My father was in the American army in WW2 and would have been issued this pamphlet on fascism, though I don’t remember his mentioning it. Historically, in fascist regimes, there is a strongman at the center: Mussolini, Hitler, and more recently, Putin, Xi, Erdogan, Orban, etc…. We have the potential, now, of having a fascist government in the USA centered around Trump as the strongman. But Trump is not a “strongman” in any sense of the word. He talks tough, but kisses the shoes of Putin and Xi, our primary antagonists. He is not intelligent in any usual sense of the word: a multiply-failed businessman, seems never to read or learn, ignorant of the world, doesn’t know how tariffs or international economics works. Physically, despite his head being grafted onto a body builder’s physique in MAGA posters, he is in reality a tub of jello that jiggles around the stage at rallies and falls asleep at his own court hearings. Mentally, he is scattered and nearly incoherent in his speeches. And one has only to read his rants on social media to asses that it is he who is overly emotional in his reaction to events.
And yet, I read that VP Harris may lose the election because many men, both white and black, don’t think a woman can be strong and would be too emotional to carry out the duties of the office of president - the cause of the “gender gap”. But in my own life experience, schooling and career in engineering, I have not found these characteristics to be the case with my female colleagues. The female engineers and technicians were every bit as logical and capable as their male counterparts. They would stand up, unemotionally, for the quality of their work and ideas. Indeed, I can think of a few women engineers that would make Clint Eastwood look like Richard Simmons in defense of their approach to solving a problem or developing an invention. If the men of this country are willing to throw democracy under the bus and send us back to the 1950s based upon some outdated misogynistic ideas about women, then I am embarrassed to be a man.
If Trump and Harris were around in Jesus' time, Donald would've DEMANDED a sign and Kamala would've ASKED. So how did he react to demands and how did he react to requests?
If Trump had demanded a sign, and one was not forthcoming, he would have had his lawyers sue Jesus for breech of contract and then written on Truth Social that Jesus was “an OVERRATED LOSER”. I’m not religious, but I’ll defer to my wife, who was a nun (Franciscan order) for 24 years. She thinks Jesus would be OK with Harris….something about “acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with your God (Micah 6:8)”.
We have so much to learn through HCR! Her depth of research and knowledge of history is of the highest caliber. "Children, Kitchen, Church was the Nazi slogan for women. Sounds exactly like today's Republican slogan for women. Be sure to heed the deafening warning bell of history - it is all us for whom it tolls.
Wow, 1943. . And here we are fighting off the same crazy, false beliefs. I refuse to be known as "a breeder" ( read JD Vance). Scary they already understood how hard it is to get rid of it once in place. People, wise up and vote Democrat! We ARE a Government by the people, don't be fooled!
I’m the daughter and niece of ’suckers and losers’ who risked their lives to fight against fascism in WWII. Don't any of the MAGA crowd have parents and relatives who served? To think that we could have a fascist in the Oval Office supported by millions of followers certainly makes pointless all the sacrifices of our revered dead.
Heather, once again, thank you for another letter and another warning of the dangerous consequences that are once again facing our nation.
We fought two world wars and a Civil War to guarantee our freedoms already, we do not need to usher in another.
I fear if Republicans Trump/Vance, The Federalist Society members the GOP Supreme Court and the wealthy (Musk, etc) win on November 5th the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021 will pale in comparison.
No one can sit out this election, everyone must either get out and vote or mail in their ballot!
If you live in a “Blue State” it’s important and if you live in a “Red State” it’s imperative!
We can all agree on what facsim is. It’s more relevant to understand why democratic societies plunge into authoritarian regimes. In almost all cases this is proceeded by rampant increases in income inequality. We, in the past forty years, have witnessed a distressing transfer of wealth from the bottom 90% to the top 1%. The middle class has been trashed. They understandably don’t believe our democracy has served them fairly. Therefore, they gravitate towards a seemingly strong leader who understands their plight. Justice is really their issue. Until we take care of our broad middle class, our system will be at risk to “wannabe “ dictators. Calling them facists, while possibly true, misses the point.
A wonderful piece of historical contextualizing - even better than usual if that's possible!
