Amidst the tyranny among us, let us not forget the terrible toll that SARS-COV-2 is having on the world and the United States. Click on the link for the most current data and information.
Lesson 17: Listen For Dangerous Words
“Be alert for the use of the words extremism and terrorism. Be alive to the fatal notions of emergency and exception. Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary.”
Timothy Snyder, “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century,” 2017.
George Orwell wrote about “Double Speak” in his 1949 novel 1984. Our most recent former president used the Orwellian tool often in his efforts to confuse and deceive the American people. I suggest that you go back and re-read Lesson 1 of this series: “Do Not Obey in Advance” to help put this reference into context.
Dr. Snyder’s words really hit me hard. Let me ask you a rhetorical question. How often did we hear the words extremist and terrorist come out of the mouth of the former president? How were the words used? When were they used? Well, I’ll tell you what I think.
During Summer 2020 demonstrations revolving around the deaths of George Floyd and Brionna Taylor, the demonstrators were labeled as extremists and terrorists. On the other hand, the raucous Million MAGA March which turned violent was not labeled as either extremist or terrorist by the former president.
Who gets to decide when it an “extremist” event or a “terrorist” event? I guess that would be the the person in charge. They get to decide what is not accepted or normal. If it doesn’t fit the tyrant’s definition of normal then it becomes extreme. Terrorism refers to an actual danger. The January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol can therefore be defined as an act of terrorism. Is the looting and hooliganism that commonly comes with street demonstrations an act of terrorism? Who are the terrorists, Antifa, a loosely knit coalition of anti-Fascist ideologues or The Proud Boys whose names and faces can now be easily attached to and identified as purveyors of right wing violent extremism?
Twentieth Century dissidents that resisted communism or Fascism were labeled as extremists. Current day Russia uses laws on extremists to get back at its critics. So, labeling someone as an extremist can be used against anyone who doesn’t agree with the orthodoxy of the day.
An example of double speak can be found in 1980’s Nicaragua. Backers of the deposed former dictator, Anastasio Somoza, wanted their power and privilege back. President Reagan backed the attempt to overthrow the new leftist Sandinista government of Daniel Ortega. From the Reagan perspective, these people were “freedom fighters.” From another perspective, they were a group of human rights violating terrorists attempting to overthrow the fledgling Sandinista government.
One other very important point that Dr. Snyder makes in his lesson, is the idea of the “exception.” Nazi legal theorist Carl Schmitt stated that at the core of Fascist rule was this concept that events of the current moment call for “emergency” action. The implementation of martial law was invoked after the fire at the Reichstag in 1933. Former administration official General Michael Flynn encouraged his former boss to impose martial law in the United States when it became clear that the results of the 2020 Presidential Election would not be reversed by “peaceful” means.
I contend that the most recent former president was trying to use COVID as his excuse for emergency action. I cringe at the thought of where the country would be in it’s COVID response had Trump been re-elected in November. His failure to develop a plan for the distribution of the vaccines makes it a little easier for me to make a claim like this that seems totally outrageous. Thank God that we didn’t have to test that hypothesis.
Finally, on the subject of freedom. Snyder says, “But when they try to train us to surrender freedom in the name of safety, we should be on our guard.” How true that statement is. Someone might read that statement and equate it with the COVID-related mandates to wear masks and keep social distancing in public. The key words here are “on our guard.” The intentions of the surrender of personal freedoms in the name of public health are NOT to be confused with the intentions of a tyrant imposing martial law on a country. Being on your guard is your responsibility to the preservation of Democracy.
Snyder says, “Most authoritarian regimes, such as Russia, use laws on extremism to punish those who criticize their policies. In this way the notion of extremism comes to mean virtually everything except what it is, in fact, extreme: tyranny.”
I get pretty worked up on the subject of the use of patriotic language and patriotic symbols. The people that invaded the Capitol on January 6, 2020 are not Patriots. The people responsible for setting the stage for the Capitol invasion are not Patriots. The people that perpetuate the Big Lie of the 2020 election are not patriots.
Over the past nearly five years, I can credit the former president for one thing and one thing only. That thing is my renewed sense of patriotism and attention to the civics lessons that I first learned in high school. Never again will I take my citizenship for granted. Our flag flies proudly at our home.
My words are my bond. And my words are safe in a democracy.
In our community in Southern Oregon we have a diverse selection of views. In the few Black Lives Matter marches I witnessed many symbols and flags related to the protests against police brutality were displayed. I don’t remember anyone carrying an American Flag. We have many BLM flags flown in town but never with ‘Old Glory’. Those homes that fly the ‘Stars and Bars’ do not display the BLM flag or BLM yard sign. Could this mean you must make a choice. You can’t chose both. That seems to be what both sides want. So much for unity!
Yeah. That’s not a great message.
My American flag flies in the front yard accompanied by yard signs that say “Hate Has No Home Here,” and “In This House We Believe in Science…” The messages cannot be mutually exclusive. In fact, my motivation for flying the flag again was that it had become such a symbol of division, whether or not it was intentional (I think it was intentional) that I wanted to make a statement that said “I am a Liberal AND a patriot.”
I would encourage the BLM supporters in Southern Oregon to dust off their flags, find something to attach it to and display it alongside the BLM signs and banners.