The Growing Fascism in the United States Amid the COVID-19 Crisis
The coronavirus hysteria has grown significantly in the last week or so, as officials warn that there is no end in sight for mitigating the spread of the virus. Draconian measures are continuing to become the norm, and the American people are now accepting of authoritarianism. In many ways, they have been convinced by the mainstream media and the government that this is the only solution to stop a virus where the vast majority of those infected recover. This is not to downplay the seriousness of the disease, but the responses to it have been irrational and overreaching. The media and the government have been playing the virus up to allow for measures that would otherwise not be tolerated. The people are being herded like sheep to their pastures, and if you argue against governmental action, you are considered unpatriotic and unsympathetic to the population. The state governments are creating fascist societies that will only get stricter (the federal government has done little so far to interfere in the crisis).
Many states, including New York, California, New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut, Ohio, and Louisiana, have adopted some variation of policies requiring residents to stay at home unless on official business or shopping for necessary supplies. In New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo, has dictatorial powers to shut down the entire state and issue executive orders in any manner that he sees fit (this power was granted by the NYS Legislature, and this allows the governor to suspend laws in response to the virus ). The governor has called his measures putting “New York State on PAUSE", which includes democracy. He now has unlimited authority throughout the entire state (there are no checks and balances on his power), and he has arbitrarily determined which businesses are allowed to stay open and which ones are forced to close. In order to determine if one’s business is essential, the company needs to get clearance from the state, or if they remain open as a nonessential business, the state will issue fines and likely shut the business down by force. Any public gatherings (including going to the movies or participating in team sports) for any purpose or of any size are outright banned by the governor.
New York has become an authoritarian state on the road to becoming fascist. Fascism comes in many shapes and sizes, but key elements of it would be ultranationalism, dictatorial power, and centralized control of the economy. As we can see these elements coming into play in New York State, other parts of the country are also starting to implement them. At the federal level, President Trump has thus far refrained from issuing a national lockdown (though he is being pressured to do so) or utilizing emergency laws such as the Defense Production Act, which would allow the federal government to force private companies to produce materials and supplies to combat COVID-19. The president is being criticized by many for not utilizing his powers, but reorganizing the means of production would be a socialist card that he may be wary of playing. It would be ironic if socialism were adopted by President Trump (Republicans would embrace it because it was under their president, all the while still claiming to oppose socialism).
Embracing central economic planning and supporting a large portion of people through government welfare (unemployment has skyrocketed, especially in New York and other states where businesses were forced to shut down) is not the only fascist principle that has taken hold throughout the country. If you question the official narrative or stand up for your rights, people look down upon you as if you are an evil person who does not care about the well-being of the country. This mentality is astounding because people are so willing to trade their rights for the illusion of security out of fear. I have been warning about the possibility of martial law and some of the types of draconian measures we are currently seeing for a few years, and people thought I was paranoid and crazy for even suggesting that something like that could happen. Now that these measures are being implemented right in front of us, those same people have embraced them, and I am again regarded as crazy for standing up for civil liberties and opposing what is happening.
The United States is on a rough road, and things are changing day by day. In New York, the governor stated that even with the draconian measures in place, we could see up to 80% of the population become infected with the disease, and he said that the business closures and mandatory stay-at-home orders could last as long as nine months. It seems from this announcement that the governor is stating that even though the authoritarianism is not going to be successful, he is still going to leave the measures in place. However, it is unlikely that President Trump will be able to resist the efforts by almost all of those in Congress and in the White House to push for a national lockdown. People around the Capital Region of New York (Albany area) are already reporting seeing military vehicles moving around the streets. Could they be getting ready for federal martial law? Although it is difficult to know exactly what will happen and things continuously change, one thing is for certain: the American people have been willing to throw away their liberties when things get difficult, and once these liberties are taken, they will not be returned in full.
Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website.
Many states, including New York, California, New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut, Ohio, and Louisiana, have adopted some variation of policies requiring residents to stay at home unless on official business or shopping for necessary supplies. In New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo, has dictatorial powers to shut down the entire state and issue executive orders in any manner that he sees fit (this power was granted by the NYS Legislature, and this allows the governor to suspend laws in response to the virus ). The governor has called his measures putting “New York State on PAUSE", which includes democracy. He now has unlimited authority throughout the entire state (there are no checks and balances on his power), and he has arbitrarily determined which businesses are allowed to stay open and which ones are forced to close. In order to determine if one’s business is essential, the company needs to get clearance from the state, or if they remain open as a nonessential business, the state will issue fines and likely shut the business down by force. Any public gatherings (including going to the movies or participating in team sports) for any purpose or of any size are outright banned by the governor.
New York has become an authoritarian state on the road to becoming fascist. Fascism comes in many shapes and sizes, but key elements of it would be ultranationalism, dictatorial power, and centralized control of the economy. As we can see these elements coming into play in New York State, other parts of the country are also starting to implement them. At the federal level, President Trump has thus far refrained from issuing a national lockdown (though he is being pressured to do so) or utilizing emergency laws such as the Defense Production Act, which would allow the federal government to force private companies to produce materials and supplies to combat COVID-19. The president is being criticized by many for not utilizing his powers, but reorganizing the means of production would be a socialist card that he may be wary of playing. It would be ironic if socialism were adopted by President Trump (Republicans would embrace it because it was under their president, all the while still claiming to oppose socialism).
Embracing central economic planning and supporting a large portion of people through government welfare (unemployment has skyrocketed, especially in New York and other states where businesses were forced to shut down) is not the only fascist principle that has taken hold throughout the country. If you question the official narrative or stand up for your rights, people look down upon you as if you are an evil person who does not care about the well-being of the country. This mentality is astounding because people are so willing to trade their rights for the illusion of security out of fear. I have been warning about the possibility of martial law and some of the types of draconian measures we are currently seeing for a few years, and people thought I was paranoid and crazy for even suggesting that something like that could happen. Now that these measures are being implemented right in front of us, those same people have embraced them, and I am again regarded as crazy for standing up for civil liberties and opposing what is happening.
The United States is on a rough road, and things are changing day by day. In New York, the governor stated that even with the draconian measures in place, we could see up to 80% of the population become infected with the disease, and he said that the business closures and mandatory stay-at-home orders could last as long as nine months. It seems from this announcement that the governor is stating that even though the authoritarianism is not going to be successful, he is still going to leave the measures in place. However, it is unlikely that President Trump will be able to resist the efforts by almost all of those in Congress and in the White House to push for a national lockdown. People around the Capital Region of New York (Albany area) are already reporting seeing military vehicles moving around the streets. Could they be getting ready for federal martial law? Although it is difficult to know exactly what will happen and things continuously change, one thing is for certain: the American people have been willing to throw away their liberties when things get difficult, and once these liberties are taken, they will not be returned in full.
Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website.
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