For me, Fascism comes down to the question of 1789: are people fundamentally equal or are people fundamentally not equal? In 1789, equality was focused on legal equality of class and race: we all sit together and light a bonfire of privileges. Formal equality and universal abolition of slavery were the first achievements of the equality revolution. No slavery! For the first time in history (that I've ever heard of)! Political Fascism in the early 20th century gathered unto itself nation, scientism and religion and looked to undo the achievements: as well as mass murder for elite convenience and race purity's sake, in the effort to restore hierarchy, they tried but failed to bring back slavery for the long term. Today, political Fascism pretends to accept a multi-racial patriarchy in order to end formal, legal, gender equality. The 2024 election is about woman equality; Ukraine is its Spain. If we win woman equality now, the Fascists think (and I do too) that we're looking at new possibilities for the society of legal, political, economic and, especially, moral equals that Walt Whitman and Emerson were trying to get at - and we'll get them from San Francisco to the Urals, to boot. If we lose it - and I really don't think we will - look for a hard, nasty slog before we can look for the possibilities again.
Wisht I were a girl to get a chance to vote for my own equality, but I'm happy anyhow to be an old boy lucid enough to see the great good in it. Friends, Sing a song Self, Equality and Solidarity. Whatever happens, let's all talk more about Egalité, Liberté, Solidarité on the other side!
Thank you Heather for uncovering this gem. What was written then, could apply to today. I’ve got this idea. All corporate media hire a credentialed historian full time. Give them a staff of researchers. Add the historian to the corporate board and the editorial board. Also same for the government. Make people fall in love with history like you did for us.
I’ve read two of HCR’s books and appreciate her research. The oligarchy America’s founders created was compatible with some of the militant groups I’ve read of in history books. It’s also compatible with the many states whose voters do not now have the direct initiative, referendum and recall.
I'm continously flabbergasted when anyone with any military background supports Trump. They must have discontinued the practice of educating them on fascism at some point.
My father was in the American army in WW2 and would have been issued this pamphlet on fascism, though I don’t remember his mentioning it. Historically, in fascist regimes, there is a strongman at the center: Mussolini, Hitler, and more recently, Putin, Xi, Erdogan, Orban, etc…. We have the potential, now, of having a fascist government in the USA centered around Trump as the strongman. But Trump is not a “strongman” in any sense of the word. He talks tough, but kisses the shoes of Putin and Xi, our primary antagonists. He is not intelligent in any usual sense of the word: a multiply-failed businessman, seems never to read or learn, ignorant of the world, doesn’t know how tariffs or international economics works. Physically, despite his head being grafted onto a body builder’s physique in MAGA posters, he is in reality a tub of jello that jiggles around the stage at rallies and falls asleep at his own court hearings. Mentally, he is scattered and nearly incoherent in his speeches. And one has only to read his rants on social media to asses that it is he who is overly emotional in his reaction to events.
And yet, I read that VP Harris may lose the election because many men, both white and black, don’t think a woman can be strong and would be too emotional to carry out the duties of the office of president - the cause of the “gender gap”. But in my own life experience, schooling and career in engineering, I have not found these characteristics to be the case with my female colleagues. The female engineers and technicians were every bit as logical and capable as their male counterparts. They would stand up, unemotionally, for the quality of their work and ideas. Indeed, I can think of a few women engineers that would make Clint Eastwood look like Richard Simmons in defense of their approach to solving a problem or developing an invention. If the men of this country are willing to throw democracy under the bus and send us back to the 1950s based upon some outdated misogynistic ideas about women, then I am embarrassed to be a man.
I think the men might be surprised that not only their view of women is skewed, but that hell hath no fury....
I am certainly ready to continue to fight for my rights as a woman and as a human being.
If Trump and Harris were around in Jesus' time, Donald would've DEMANDED a sign and Kamala would've ASKED. So how did he react to demands and how did he react to requests?
If Trump had demanded a sign, and one was not forthcoming, he would have had his lawyers sue Jesus for breech of contract and then written on Truth Social that Jesus was “an OVERRATED LOSER”. I’m not religious, but I’ll defer to my wife, who was a nun (Franciscan order) for 24 years. She thinks Jesus would be OK with Harris….something about “acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with your God (Micah 6:8)”.
Lessons in Chemistry.
We have so much to learn through HCR! Her depth of research and knowledge of history is of the highest caliber. "Children, Kitchen, Church was the Nazi slogan for women. Sounds exactly like today's Republican slogan for women. Be sure to heed the deafening warning bell of history - it is all us for whom it tolls.
