Brave IDF soldier explains he had no choice but to shoot terrifying toddler

Alarming footage has emerged of an orphaned Palestinian girl, about seven years old, carrying her injured sister over her shoulder for two kilometres. The barefoot girl was trying to get her sister to one of the Hamas strongholds that are sometimes referred to as “hospitals”.

https://www.normalisland.co.uk/p/brave-idf-soldier-explains-he-had

#USA #fascism

Brave IDF soldier explains he had no choice but to shoot terrifying toddler

What would you do in that sort of danger?

^{Laura (Normal Island News)}

"What has only become obvious over the past decade (to those of us who haven’t professionally studied fascism in Europe in the 1930s) is that the buffoonery and the fascism go hand in hand. They are inseparable. The buffoonery doesn’t make the fascism less dangerous, and the fascism doesn’t make the buffoonery less ridiculous."

~ David Kurtz

#Trump #media #MediaFail #McDonalds #fascism
/6

https://morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com/p/the-trump-value-meal-extra-buffoonery

The Trump Value Meal: Extra Buffoonery With A Side Of Fascism

INSIDE: Elon Musk ... Kamala Harris ... Liz Cheney

^{David Kurtz (Morning Memo)}

Long, deep breathing. Sitting in the forest —usually an old second growth stand of Douglas Firs and Broadleaf Maple. Listening to the ravens. That’s what I do.
We —I!— need a lot of calm going forward. (Fascists hate calm.)
🌲🌲🌲🙏

ps. If you know any written material on the 1990s BC “war in the woods,” please send it my way. There is much to understand, much to learn that *may* bear fruit today.

#bcpoli #forestry #fascism #yoga

I don’t know… when has fascism ever been a dealbreaker for all Americans?

Was it during the Native American genocide?

During slavery?

Segregation?

During the current genocide in Gaza?

When?

#USA #UnitedStates #fascism #history #slavery #segregation #israel #gaza #apartheid #genocide

I was able to access the article without a New Yorker subscription, I guess because I haven't hit my monthly limit yet: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/10/28/how-republican-billionaires-learned-to-love-trump-again

This should work for anyone who hits a paywall: https://archive.is/HSUxl

#USPol #fascism #DeathOfDemocracy

"But neither has this rhetoric been tried in modern American politics."

Until Trump and Vance and a Republican party that's now a driver of overt fascism came on the scene….

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #violence #racism #xenophobia
/12

"He and his campaign team believe that by using the tactics of the 1930s, they can win. The deliberate dehumanization of whole groups of people; the references to police, to violence, to the 'bloodbath' that Trump has said will unfold if he doesn’t win; the cultivation of hatred not only against immigrants but also against political opponents—none of this has been used successfully in modern American politics."

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #violence #racism #xenophobia
/11

(continued from /9)

"then you can much more easily arrest them, deprive them of rights, exclude them, or even kill them. If they are parasites, they aren’t human. If they are vermin, they don’t get to enjoy freedom of speech, or freedoms of any kind. And if you squash them, you won’t be held accountable.

Until recently, this kind of language was not a normal part of American presidential politics."

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #violence #racism #xenophobia
/10

Anne Applebaum hears Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini in what Trump is saying openly as the election nears:

"If you connect your opponents with disease, illness, and poisoned blood, if you dehumanize them as insects or animals, if you speak of squashing them or cleansing them as if they were pests or bacteria," (continued in /10)

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #violence #racism #xenophobia
/9

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/10/trump-authoritarian-rhetoric-hitler-mussolini/680296/

Trump Is Speaking Like Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini

The former president has brought dehumanizing language into American presidential politics.

^{Anne Applebaum (The Atlantic)}

"It’s a stark escalation over the last month of what some experts in political rhetoric, fascism, and immigration say is a strong echo of authoritarians and Nazi ideology."

~ Myah Ward

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #violence #racism #xenophobia
/8

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/12/trump-racist-rhetoric-immigrants-00183537

“From a mainstream candidate, I don’t think we’ve seen this kind of tapping into the most vicious, nativist, racial backlash. He doesn’t even really use code words or anything. He’s just all in.”

