Dear Friends,
LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM:
(00:58) Trump the Imperialist?, with Jeffrey Weiss;
(19:25) Theocracy creeps into Iowa’s public schools;
(22:09) Biden warns of an “oligarchy taking shape”;
(30:40) Data centers are water hogs; AI will be even worse;
(37:49) Louisiana bans vaccine promotion, with Dr. MarkAlain Dery;
(52:14) World food security in the spotlight, with Kathy Byrnes.
Love him or hate him, most Americans probably agree that Donald Trump is an authoritarian. But is he “Hitler”? My guest today, Jeffrey Weiss, doesn’t think so.
On this week’s program, Jeffrey and I discuss Trump’s threats to buy (or forcibly take) Greenland, reclaim the Panama Canal, and somehow convince Canada to become ‘Merica’s 51st state. (Sorry Puerto Rico, get back in line.) That leads us to the “Hitler” question.
Before I share some of that discussion with you, I have to throw in a bit of humor. Yeah, there’s nothing funny about the risks of fascism, but for some of us, humor is a tool that helps manage life’s most disturbing challenges.
Humor in the face of tyranny was certainly on display on January 19, 1940. After Hitler laid claim to Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, The Three Stooges produced a short parody, You Nazty Spy. Lead stooge, Moe Howard (in photo), made an impressive Hitler, even speaking Yiddish.
Beyond giving people an emotional release from the carnage unfolding in Europe, perhaps the Stooges’ spoof had some positive impact on the eventual outcome of the war. There’s no way to know, of course. But at the time, You Nazty Spy was cutting-edge comedy and commentary.
One thing is certain: authoritarians hate being made fun of.
Or, for that matter, even politely criticized. Here’s an excellent article about Trump’s petulant response to Bishop Mariann Budde’s sermon at the inaugural prayer service. I’ll be interested to see if Trump slams Pope Francis, who called Trump’s plan for mass deportation a “disgrace.”
So, Trump. Clearly an authoritarian. But is he Hitler?
JEFFREY: Trump’s not Hitler, he’s nothing like Hitler, jokes aside.
ED: I see enough parallels to be concerned. Hitler said Germany was entitled to Poland, Czechoslovakia, Alsace-Lorraine. Trump claims that Greenland and Panama should belong to the US. Is that really any different?
JEFFREY: Greenland has been under Denmark for centuries. If it becomes independent, Greenlanders are not going to want to be colonized by the US. And I don’t see the US using military force to take Greenland.
ED: Why not? The US has done this before, including taking land from Colombia to build the Panama Canal. We took over half of Mexico in the mid 1800s, and heck, an entire continent from Native peoples, if you wanna go way back.
JEFFREY: I just don’t see a scenario where Denmark would concede to sell Greenland.
ED: I do. Trump demands that Denmark release any remaining claim it has on Greenland. After that, the US unleashes a propaganda campaign touting the benefits of being part of the US, and how our purchase of the island will make every Greenlander a millionaire.
JEFFREY: Regarding the Panama Canal, I don’t see Trump being able to just grab it because the political parties in South America have matured to such a level that it’s no longer easy for the US to topple governments there like it used to.
ED: Some countries might be politically stronger than before, but I don’t see that stopping Trump. After a sustained campaign of propaganda, the US backs a military coup, and our Panamanian puppet turns over the Canal to the US.
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I really hope Jeffrey’s right and I’m wrong. I’ll concede that calling Trump “Hitler” is simplistic, though it’s accurate to say that Trump has fascistic tendencies.
Given that, we need to be clear-headed, brave, and outspoken, like Bishop Budde earlier this week. Here are two previous columns I’ve written on the subject. I welcome your feedback:
Second Trump Presidency Could Usher In Fascism (May 31, 2024)
Is Trump a Fascist? (October 30, 2024)
I’ll leave you with the words of Marianne Williamson, who wrote this in response to Elon Musk’s Nazi-like salutes (yes, he did that, twice) at Trump’s inauguration:
“Once we start normalizing Nazism – or even Nazi symbols or identifying gestures – American democracy is done for. Yet people get very upset now when someone points out that the behavior of an American political leader is fascistic – as though that simply can’t happen here, so obviously it must be hyperbole.
“But it most definitely is not. And in the coming months, if in fact, God help us, we see more of this, our greatest challenge will be not allowing ourselves to be gaslit. We must be true to what we know, what we see, and what we feel.”
Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. — Ed Fallon
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