Wow, 1943. . And here we are fighting off the same crazy, false beliefs. I refuse to be known as "a breeder" ( read JD Vance). Scary they already understood how hard it is to get rid of it once in place. People, wise up and vote Democrat! We ARE a Government by the people, don't be fooled!
Susan Steinberg
I’m the daughter and niece of ’suckers and losers’ who risked their lives to fight against fascism in WWII. Don't any of the MAGA crowd have parents and relatives who served? To think that we could have a fascist in the Oval Office supported by millions of followers certainly makes pointless all the sacrifices of our revered dead.
My late father owned the company that produced most of the comic book format Army Training manuals. Please contact me to discuss.
Heather, once again, thank you for another letter and another warning of the dangerous consequences that are once again facing our nation.
We fought two world wars and a Civil War to guarantee our freedoms already, we do not need to usher in another.
I fear if Republicans Trump/Vance, The Federalist Society members the GOP Supreme Court and the wealthy (Musk, etc) win on November 5th the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021 will pale in comparison.
No one can sit out this election, everyone must either get out and vote or mail in their ballot!
If you live in a “Blue State” it’s important and if you live in a “Red State” it’s imperative!
We can all agree on what facsim is. It’s more relevant to understand why democratic societies plunge into authoritarian regimes. In almost all cases this is proceeded by rampant increases in income inequality. We, in the past forty years, have witnessed a distressing transfer of wealth from the bottom 90% to the top 1%. The middle class has been trashed. They understandably don’t believe our democracy has served them fairly. Therefore, they gravitate towards a seemingly strong leader who understands their plight. Justice is really their issue. Until we take care of our broad middle class, our system will be at risk to “wannabe “ dictators. Calling them facists, while possibly true, misses the point.
A wonderful piece of historical contextualizing - even better than usual if that's possible!
For me, Fascism comes down to the question of 1789: are people fundamentally equal or are people fundamentally not equal? In 1789, equality was focused on legal equality of class and race: we all sit together and light a bonfire of privileges. Formal equality and universal abolition of slavery were the first achievements of the equality revolution. No slavery! For the first time in history (that I've ever heard of)! Political Fascism in the early 20th century gathered unto itself nation, scientism and religion and looked to undo the achievements: as well as mass murder for elite convenience and race purity's sake, in the effort to restore hierarchy, they tried but failed to bring back slavery for the long term. Today, political Fascism pretends to accept a multi-racial patriarchy in order to end formal, legal, gender equality. The 2024 election is about woman equality; Ukraine is its Spain. If we win woman equality now, the Fascists think (and I do too) that we're looking at new possibilities for the society of legal, political, economic and, especially, moral equals that Walt Whitman and Emerson were trying to get at - and we'll get them from San Francisco to the Urals, to boot. If we lose it - and I really don't think we will - look for a hard, nasty slog before we can look for the possibilities again.
Wisht I were a girl to get a chance to vote for my own equality, but I'm happy anyhow to be an old boy lucid enough to see the great good in it. Friends, Sing a song Self, Equality and Solidarity. Whatever happens, let's all talk more about Egalité, Liberté, Solidarité on the other side!
Thank you Heather for uncovering this gem. What was written then, could apply to today. I’ve got this idea. All corporate media hire a credentialed historian full time. Give them a staff of researchers. Add the historian to the corporate board and the editorial board. Also same for the government. Make people fall in love with history like you did for us.
I’ve read two of HCR’s books and appreciate her research. The oligarchy America’s founders created was compatible with some of the militant groups I’ve read of in history books. It’s also compatible with the many states whose voters do not now have the direct initiative, referendum and recall.
Second Request: Can I please receive the written version of Letters and not the podcast. Thank you
Brenda Tepper
You can get emails
HCR…what a perfect opening! Thank you, as always, for your remarkable and unfailing efforts but also for your delightful talents!
This is essentially the mission statement of MAGA.
Would you think about sharing this widely so everyone who’s interested has an opportunity to hear just how clear the historical context is? Thanks
I'm continously flabbergasted when anyone with any military background supports Trump. They must have discontinued the practice of educating them on fascism at some point.
If I am a subscriber and just paid $50 please send me a letter every day.