Maybe this Fascism Thing is Something

2020-01-02, updated 2022-11-19 national politics

Whether it is good for me or not, I tend to avoid politics from major news outlets as much as possible. I don’t feel they can even be a little impartial anymore. Because of this, I am not always the most current in the news cycle.

On the internet, I have seen the word “fascist” being thrown around lately. It occurred to me I didn’t actually know the definition. Couple this with the continued jabs at “Antifa” for no apparent reason by my coworkers and I had to investigate.

The cliché Merriam-Webster definition is:

a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition

I feel like Wikipedia’s short blurb on Google a little more parseable:

Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/) is a form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and strong regimentation of society and of the economy which came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe.

I am starting to get worried. This New York Times piece is highlighting what the Trump-pardoned, child-murderer Eddie Gallagher is now doing, and it scares me.

Not only does it make me never want to buy any “Salty Frog Gear” but it makes me wonder how long it will be until the military-industrial complex takes over. He is using the fact that Trump pardoned Edward Gallagher for war crimes to try and become a “conservative influencer.” (Side-note: I find the whole concept of social media influencers the most laughable thing since Trump’s latest tweet.) And you know why it will work? The conservatives around me are eating this up. Celebrating the military has always been a rallying point of the Republicans and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Celebrating a war criminal is, however.

That is what “Salty Frog Gear” is doing right now: celebrating a child-murdering war criminal named Eddie Gallagher.

Beyond repping coffee beans and protein shakes, he is making appearances at influential conservative gatherings and rubbing elbows with Mr. Trump's inner circle at Mar-a-Lago.

With Trump’s pardon, which signals he is A-OK with War Crimes as long as they aren’t against him, and the fact he is getting into Trumps inner-circle will just further lock the conservatives into their bunkers with their guns.

For fuck’s sake, even the Seals he worked with think he did terrible things. They could barely hold it together in an interview.

The whole reason that I brought up Fascism is because I feel the “authoritarian ultranationalism haracterized by dictatorial power” is coming true. Hell, Trump just bombed Baghdad International Airport to kill two military leaders.

I feel the “severe economic and social regimentation” aspect is coming true. There are large groups of conservatives that exist to do things just to “piss of the libtards.” Those people gave us our current POTUS.

The way it’s going they might just do it again.

Do not support the child-murderer Edward Ghallagher or his wife Andrea Ghallagher. Don’t support this ultra-nationalism by listening to the war criminal Edward Ghallgher.

Also, whatever you do, don’t always include the phrase child murderer or war criminal whenever you post the name Edward (Eddie) Ghallagher.

-AM