Everything is terrorism in Trump's America

[Nevilledog]

https://www.theverge.com/policy/790510/trump-fascism-antifa-soros-ice

No paywall link
https://archive.li/Nss7P

The Trump administration declared war on the “terrorist organization” of “antifa” and the supposed “networks” associated with it last week. Antifa is not so much a vast national conspiracy as it is simply an abbreviation for anti-fascism — but don’t point out that anti-anti-fascism looks a lot like fascism. That would make you antifa, too. The plain intent of the memo is to make Americans afraid to call fascism what it is — or worse, to say fascism is bad.

President Donald Trump first signed an executive order purporting to classify antifa as a domestic terrorist organization — a designation that doesn’t actually exist. This was followed by a national security presidential memorandum (NSPM) a few days later. According to the memo, calling things fascist “justif[ies] and encourage[s] acts of violent revolution,” which is why anti-fascism is terrorism, actually.

There is no such thing as a domestic terror group designation, or a federal domestic terrorism charge, which is part of what renders the executive order and memo so perplexing. That is lucky for Trump and his supporters, since a domestic terrorism charge might have applied to the violent insurrection on January 6th, 2021. But it is anti-fascism that is the problem, clearly.

This upside-down treatment of the English language is not novel. The George W. Bush administration coined such unforgettable phrases as “they hate our freedoms” and “enhanced interrogation techniques.” Historical authoritarian regimes repurposed words as part of their assault on collective social reality, a theme that George Orwell returned to many times in his works. Trump’s anti-anti-fascism orders work similarly. They distort not just words like terrorism, violence, and fascism, but also the law, how the federal government is organized, and what the Constitution establishes as the foundational principles of this country. The orders do not make sense logically, they do not match up with reality, and they are not designed to be enacted effectively.

*snip*

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Exactly. By demonizing antifa, they make fa (fascism) seem less insane and more comfy. . . . nt

[D_Master81]

2. Everything

disagreeing with Trump or having the gall to protest him is now terrorism

[Celerity]

3. superb article

[moondust]

4. Sounds familiar.

The day after the Reichstag Fire the Reichstag Fire Decree was issued which

nullified many of the key civil liberties of German citizens. With the Nazis in powerful positions in the German government, the decree was used as the legal basis for the imprisonment of anyone considered to be opponents of the Nazis, and to suppress publications not considered "friendly" to the Nazi cause.

A little hard to believe that it only took the Nazis ONE DAY to come up with the decree which

consisted of six articles. Article 1 indefinitely suspended most of the civil liberties set forth in the Weimar Constitution, including habeas corpus, inviolability of residence, secrecy of the post and telephone, freedom of expression and of the press, the right to public assembly, and the right of free association, as well as the protection of property and the home. Articles 2 and 3 allowed the Reich government to assume powers normally reserved for the federal states. Articles 4 and 5 established draconian penalties for certain offenses, including the death penalty for arson to public buildings. Article 6 simply stated that the decree took effect on the day of its proclamation.

More likely they had it all planned out and ready to go before they started the fire.

[malaise]

5. When you come up with an amorphous asinine, ignorant concept like

‘The war on terror’ this is the logical arrival spot.

[tetedur]

6. The ultimate goal is violence, chaos, martial law, cancellation of elections.