
The Extinction Level Event of Brett Kavanaugh and American Fascism
Showtime was free over the weekend. I randomly decided to watch the old Tom Clancy movie “The Sum of All Fears.” I’d seen it when it first came out in 2002 and vaguely remember it was about a nuclear bomb in Baltimore. I was stunned at the timeliness and how the world had gotten progressively worse since the inception of the story.
The following is a monologue most of it directly from the movie but that I have taken liberties with to relate to our present-day political climate.
“Most people believe the 20th Century is defined by the death struggle of communism vs. capitalism. But Now we know better. Communism was a fool’s errand. The followers of Marx are gone from the earth, but the followers of Hitler abound and thrive.”
“Hitler had one great disadvantage. He lived in a time when fascism, like a virus, like the AIDS virus, needed a strong host (with access to a vulnerable population in order to spread. Germany was that host with a vulnerable populace). But still as strong as Germany was, it could not prevail. The world was too big.”
“Today the world has changed. With cheap and easily available global communications, 24/7 cable TV and the internet, the world is a much smaller place. Fascism no longer needs a strong host (in order to infect a vulnerable population. Fascism is now become normalized and palatable to a vulnerable fearful white America. Masquerading as patriotism and Christian faith, fascism is stronger than ever. The fascism virus is now airborne.)
“And one more thing. Let no one call us crazy (when we say fascism has become a preferred choice of many). Hitler was called crazy. He was stupid, but he wasn’t crazy. You don’t fight America and Russia. You get Russia and America to fight each other.”
With the rise of Putin, Russia’s conversion to fascism was complete. Now with the help of the super-wealthy Russia is spreading the virus of fascism by every means possible at their command, corrupting a whole political party using the temptation of power and greed, including via the Office of the President, US Senate and Congressional leaders, and presently at stake, the Supreme Court of the United States with the nomination Brett Kavanaugh.
We must continue to resist fascism by turning on the light of reason with the power of lovingkindness. Change happens at the grassroots level, neighbor to neighbor and the daily choices we make in what brands we buy. It is time to stop comparing our differences because, as a wise man once said, we may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater or lesser persons than ourselves. Instead let us break bread with our neighbors and share our differences as rich treasures to delight in. It is time to share a cup of tea or coffee and get to know each other and focus on our commonalities, our love for our families, a desire for a better future for our children and the unborn generations to come; pain of losing our loved ones, our struggles and challenges and that we all have to face death and have but a limited time on this Earth.
The movie has a happy-ending. The global nuclear holocaust and mass extinction was averted with only seconds to spare. I cried. I cried not because it was a tear-jerker movie. I cried because I’m watching the sum of all fears in real life. The signs of impending extinction of humankind are all around us. Algae blooms off the coast of Florida killing off an untold amount of sea life. Rainforest continuing to disappear. Human dependence on red meat industry and the massive methane produced. Bleaching and destruction of coral reefs including the Great Barrier Reef. The reports of massive animal die-offs appear more and more frequently. Just a couple of weeks ago in August hundreds of sea turtles were found dead off the southern coast of Mexico. I’m truly fearful the real world will not result a peaceful harmony like the movie.
Courage is taking action in the face of fear. I don’t know what the future holds for myself, my children and grandchildren, much less the whole planet. I only know I will take courage and continue to work toward a better world not dictated by fascism. Of the many peoples of the Earth inflicted with generations of atrocities to the present-day, the Indigenous people of this continent have every reason to give up hope. Yet we are still here standing for the Earth, for the water, for all our natural resources, for better or worse, whether futile or not, I, along with my people, will continue to stand for justice and kindness and hope for a future in a good way.