Fascism is creeping in. Slowly, but surely, as it typically does in every country and in every era when it has taken hold. And in very similar fashion. This time it's being driven by the unquenchable greed and power lust of the ruling elite, which are working diligently to subjugate and enslave the population with the help of the bought off politicians, and the wackos of the religious right wing. It's kind of run-of-the-mill fascism, but for the modern era.
And of course, as always, there is a core of intellectually strong and honest people who are incorruptible, trying to sound the alarm, standing in front of you blocking your view to the TV, as it were, waving their arms trying to get your attention, while you lean over to on one side to make sure you don't miss the critical moments of American Idol, or Jersey Shore.
But eventually, you'll snap out of the trance, and along with other people able to wake up on time, we'll push back. The question is, will this happen before fascism is fully entrenched, or will it be stopped while it's still creeping in. Once it's fully entrenched, it will be harder of course. But it will be defeated, as always.
In the meantime, I'd like to share some ideas which I hope reaches at least one person member of the Liberal intelligentsia, or a apparatchik of the Democratic party (which has not yet been totally taken over by the neo-fascists).
The violent rhetoric, incitement to violence, and demonization of liberals and progressives continues apace. And it will intensify as the neo-fascist infrastructure is put in place at a faster pace. As this happens, there will be thinkers, intellectuals, and progressive leaders that will continue to sound the alarm.
As in previous times of rising fascism, these intellectuals and social activists represent the biggest threat to the oppressors since they are usually able to put into context seemingly unrelated events and trends, and may eventually become effective in reaching a significant segment of the typically dormant populace.
So because of the near total control the neo-fascists have over our media, the drumbeat of ridicule, demonization, and persecution against intellectuals who speak truth to power will become louder and louder.
Eventually, this usually works because people become intimidated and afraid. And they usually get that way just from the threat of being black-listed when it comes to employment, credit, etc. For those who march on, the the levels of intimidation go up, to include actual personal harassment, and eventually the possibility of acts of violence.
Here are some ideas to prepare for these eventualities:
National Networks
So the justice system is basically being dismantled as to deny working people equal access to justice. Police departments are facing huge budget cuts, and many of them are not investigating many crimes they considered low-priority.
In the face of this reality, why not establish regional networks intended to serve as support groups for progressive activists throughout the country?
These networks could have members with all kinds of experience and expertise. They could be stay-at-home moms or dads, students, IT experts, Internet consultants, lawyers, doctors, journalists, and other professionals.
Once the regional networks are formed (let's say, one in Manhattan, one in San Francisco, one in San Diego, one in Miami), members could opt in to be notified of acts of intimidation and/or harassment against social activists who are members of the group.
Some of those acts could be death threats by phone, or email, or vandalism against property (home, car).
Once something like this happen, the victim could report this to the group, and then depending on members' ability and available time, they could lend a hand in different ways. If there is a lawyer in the group, she could give some basic advice about collecting and documenting evidence that could the be presented to the authorities (if there is an escalation of harassment, intimidation, vandalism, etc).
If there is a techie member of the group, he could give advice about setting up a low-cost surveillance system for the home of the victim (a web cam, connected to the home computer, sending images to a Web server, etc).
If there are people with military experience, or law enforcement experience in the group, some could volunteer to visit the victim, provide some advice, or even eventually drive by the victim's home or property once in a while to see if they notice anything strange. This could be useful once things escalate to acts of vandalism or physical threats.
And members would participate according to their own time resources and interest, so the idea would be not to put too much of a burden on any particular person.
You won't believe how incredibly grateful people who become victims of this type of harassment would be when provided with this type of support.
Social activists that go out there and put themselves in the line of fire, as it were, who speak truth to power, who work tirelessly for the causes of freedom, equality, and justice, deserve our support. Especially during these times.
Are you aware of any similar groups? Are organizations like Bold Progressive, Rebuild the American Dream, MoveOn, etc., doing anything like this?
Please share your perspective and ideas... Thank you for reading.