This is a picture of the gallows a MAGA mob built for Mike Pence.
Mike Pence, you will remember, was an almost complete Trump sycophant, but because he once chose the Constitution over the whims of one person, the MAGA mob was willing to lynch him.
Most Americans are incapable of identifying the fascism of our own day because we were taught to hear the voice of tyranny only in a German or Russian accent. Because so many Americans lack an ethical principle that transcends our own national boundaries, a demagogue needs only to replace the swastika with an American flag, the scapegoating of one group with that of another, and the worship of one unquestionable leader with another.
Those with ears need to hear. Once a leader has the power to deport immigrants without due process, then anyone who opposed Trump on any issue can be disposed of with the unproven charge that they are “un-American.” By waiving due process for those you dislike you have thrown away your own rights as well.
It is easy to mount on the back of an alligator. It is not so easy to dismount. It will never be easier to say “no” to fascism than it is right now. If you have even the slightest sinew of an ethical backbone, now is the time to say “no” to one person rule and “yes” to a democratic process that, in principle, might empower us all.
