By César Omar Sánchez
America and Its Distorted Values
In
the United States, many still believe that this nation was founded under
Christian values and that True America Patriotism is the backbone of this
country. Since the 2016 Presidential Election where Trump was the winner, we
have seen a huge surge of right-wing fascist organizations and religious
extremists in the US. According to the Southern Poverty of Law, there numerous
hate groups under the following categories: Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazi, White
Christian Identity, Nationalist, Racist Skinhead, Neo-Confederate, Black
Separatist, Anti-Immigrant, Anti-LGBTQ, and Anti-Muslim. Western-style
chauvinistic fascist group like the Proud Boys is one clear example of how they
conflate Patriotism and Christian values as the only way to bring America back.
The beliefs of Christians are as flawed and imperfect as all religious beliefs around the world. Unfortunately, it seems that true genuine or non-violent traditional Christian values are being co-opted and radicalized by a new Christian movement known as Dominionism. This religious movement seeks to mask itself in the mantle of the Christian Faith and American Patriotism. The word Dominionism comes from Genesis 1:26 - 31 in which God gives human beings “dominion” over all creation. Even though their members are not as high in numbers, but the members within this group are highly influential. Today, their numbers are three-time as higher than before since Donald Trump was elected to office in 2016. Author and a former chief editor war correspondent for the New York Times wrote a book called American Fascist where he writes about the rise of Dominionism,
"Dominionism now controls at least six national television networks, each reaching tens of millions of homes, and virtually all of the nation’s more than 2,000 religious radio stations, as well as denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention." (Chris Hedges 10)
I believe that Capitalism is antithetical and in the eyes of Jesus Christ, I also believe he will not condone it. Capitalism, money, and greed for power are against all Jesus’s beliefs that he preached before he was crucified. This current system that we are in does not give room for people to learn all the enlightenments of many critical thinkers and philosophers like for example Immanuel Kant, Aristotle, Plate, Voltaire, and St. Augustine, which I believe we need to go back study, and perhaps learn something from these individuals to build a better society. Critical thinking and the rise of illiteracy in the United States are one of the many reasons why education is falling apart. When a country is being run as a corporation that only a few percentages of people benefit from it, that gives little room for freedom and a democratic country, instead, we have become a failed state. Corporations’ biggest donors are groups like the Dominionism and other extreme right-wing Christian religious group in the United States. Chris Hedges also goes on to say that,
Classic Totalitarianism vs Inverted Totalitarianism
German-born American political theorist Hannah Arendt wrote about the scientific tactics on total domination and the steps on how to control the mass people in a totalitarian system such as the Third Reich in Germany during the rise of Nazism. The three steps to total domination are described as Hades, Purgatory, and Hell, however, these are just analogies described as evil tactics to crush humanity's spirit. The first essential step is to eliminate the juridical individual or the political opposition by way of disenfranchisement. The second step is to demoralize them to the point of rendering their consciousness impotent. And finally, the third step of maintaining Total Domination is the destruction of ones’ individuality, one's identity through thought and action.
In a classical totalitarian system, power is controlled by a political demagogue, however, the late political philosopher Sheldon Wolin who wrote in his underrated book “Democracy Incorporated” mentions that a totalitarian state, it can also be controlled by a corporate state as opposed to a political leader. This form of control from the state is called “Inverted Totalitarianism” in which money buys politicians, tv airwaves, radio commentators, and almost every news media outlets in this country; all these methods are implemented to serve corporate needs. Corporate state can impose draconian laws to oppress the mass majority of people that oppose it.
Biden vs Trump, two clowns, same
circus
In today’s US politics, it is now
clear that there is no more party left that represents the poor, the working
class, blacks, and people of color from all ethnic and religious groups.
Biden’s history of passing domestic and foreign policies has been a total disaster
when he was Delaware’s senator and Vice-President under the Obama
Administration. From the crime bill that accelerated the incarceration of
Blacks and Latinos to the vote on the Iraq war, Joe Biden has done more damage
to this country than the current president Donald Trump. Of course, that is not
to say Donald Trump has not hurt this country either, but if you look at
Biden’s past and current policies, we are still are paying the price due to his
past policies.
