whose father, a police office, was killed while she, her brother and mother, a nurse, were dumped in the jungle to die.  Trump has very carefully created a conspiratorial fear of scientist, educated people and anyone who insists upon thinking for themselves.  He has successfully used a very long-standing American attitude; viz. anti-intellectualism and "my ignorance is as good as your knowledge."  (vi) 
5. There is no doubt that Donald Trump has committed numerous human rights violation. It is strongly suggested that he is aware of what he is doing since he has refused to permit United Nations human rights investigators and advocates into this country.  His treatment of people presenting themselves at the US border seeking asylum, the separation of migrant children from their parents, and treatment of Native Americans is absolute evidence of  human rights violations.  In reviewing the dictators we find that they generally pick on people who, as a group, might pose a threat or gain public sympathy and vilifies them. 
6. Political persecution is perhaps the best known hallmark of a dictator/authoritarian ruler. That Donald Trump practices political persecution is beyond argument.  Obviously, since he is not a confirmed dictator yet, he doesn't have the power to throw his political opponents in prison as the other dictators did.  However, he does the next best thing. His tweets, such as "the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat," incite violence. (vii)  His sole method of dealing with political opposition is insult, threat and encouraging followers to do the same. 
7. Nepotism is another common practice of dictators and authoritarian rulers. They do it because they can.  Donald Trump's children have no qualification for the positions they hold other than being his children.  Need I say more? 
8. Corruption.  This is another very common practice.  Of course, there is the old saying that "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."  Trump is a master at corruption.  He puts visiting dignitaries up at hotels he owns and then charges the US government. He vacations and golfs at his own facilities yet charges the US government.  He funnels money intended for his campaign into his personal account.  His children travel the world at the US taxpayers' expense. Even before announcing his intentions to run for President he was known as a liar and cheat being sued countless times for it. 
9. Economic mismanagement.  If running up the largest deficit known in US history and having the worst economy since Herbert Hoover, isn't proof of mismanagement, let's not forget the billions of dollars he has directed to the super-rich without accountability or oversight. 

Now, the fact that Donald Trump practices all the same behaviors as a dictator doesn't mean that he is a dictator . . . . yet.  The fact that he has asked foreign leaders to help him get re-elected ... the fact that the GOP is practicing voter suppression to retain power ... the fact that he actually said that he would leave the White House peacefully if he loses the election indicating that he is aware that we know him capable of using violence  ... the fact that he definitely sees himself as being superior to the Constitution and law of the land  ... the fact  that he practices these behaviors and appears to be using famous dictators as his role-models, all tell me that he wants to be an absolute ruler and we should worry.  Many powerful countries throughout history; some bigger, older and more powerful than the US; have fallen to an authoritarian regime.  This tells me that we should be afraid, and do everything in our power, as citizens, to get this man out of power as we work to return the republic to being the truly representative democracy we all desire. 

FOOTNOTES. 

(i)  https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/17/media/us-agency-for-global-media-michael-pack/index.html  a news report by CNN, among others, on 6/17/2020 describing Trump's take over of the US Agency for Global Media.  

(ii)  As dictator of Italy and founder of Fascism, Benito Mussolini strongly influenced  totalitarian rulers such as Adolf Hitler, Francisco Franco, António de Oliveira Salazar, and several others. In 1932 the Enciclopedia Italiana published a thirty-seven page essay by Mussolini and an Italian philosopher, Giovanni Gentile, entitled  La dottrina del fascismo  (The doctrine of fascism.).

(iii)  https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/oct/23/how-trump-disparages-the-constitution/       a 10/23/2019 article by the Washington Times 

(iv)  I must impress upon the reader that the term "intellectual" does not describe some sort of highly educated elitist. It describes a person who is a seeker of knowledge and wisdom. Often they are educated, nevertheless, I know several people who are definitely intellectuals and have very little formal education. Intellectuals also tend to be free and independent thinkers which pose a threat to dictators.   

(v)  The Khmer Rouge was a communist military junta that governed Cambodia from 1975-79. 

(vi)  see: Pierce, Charles P. (2009)  Idiot America: How stupidity became a virtue in the land of the free.  Doubleday. New York.   and 

Hofstadler, Richard (1962)  Anti-Intellectualism in American Life.  Vintage Books. New York. 

(vii)   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/president-trump-shares-video-of-supporter-saying-the-only-good-democrat-is-a-dead-democrat/    a 5/28/2020 article by CBS.