~ Julian Zelizer

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #violence #racism #xenophobia
/7

https://www.publicnotice.co/p/julian-zelizer-interview-trump

Julian Zelizer on Trump's increasingly dire rhetoric

“He doesn’t even really use code words or anything. He’s just all in.”

^{Aaron Rupar (Public Notice)}

Miller says he writes these words as a “born-and-bred Republican,” warning,

“If you believe that Trump will be better for you or better for the country, that is an illusion, much like The Apprentice was.”

He strongly urges voters to choose Kamala Harris:

“The country will be better off and so will you.”

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism
/7

As Miller notes, his team “promoted the show relentlessly,” hitting us with a “highly exaggerated” image of Trump as a successful businessman “like a heavy snowstorm.” “[W]e…did irreparable harm by creating the false image of Trump as a successful leader. I deeply regret that. And I regret that it has taken me so long to go public.”

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism
/6

"I want to apologize to America. I helped create a monster.

For nearly 25 years, I led marketing at NBC and NBCUniversal. I led the team that marketed 'The Apprentice,' the reality show that made Donald Trump a household name outside of New York City, where he was better known for overextending his empire and appearing in celebrity gossip columns."

~ John D. Miller

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism
/4

https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2024-10-16/we-created-a-tv-illusion-for-the-apprentice-but-the-real-trump-threatens-america

Bottom line:

"Fascism is going to end up betraying you."

This is why fascism is bad. You choose it thinking it's good. It gratifies your lust for power over others, your lust to see your "enemies" attacked.

But you yourself end up being the one attacked by the very system of fascism, of dominative power over targeted others, that you've chosen.

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #TimothySnyder
/3

"The thing is hard to define because the thing has always been about resisting reason, resisting logic, resisting definitions, resisting clear concepts. Fascism is about precisely unreason. It's about emotion, it's about will, it's about will over everthing else."

So institutions, constitutions, laws don't mean anything to fascists. "The only thing that matters is the person who has the strongest will, who of course is the leader."

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #TimothySnyder
/2

FASCISM'S BAD? WHY?

Why is fascism bad, you ask? Professor Timothy Snyder has got you covered. He's produced a 10-minute video on Fascism 101, everything you ever wanted to know about it, and why, yessireebob, it's bad.

As Snyder states,

"We have the thing, but people are afraid to use the word."

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism #TimothySnyder
/1

https://snyder.substack.com/p/why-is-fascism-bad-professor

Why is fascism bad, Professor?

Thoughts from the road, #1

^{Timothy Snyder (Thinking about...)}

“To sell the show, we created the narrative that Trump was a super-successful businessman who lived like royalty.”

But in truth Trump declared bankruptcy six times, and “[t]he imposing board room where he famously fired contestants was a set, because his real boardroom was too old and shabby for TV." Trump loved the attention, as “more successful CEOs were too busy to get involved in reality TV.”

#Trump #JDVance #Republicans #fascism
/5

"Drug-Sniffing Police Dogs Are Intercepting Abortion Pills in the Mail"

https://theintercept.com/2024/10/16/abortion-pills-mail-usps/

#abortion #fascism #gop #media

With Orange Mussolini saying yet again that he'll use the military against his political opponents on the ground, I keep recalling the words of top-level Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov some few weeks ago, addressing those of us who monitor such things directly, on the air, telling us to get it straight:

"We don't care about your politics! We care about your CIVIL WAR."

I don't know how to work this into an article yet. Tomorrow's comes close, I might yet find a way to work it in.

But they really want a second American civil war, and Trump's eager to give it to them.

#uspol #uspolitics #politics #fascism

En av våra skribenter besökte Syndikalisternas antifascistiska manifestation 12 oktober till minne av Björn Söderberg som mördades av nazister för 25 år sedan.

Artikel kommer snart.

#björnsöderberg #antirasism #antifascism #antinazism #rasism #fascism #nazism #syndikalisterna #demonstration #protest

Jess Piper, who lives in deep-red rural Missouri, says that when she knocks on doors of neighbors as she campaigns for Democrats, neighbors tell her they agree with her on issue after issue.

