F.O.

Fascism: a populist political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual, that is associated with a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, and that is characterized by severe economic and social regimentation and by forcible suppression of opposition.

Oligarchy: A type of business or government in which a small elite group   holds power; government by the few.

Oligopoly: a state of limited competition, in which a market is shared by a small number of producers or sellers.

[NOTE: In a prior piece I stated that I found I could no longer refer to Donald Trump by name or title, instead I used “occupant.” As I wrote this piece, this substitution became clunky in the writing. In the reading, it seemed even clunkier. Therefore I’m reverting to using his name and title until I can come up with a suitable substitute worthy of polite readers.]

When you opened this piece, I’ll bet you were expecting two other words that began with an “F” and an “O.” Sorry to disappoint but who knows, the piece is just getting started.

I am writing this into third week after Trump raised his hand and swore what to him was a bunch of nonsensical words. In other words, pure Gibberish.

For years we’ve been dancing around what to call the MAGA movement and its leader. Polite commentators seemed to settle on “populist.” (William Jennings Byron is looking for a lightning bolt to hurl down at us.) Others call it a “nationalist” or “hyper nationalist” movement.

The MAGA folks wallow in the term “patriot.” Where’s a lightning bolt when you need one?

Labels are important and they can, with one word, describe the traits and characteristics of the thing labeled. For example, if I label a given cult MAGA, it’s obvious that I’m describing a group of mostly older, mostly white, mostly under educated, often racist and misogynistic, weak minded self described victims of – wait for it – keep waiting – we’re there, CHANGE!

I could have used “progress” but that sounds too liberal to these folks. These guys hate liberals, although they’d be hard pressed to coherently explain why they hate liberals.

These are people who think they’ve been cheated by the forces of change; change that is blamed on something called the “deep state.” Of course they can’t coherently describe the deep state other than say “the gub’ment.”

On the other hand, these guys will celebrate the Fourth of July, stand at a ballgame singing the Star Spangled Banner, fly the flag outside their homes and attach one their pickup trucks, and proudly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the gub’ment they blame for all their problems.

These are the guys that Donald Trump, the loser of the 2020 presidential election, incited to storm the Capital to forcibly overturn a free and fair election, all the while calling themselves “patriots.”

For more than forty years this “movement” has been fed a delicious diet of lies, distortion, and outright bullshit with the goal to confirm the biases of the gullible masses.

This onslaught of misinformation, broadcast and published by a group of anonymous elites, elites of the class the MAGA masses were told is the “enemy,” served to fuel the hate, anger and division, along with with the mostly – but not always – latent violence, that permeates our society.

Add in a dose of helplessness and the political ground has been seeded out of which a savior will arise, divinely anointed, to lead the faithful masses to the promised land. And their “savior” got elected to be the president and occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C.

The two labels I believe most apropos to our current situation are Fascism and Oligarchy. Or combined, Faligarchy.

Let’s start with fascism. Trump ran on a “populist” platform: America First, mass deportation of largely brown and black undocumented immigrants, restrict who can be citizens of our country, tariffs to finance the government, withdrawal from overseas commitments, and downsizing the size of government through elimination of “wasteful” programs.

He promised to reduce consumer prices and to reduce taxes. He also promised to seek retribution against political actors who harmed the American “people.” Trump surrounded himself with likeminded sycophants who sought to exercise their “power” in service to Trump’s agenda.

And what an agenda it is. Trump issued an Executive Order abolishing D.E.I. programs throughout the government as well as non-governmental programs funded by government dollars. As I previously wrote, the federal government will only acknowledge two biological genders present at birth.

A previous Executive Order issued by the prior administration preventing discrimination based on gender identity, was rescinded. Via Executive Order, Trump rescinded pay equity and transparency in federal contracting.

He issued Executive Orders declaring a hiring freeze and requiring future hires to be based on “merit.” Ask how that’s working out in California during fire season.

The new president fired 17 Inspector Generals, eliminating any independent monitoring of actions conducted in their respective agencies/departments. Trump’s acting Attorney General ordered the attorneys in the Department of Justice to reveal whether they had worked on any cases related the the January 6, 2021 insurrection or matters touching on Donald Trump. The acting Attorney General also required the acting FBI Director to turn over the names of agents who worked on the previously cited matters. More about that below.

Over 1500 pardons and commutations were issued by Trump to those charged and/or convicted of January 6th activities.

Trump issued an Executive Order requiring the Department of Education to divert discretionary grant funding away from public schools and  direct those funds to private faith-based schools. He also offered a deferred resignation program (aka a “buyout” package) to reduce the government workforce.

