Now Is Not the Moment to Fall Silent
Call Fascism, "fascism". And hate, "hate".
The moment when it becomes most difficult, perhaps even impossible, to tell the truth, is the moment when it is most critically important to tell it.
Over the last few days, I’ve written extensively about the ghoulish reaction to the murder of Charlie Kirk and the need for fundamental human decency. Here. Here. Here.
But several things can be true at the same time: (1) Political violence is never acceptable and needs to be condemned in the strongest terms, (2) Political violence must not be the pretext for silencing political speech, (3) It’s more important than ever to push back against autocracy, especially because there is no velvet glove on this fist, and, (4) This is not the moment to stop calling fascism “fascism”.
In other words: Don’t let your decency be weaponized against you.
How do we navigate this dangerous moment? How do we keep our humanity, in the face of tragedy and cynicism? What does decency look like in a democratic society under siege?
Short answer: it does not mean silence.
We don’t have to pretend that racism and hate is “doing politics the right way,” or shrink from calling fascism by its real name. (And, no, saying that a policy is fascist is not the same as saying it is “literally Hitler”.)
And this is precisely not the moment to back off from calling out violent authoritarianism when the threat is right in front of us. The NYT reports: ‘Civil War’ Mentions Surge Online After Charlie Kirk Shooting.”
Actor James Woods wrote: “Dear leftists: we can have a conversation or a civil war. One more shot from your side and you will not get this choice again.”
InfoWars host Chase Geiser: “There will be no debate among historians as to who fired the first shot in the second American Civil War.”
Elon Musk: “If they won’t leave us in peace, then our choice is fight or die,” he wrote
Here’s Trump’s BFF, Laura Loomer, declaring that she wants Trump “to be the ‘dictator’ the Left thinks he is, and I want the right to be as devoted to locking up and silencing our violent political enemies as they pretend we are.”
“I've had enough of the Left only thinking we will defund them, prosecute them, lock them up and dismantle their power for generations to come.
“It just needs to happen.”
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And then there is Stephen Miller. I feel confident is saying that this guy is, indeed, a fascist, down to the last follicle on his head:
Over the weekend, Miller took to Fox News to claim that Charlie Kirk’s last wish “before he joined his creator in heaven,” was to “to dismantle and take on the radical left organizations in this country that are fomenting violence.”
“That was the last message that he sent me before that assassin stole him from all of us, and we are going to do that under President Trump’s leadership.”
Miller is the chief ideologue and architect of Trump’s draconian policies, so when he speaks, attention ought to be paid. especially when he is threatening to crush the political opposition by any means necessary.
I don’t care how it could be a RICO charge, a conspiracy charge, conspiracy against the United States, insurrection, but we are going to do what it takes to dismantle the organizations and the entities that are fomenting riots, that are doxing, that are trying to inspire terrorism, that are committing acts of wanton violence.
It has to stop. And my message is to all of the domestic terrorists in this country spreading this evil hate, you want us to live in fear?
We will not live in fear, but you will live in exile because the power of law enforcement under President Trump's leadership will be used to find you, to take away your money, take away your power. And if you've broken the law, to take away your freedom.”
Once again, Kirk’s murder is being used as a pretext to do something Miller (and Trump) have wanted to do all along. Several weeks ago — before the assassination — Miller appeared on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show and described the Democratic Party as a “domestic terrorist organization.”
“The Democrat Party does not fight for, care about or represent American citizens,” Miller said. “It is an entity devoted exclusively to the defense of hardened criminals, gangbangers and illegal alien killers and terrorists.
“The Democrat Party is not a political party. It is a domestic extremist organization.”
What does it mean when Trump’s whispering familiar describes his political opponents as “domestic terrorists”?
One does not debate with terrorists, or treat them as the “loyal opposition.” If Democrats are not an actual political party, but a criminal enterprise, then they cannot be treated simply as rivals in an open and free democratic process, can they?
This is the linchpin of every authoritarian state: justifying its power by declaring the opposition an enemy and a threat.
By definition, “domestic terrorists,” need to be stopped by extreme force if necessary. Terrorism is the emergency that justifies the most sweeping powers of government, including the deployment of armed troops and the use of lethal force.
At this point, it’s worth remembering what Terry Moran wrote about Miller:
“The thing about Stephen Miller is not that he is the brains behind Trumpism. Yes, he is one of the people who conceptualizes the impulses of the Trumpist movement and translates them into policy. But that’s not what’s interesting about Miller.
“It’s not brains. It’s bile. Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. He’s a world-class hater,” the ABC News reporter added. “You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.”
ABC fired Moran for that. But every word was right. And we ought to be able to say it.
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All of this matters because Trump is clearly listening to Miller, and is openly targeting political opponents like George Soros (a longtime bête noire of the right):
In an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Friday morning, he singled out George Soros, the 95-year-old Democratic megadonor and the founder of a group called the Open Society Foundations. Trump said that “we’re going to look into Soros” for possible violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) law.
In reply to a question from NBC News about Soros, the president said that he “should be put in jail.”
“He’s a bad guy,” Trump added.
Trump’s obsession with Soros is not new. Even before Kirk’s murder, Trump was threatening the progressive icon with RICO charges. In August, Trump posted:
“George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America. We’re not going to allow these lunatics to rip apart America any more, never giving it so much as a chance to ‘BREATHE,’ and be FREE. Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends.”1
Exit take: Take him seriously and literally. And call this what it is.
Seriously, what does it take to get fired from Fox?
And yet he still has a job: Fox host Brian Kilmeade apologizes for ‘extremely callous’ remark on-air
He made that comment during a discussion with fellow anchors Lawrence Jones and Ainsley Earhardt on Wednesday as they were talking about the slaying of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail train in Charlotte.
“A lot of them don’t want to take the programs. A lot of them don’t want to get the help that is necessary,” Jones said. “You can’t give them a choice. Either you take the resources that we’re gonna give you, or you decide that you’re going to be locked up in jail. That’s the way it has to be now.”
Then, Kilmeade jumped in: “Or, involuntary lethal injection — or something. Just kill them.”
FFS.
**
Monday dogs
Lake sharks.
In reply, the group wrote that it does not “support or fund violent protests. Allegations to the contrary are false, and the threats against our founder and chair are outrageous. Our mission is to advance human rights, justice, and democratic principles in the United States and around the world.”
“We stand for fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution,” the group added, “including the rights to free speech and peaceful protest that are hallmarks of any vibrant democracy.”
One man killed Charlie Kirk. One man. No radical left anything. I am disgusted by his words and his ideas, but only one person shot him. I am really really tired of being blamed because I vote and am a progressive. This is what has to stop - the blame game. These shooters are always crazy young individuals with guns and an axe to grind. They are NOT the “radical left.”
Stop, stop, stop. The Kirk story is important but…I believe Trump, Vance, et al want this to be what everyone is talking & writing about. These headlines keep the Epstein story buried for a long time, & the MAGA movement needs to get as far away from it as possible. I hate to say it, but Kirk’s death couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for Trump. I don’t believe that but they are taking full advantage of this. What happened to Epstein’s victims? The women who lost their dignity, pride, self esteem, & some even their lives. They are all but forgotten.