But they cannot vote Democratic. Why?:

"They are under the impression that Christians can’t vote for Democrats. Where did they get that talking point? Their church."

#Trump #KamalaHarris #fascism #PoliticsofHate #immigrants #MassDeportations #WhiteEvangelicals #churches
/14

https://jesspiper.substack.com/p/red-state-republicans-have-all-of

Baby Dolls and Trump Parades and Lies

I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but at Democratic rallies and events and gatherings, there is always someone with a clipboard or a QR code to register voters.

^{Jess Piper (The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper)}

"He’s not hiding his authoritarianism. He’s selling it. …

The Two Minutes Hate was a famous feature of Orwell’s portrayal of Oceania in 1984. The Two Months of Hate is now a notable feature of the 2024 U.S. presidential contest. Donald Trump and his allies are closing this campaign with two months of hate in a way we’ve never seen before. And it could work."

~ William Kristol

#Trump #fascism #democracy #cruelty #PoliticsofHate #immigrants #MassDeportations
/15

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-midnight-in-america

Trump’s Midnight In America

^{William Kristol (The Bulwark)}

"As a historian of forced population movements and as an American, I don’t think we are taking the consequences of the Trump-Vance deportation plan seriously enough. The reality will be much more personal and awful, and the politics more transformative and durable, than we might think."

~ Timothy Snyder

#Trump #fascism #democracy #cruelty #PoliticsofHate #immigrants #MassDeportations
/16

https://snyder.substack.com/p/deportation-nation-audio

Deportation Nation (audio)

The Consequences for You of the Trump-Vance Plan

^{Timothy Snyder (Thinking about...)}

Jay Kuo thinks the polls showing the election a dead heat are "bunk":

"The GOP is manipulating the data, which is manipulating the media, which in turn is driving many people into bouts of anxiety. The race has not fundamentally changed in anyway. They’re trying to vibe shift it, and we should understand that. The antidote to this cynical ploy is action. Donate. Organize. Vote."

#Trump #fascism #cruelty #PoliticsofHate #Hitler #Nazis #immigrants #MassDeportation
/17

https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/its-manipulation-plain-and-simple

It’s Manipulation, Plain and Simple

The flood of GOP polls in the battleground states was expected. Don’t let them get to you.

^{Jay Kuo (The Status Kuo)}

"On the front page of neither [the New York Times nor the Washington Post] is there is a hint of all of the disqualifying behavior and language Donald engaged in over the weekend. …

He wasn’t sending up a trial balloon, he wasn’t being sarcastic. Donald Trump knows he can get away with anything he wants. Nobody is stopping him, so there’s no reason for him to stop."

~ Mary Trump

#Trump #fascism #cruelty #PoliticsofHate #Hitler #Nazis #immigrants #MassDeportation
/18

https://www.marytrump.org/p/what-line-cant-donald-cross

What Line Can’t Donald Cross?

Morning Dispatch

^{Mary L. Trump (The Good in Us by Mary L. Trump)}

"Even with Trump and Vance turning every rally into a Two Minutes Hate about immigrants, the race remains a toss-up, and a startlingly large number of Americans back his mass deportation plans. This makes it more vital than ever to ensure he’s defeated in November."

~ Lisa Needham

#Trump #KamalaHarris #fascism #authoritarianism #democracy #cruelty #PoliticsofHate #immigrants #MassDeportations
/12

https://www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-deportation-tps-humanitarian-parole

Trump targets immigrants legally in US for deportation

Having protected status may not save you.

^{Lisa Needham (Public Notice)}

"In the end, it’s a binary choice. And we cannot look away from the fact that all of these people, some of whom many of you likely know well, will decide that they prefer an America under Trump than under Harris."

~ Eliot Kirschner

#Trump #KamalaHarris #fascism #authoritarianism #democracy #cruelty #PoliticsofHate #immigrants
/11

https://elliotkirschner.substack.com/p/how-can-this-be-happening

How Can This Be Happening?

How is this even close?

