As a citizen of the world, I am frightened for it. The violence continues to dog it bringing out not the best but the worst in some of us. Fanaticism continues its seemingly endless pursuit of freedom to forever stifle it.
Orlando is the latest in the long line of violent tragedies to shock the world. We have seen the increasing violence of the killers of Paris, of Hebdo, ISIL in Iraq and Syria, Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan; to name just a few.
It is often said by many the world has been thus forever. The human condition has been such that our urge for peace has always had to contend with the tendency for violence. From time to time the perpetual struggle between peace and violence has witnessed the rise of demagogues and dictators. One such era was the rise of fascism in Europe that culminated in the holocaust killing six million Jews, over a million Roma and millions of others. The term "Nazism" still conjures up the frightening scenes of cruelties to other human beings who differed from the demagogues and their followers in faith, colour, race or politics.
In our own time we are witnessing in the rise of Trump in the United States, something akin to the prelude to Hitler and his deathly dominion over Germany. There is serious cause for concern.
Hitler rose in times of economic problems that he promised to magically solve. The US economy is the strongest in the world and has substantially recovered from the great recession of 2008. But the false claims of the Tea Party bought and repeated by the traditional Republicans would have you believe that the country is going to hell in a hand basket. Trump the business 'wonder' has come to the rescue.
The Tea Party gave birth to Trump, the birther, who has unapologetically questioned whether Obama was really born in the US; the implication being he was really a Muslim and not loyal to the US, just as Hitler railed against the Jews questioning their loyalty to Germany.
Hitler pandered to the Germans' fears about their future and promised to build a more robust military to not just defend Germany but also to attack others, just as Trump promises to make by far the strongest military in the world even stronger. Hitler promised them strong leadership that he maintained others hadn't provided. Trump claims and promises likewise.
Just as Hitler promised to make Germany "great once again", Trump wants to make already a great America --diminished only in the eyes of the Tea Party followers by its oft repeated claims of US impotence--"great once again".
Hitler believed "propaganda must confine itself to a very few points and repeat itself endlessly." Trump had already mastered the art of marketing his many ventures before he entered the presidential race.
Trump has adopted and follows Hitler's edict to the hilt.
He repeats endlessly his promise to ban all Muslims from the US.
He has repeatedly promised to build a wall on the border with Mexico "to keep out rapists and murderers"; that is what he calls Mexicans wanting to come to the US.
He has called the US born judge of Mexican heritage an 'other', a 'Mexican' with an "inherent conflict of interest" vis a vis himself as he "is going to build the wall."
For Trump the New York born Orlando shooter "was born an Afghan, born to Afghan parents" letting hang a clear implication that Muslims can't ever be true and loyal Americans.
Regarding President Obama's response to Orlando terror Trump painted a picture of an Obama secretly knowing more than he let on, or alternatively not wanting to know the truth about Islamic terrorism and possibly harbouring sympathies for the Islamic terrorists: "Look, we're led by a man that either is not tough, not smart, or he's got something else in mind ... And the something else in mind — you know, people can't believe it. People cannot, they cannot believe that President Obama is acting the way he acts and can't even mention the words 'radical Islamic terrorism.' There's something going on. It's inconceivable. There's something going on."
Trump has called for Obama to resign in light of the shooting alleging "He doesn't get it or he gets it better than anybody understands — it's one or the other, and either one is unacceptable...Well there are a lot of people that think maybe he doesn't want to get it ...A lot of people think maybe he doesn't want to know about it. I happen to think that he just doesn't know what he's doing, but there are many people that think maybe he doesn't want to get it. He doesn't want to see what's really happening.
According to Washington Post "Donald Trump seemed to repeatedly accuse President Obama on Monday of identifying with radicalized Muslims who have carried out terrorist attacks in the United States and being complicit in the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando over the weekend, the worst the country has ever seen."
Just as the Germans accepted Hitler's democratic ascension, many traditional republicans have become silent and sought refuge under the democratic nature of Trump's Primary victory; "people have spoken", they plead just as he argues he has fairly and squarely won the race to be the presumptive Republican nominee. True except he and 'his' Republicans refuse to acknowledge the fear, anger and hatred he hawked to get where he is.
Trump has risen and still rising. Just like Hitler he continues to select and demonise his scapegoats; the Mexicans, the Muslims and others; he falsely accuses his political adversaries of covertly and/or overtly consorting with those scapegoats. He presents as the timely rescuer of an otherwise 'doomed America'. Thus is born the scary saviour, the proto fascist who promises to "make America great once again". He has moulded Hitler's hate mongering into a fine art of the 21st century.
Many argue the US Republic is not the Weimar; there are lots of checks and balances to the Presidency; and a rogue President can be brought to heal. Those in the Weimar too thought they could control Hitler. They couldn't and a very heavy price was paid by many.
Unlike Trump's many twisted tweets simply heating up the cyber world, one gentle push of the nuclear button could mushroom into a war that might burn down our entire world. It is one thing for a KIm Jung Un of tiny North Korea to hint nuclear strikes, if he doesn't get his way. It would be quite another for the thin skinned and truculent Trump to be armed with the Nuclear code while in bed at night struggling to rein in his anger at some idiot in a faraway place--and unfortunately there are lots of them in our world--who may have rattled Trump's cranial cage. Are the Americans ready to take that Chance?
The GOP of the Great Lincoln, mustn't allow Trump to trounce all shame and civility in his mad pursuit of the Presidency. It must stand up to him. Does Paul Ryan want to go down as the appeaser in chief of a rising proto fascist Trump?
America, the most powerful country on earth, deserves better than Trump.
And most importantly the world deserves a peaceful, humane and inclusive America--not Trump's bigoted, xenophobic and racist America.
In the unchecked rise of Trump, America is betraying the world and itself. We all have a reason to be frightened.