By Executive Orders, Donald Trump rescinded strengthening access to affordable health care and the reduction of prices for prescription medicines. An Executive Order was issued protecting the meaning and value of American citizenship (by eliminating “birthright citizenship”). He issued an Executive Order declaring a state of emergency at the southern border.

Trump ordered the purge of the top leadership of numerous government agencies. He will replace them based on only one quality of merit that counts: unflagging loyalty, not to the law, but to him.

Oh, and let’s not forget the likely abolition of the Department of Education. As has been repeated many times, Trump loves the poorly educated and they love him. On February 7, a group of members of Congress went to the DOE to meet with people to find out what’s what, and were barred from entering the building by some nameless man with dubious authority to prohibit their entry.

And just this week, the now confirmed Attorney General, Pam Bondi, announced a Department of Justice investigation into the weaponization of the Rule of Law. Specifically, she is investigating cases brought against Trump by Special Counsel Jack Smith, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and New York Attorney General Leticia James.

This after testifying before Congress that neither she nor the Department of Justice writ large would do such a thing. OMG! She lied! Under oath! In her congressional hearing into her nomination!

And what ever will Congress do? Absolutely. Nothing. How could they? If they did they’d have to go after Gabbard, Patel, RFK Jr., Bessent, Vought, et al. That would mean that they’d be subject to Trump’s ire, unleashing the wrath of the MAGA cult, and it would distract from consolidating Trump’s power as quickly as possible.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t note that Donald J. Trump, never considered to be a patron of the arts, installed himself as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Kennedy Center. From CNN:

“At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social. “We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!”

I could go on but my head hurts at the rapidly expanding fascist coup taking place. It took Hitler 53 days to consolidate his absolute power, Trump seems like he’s trying to break that record.

It is beyond contestation that these guys do not mean to govern, they mean to rule.

Moving on to the oligarchy, let me remind readers of my pieces that before the election, I admonished voters to consider those working in the background, overtly and covertly, supporting Trump’s election. It was a symbiotic relationship: Trump needed their money and resources; the oligarchs wanted the power only a successful election could bestow.

It was a marriage made in hell.

This Age of the Oligarch didn’t just happen in 2024. In fact, it was more that forty years in the making. Without getting into the weeds, let’s just say it was an unholy intersection of dark money and politics resulting in deregulation of various economic sectors resulting in more money going to a select few allowing them to invest more dark money into the political process.

A classic wash, rinse, and repeat.

In the 1990’s, with the onset of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), then past and future presidential candidate Ross Perot warned of a “giant sucking sound” of American jobs leaving the country for cheaper labor markets.

He was partially correct. The real giant sucking sound was the wealth drain from most Americans to what became the privileged few. Statistics show that as of 2022,  the top 10 economic percentile of the population owned 69% of America’s wealth; the top 1% of that top 10 economic percentile (here be the oligarchs) controls 50% of more than two-thirds of America’s wealth; the bottom 50th economic percentile of America’s households control 4% of the country’s wealth; the remaining 40th economic percentile of households controls approximately 27% of America’s wealth.

I know, this is a little wonky but bear with me. In year 2022, Americans held $139 trillion in wealth. So you do the math of who controls how much of that wealth in real dollars.

Could it be that America’s saviors are really America’s anti-Christ? The MAGA cult has for too long been fed the lies that their problems were the result of their wealth being transferred to the disadvantaged and marginalized few. Maths don’t lie, right-wing media does.

This state of affairs was foreseeable. I ran into a quote from a congressional candidate in 1980. It goes:

“Inflation is quickly eroding the standard of living of every American Citizen. The average middle class American can no longer afford to buy a home or an automobile. The poor and elderly can barely survive the economic strain of shopping for weekly groceries.

Yet government continues to approach this problem with outdated, unworkable solutions. We are told that in order to halt inflation, we must create an artificial recession. We are told that in order to halt inflation, we must initiate wage and price controls. In my opinion, these are tools which address the symptoms but not the causes of our economic problems.

It is time to face the truth that our economy is in the process of transforming itself from a free market to an oligopoly. In an increasing number of industries, the law of supply and demand no longer influences the price of goods and services. Because of this, our economy no longer responds to the traditional remedies of the past.”

                                                                    February 23, 1980

Clearly these comments were made during the Carter administration when inflation seemed out of control. Many of these remarks appear to us now as déjà vu all over again. But most salient are the remarks addressing the structure of the economy and the rise of oligopolies.

As I said, déjà vu all over again. More about that candidate below.

The oligarchs were well represented on Inauguration Day, no doubt to witness the return on their investment. However, one oligarch rose above the rest. Elon Musk, who spent more than $280 million dollars to elect Trump, was there for his return.

And boy did he get it! The keys to the American kingdom. After Trump formalized the creation of the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk was empowered to behave like a wrecking ball destroying the departments of the American government. Of course that was after he gave the Nazi salute twice at Inauguration ceremonies.