^{Elliot Kirschner (Through the Fog, by Elliot Kirschner)}

"But despite his fear-mongering fantasy that whips up his rally crowds, the real danger stems from a possible second term for this hateful, vengeful, violent and increasingly desperate liar who yearns to be a dictator. First in Aurora, Colorado, and then in Coachella, California, Trump’s demagoguery was on full display, showcasing what’s in store if he returns to the nation’s highest office."

#Trump #KamalaHarris #fascism #authoritarianism #democracy #cruelty #PoliticsofHate #immigrants
/10

"This weekend Donald Trump ratcheted up the rhetoric, pushing the lie that the existential danger facing America is murderous migrants who have 'occupied' our country and a political rival who has 'unleashed' this 'bloodthirsty' terror."

~ Steven Beschloss

#Trump #KamalaHarris #fascism #authoritarianism #democracy #cruelty #PoliticsofHate #immigrants #MassDeportations
/9

https://www.americaamerica.news/p/confronting-the-danger-before-us

Confronting the Danger Before Us

Once again, but with increasing hysteria and apocalyptic rhetoric, Donald Trump is showcasing his dark, demagogic desires. Kamala Harris must confront this to seal the deal and win the election

^{Steven Beschloss (America, America)}

"He is no longer just talking about keeping immigrants out of the country, building a wall and banning Muslims from entering the United States. Trump now warns that migrants have already invaded, destroying the country from inside its borders, which he uses as a means to justify a second-term policy agenda that includes building massive detention camps and conducting mass deportations."

~ Myah Ward

#Trump #KamalaHarris #fascism #PoliticsofHate #immigrants
/8

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/12/trump-racist-rhetoric-immigrants-00183537

"Politico has put out a piece confirming what we already know. The headline is: We watched 20 Trump rallies. His racist, anti-immigrant messaging is getting darker."

~ Joyce Vance

#Trump #KamalaHarris #fascism #authoritarianism #democracy #cruelty #PoliticsofHate #immigrants
/7

https://joycevance.substack.com/p/the-week-ahead-819

The Week Ahead

October 13, 2024

^{Joyce Vance (Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance)}

"This is how former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer and the primary military advisor to the president, the secretary of defense, and the National Security Council, described former president Donald Trump to veteran journalist Bob Woodward. Trump appointed Milley to that position. ...

Trump’s behavior is Authoritarianism 101."

#Trump #KamalaHarris #fascism #authoritarianism #democracy #cruelty #PoliticsofHate #immigrants
/6

“'He is the most dangerous person ever. I had suspicions when I talked to you about his mental decline and so forth, but now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is now the most dangerous person to this country…a fascist to the core.'

~ Heather Cox Richardson

#Trump #KamalaHarris #fascism #authoritarianism #democracy #cruelty #PoliticsofHate #immigrants
/5

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-13-2024

October 13, 2024

“He is the most dangerous person ever.

^{Heather Cox Richardson (Letters from an American)}

"I have been covering this man for nine years, and I have spent more than a tenth of my lifetime cataloging his misdeeds and cruelty and crimes, so I don’t say this lightly. What he represents, what he stands for, and what he has done is evil."

~ Lucian K. Truscott

#Trump #KamalaHarris #fascism #authoritarianism #democracy #cruelty #PoliticsofHate #immigrants
/4

https://luciantruscott.substack.com/p/on-the-impossibility-of-summing-this

On the impossibility of summing this stuff up

If you’re anything like me, hardly a day goes by that you are not struck dumb by who and what Kamala Harris faces in this presidential election contest. The other night, I found myself using a phrase that I have come to hate.

^{Lucian K. Truscott IV (Lucian Truscott Newsletter)}

"America’s choice: Do voters want to live in reality, or a dangerous dream world?"

~ Will Bunch

#Trump #KamalaHarris #fascism #authoritarianism #democracy #cruelty #PoliticsofHate #immigrants
/3

https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/donald-trump-campaign-unreality-aurora-20241013.html

America’s choice: Do voters want to live in reality, or a dangerous dream world?

Donald Trump's Aurora rally about an invented gang takeover epitomized a campaign based on fantastical lies and true believers.

^{Will Bunch (The Philadelphia Inquirer)}