And now Musk has referred someone opposing his absolute incompetent examination of government agencies to the Acting USA for the District of Columbia who is happy to open a case on this person.

There’s no need to recite the assault on our democratically established government. He and his minions (not those cute yellow cartoon characters but the 19-24 year old high school graduates) have gained access to the federal employees payment system, gained access to the Treasury Department’s payments system to seek out “improper” payments that fund programs established by Congress, and basically shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The assault on USAID is especially concerning due to its impact on America’s security interests. We provide aid to many of the poorest countries in the world. It’s not just the humanitarian aspects that are important, but also the good will we earn from the people in the host countries.

For example, we send humanitarian aid consisting of food, water, sanitation, health care, and education to the Sudanese people who are subjected to armed conflict in the country and an on-going famine due to drought.  

USAID helps build civil society, reduce conflict, and improve livelihoods. USAID also works with women, youth, and people with disabilities. 

Aside from poverty and famine, ISIS also has a presence in Sudan. Contrary to Trump’s previous self-congratulatory comments, ISIS was not “destroyed.” Hurt yes, destroyed no. ISIS along with other enemies and global competitors grow and thrive on the misery of others.

You’d think that our current ruling clique would understand the possibility of acquiring of power by exploiting the fears and anger of others.

Related to USAID is PEPFAR, a program started under the Brush II administration to supply medicines to treat and prevent the expansion of AIDS throughout the globe, saving at least 26 million lives.

Of course the cessation of USAID programs hurts American businesses and farms as current contracts are canceled and any future renewal is purely speculative. A double whammy to our country.

The  basis for the concept of government formation is to protect the weak from the strong. In a democracy, the people select those who are thought to be best suited to serve the people. If those we select fail to serve us, they can be removed via democratic processes and replaced by those more capable to meet our needs.

What would happen if government was comprised only of strong people, able to assert their will irrespective of the needs or desires of the people? What if those in government act only in their self interests to the detriment of the mass of people?

What happens when the people need to be protected from the government?

A legitimate government only exists to serve the needs of people. Whether providing security, material resources to individuals and communities, or providing forums for the peaceful resolution of disputes, in our society government is a vital part of our daily lives.

Is it perfect? No. Is it efficient? Sometimes, perhaps often not. Is there corruption? Sadly, but not often, yes. Is there waste? Absolutely, there is waste in nearly every human endeavor.

Does the government fail in its mission? Sometimes. But under no circumstance is a legitimate government the enemy. Not now, but if things keep going in the direction charted over the last couple of weeks, perhaps it may be.

Trump and his henchmen and Musk and his minions are out to reshape our system of government, and our democracy, in ways we never thought possible. If they have their way, we will either bend the knee or if not, they’ll break the knee.

This is a fast moving coup. There will be obstacles to its completion. For example, the courts have slowed down the pace, but the process will continue until it’s either completed or convincingly beaten.

For that second outcome to occur, we need all of us to act. None of us alone can achieve that end of defeating this coup but if each of us acts as we are able, contribute what we can within our capabilities, combined with others we can preserve our democracy.

I know this is a lot but there’s just one more thing that might stiffen our resolve. Brian Driscoll is the acting Director of the FBI. This is an account from NBC News:

“Driscoll notified the FBI workforce that he had been ordered to remove eight senior FBI executives by Emil Bove, the acting Deputy Attorney General and Trump’s former personal defense lawyer. 

Driscoll also said he had been told to turn over the names of every FBI employee involved in investigating Jan. 6 rioters.

Driscoll stated that the eight executives had been forced out but did not say whether he would turn over the broader list of Jan. 6-related FBI investigators — a list that he noted encompasses thousands of FBI employees, including him. 

A former member of the FBI’s elite hostage rescue team, Driscoll promised agents that he would follow the law and existing FBI policies.

‘As we’ve said since the moment we agreed to take on these roles, we are going to follow the law, follow FBI policy, and do what’s in the best interest of the workforce and the American people — always,’ he wrote.

In a message that circulated widely among bureau personnel, an FBI agent summarized what happened as: ‘Bottom line — DOJ came over and wanted to fire a bunch of J6 agents. Driscoll is an absolute stud. Held his ground and told WH proxy, DOJ, to F--- Off.’”

So in the spirit of Brian Driscoll, to Donald Trump and his henchmen, Elon Musk and his minions, and the MAGA cult writ large, on behalf of all decent democracy loving, rule of law abiding, inclusive Americans, I say an emphatic FUCK OFF.

P.S. In case you were wondering, I am that congressional candidate from 1980. I never quote myself but I thought in this instance it seemed appropriate.