The democratic party has become the
new centrist or perhaps a new version of the republican party with distorted
political views. The current republican party has become more of a cult with
Nazi sympathizers and conspiracist theorists that rely on “alternative facts”
from their so-called reliable sources.
During the rise of fascism in Germany before Hitler came to power, Russian Revolutionary and Political Theorist Leon Trotsky wrote about how SDP (Social Democratic Party) in Germany at the time failed the people in which it gave the open path to fascism. Trotsky writes about how many political leaders were more opportunistic and did little to help the German people. Reformists, under Leon Trotsky’s view, were a waste of time
“We are, apart from all other considerations, interested in dragging the reformists from their asylums and placing them alongside ourselves before the eyes of the struggling masses. With a correct tactic, we stand only to gain from this.” (Trotsky 234)
If Joe Biden does not make any
radical changes that will address people’s grievances within the next two
years, I fear the mass people in this county will revert to voting into office
a right-wing Christian demagogue. This time, the next president will not be a buffoonish or idiotic person like Trump, but a charismatic, savvy, and
manipulative person with an extreme Christian conservative view backed by
religious movements like the Dominions or any other extreme fundamentalist
organization.
Fascism in history and in today’s
world.
Fascism was created during the era of mass politics and appealed to the emotions of people in despair by using extreme rhetoric, rituals, and carefully stage-managed ceremonies. Robert Paxton, author of The Anatomy of Fascism writes that,
There have been many debates and
discussions between scholars about fascism in both the past during WII and the
modern era today. Some argued that fascism died after the fall of Adolf Hitler
and that right-wing politics has been decimated and does not have the same
political strength and backing as before. However, I would argue that fascism
is coming back but in a different form, perhaps in a form of a
corporate-fascist system backed financially by extreme religious groups.
Fascistic organizations still exist and are scattered in certain countries in
Europe. During the ’90s, fascist “skinheads” were attacking immigrants in
Britain, Germany, Scandinavia, and Italy. In that same time frame, certain
fascist and neo-nazi political parties were back on the rise and as Paxton wrote,
"The first participation of a neofascist party in a European government in 1994, when the Italian Alleanza Nazionale, a direct descendant of the Italian neo-fascist party." (Paxton 173)
Conclusion
Fast forward till today, we have
numerous fascist elements within the Trump administration along with Nazi sympathizers
in the White House. Since Trump’s remark after the Charlottesville, Virginia killing
of activist Heather Heyer where he said, “there many good people on both sides”
and that there was “blame on both side”, we are living in an era where some
believe they are the superior race (White Supremacy) while certain other types
of people or inferior.
The killing of George Floyd that
sparked another widespread nation protest was pretty much the final draw and
exposed the systemic racism and segregationally economic problem Blacks, Latino
and other people of color are experiencing in the United States. These issues
have been going on for decades and Joe Biden was part of it during the signing
of the 1994 Crime Bill. Both Democrats and Republicans have failed us all for
many years now and continue to do so during this Global Pandemic we are facing.
As for the current president, Trump is not the problem, he is a symptom of a
bigger problem…a systemic problem. Joe Biden’s winning of the election is not
the solution and will not solve our problem. If we do not do anything and just
become apathetic to the current state we are in, say farewell to America, and
hello to Fascism in an Inverted Totalitarian system that is slowly creeping
upon us.
We must continue to pressure our political leaders for radical change, sooner or later the streets will speak again, and I predict mass civil unrest throughout this nation will spread if nothing is done. Some people will view it as anarchy or a people’s front revolution, for many, it could be a sign of hope. As a current student majoring in philosophy and religion, I came upon a 2010 article from the Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, author Pablo Gilabert argues when it comes to Immanuel Kant's theory of duty,
“Some duties of this category can be specified so that they extend demands of justice and that some of them have a global scope.” (Gilabert 5)
In other words, duties can be a
part of a theory of justice for the people witnessing massive injustice in this
country and worldwide. It is time for a Revolution. The Revolution is now! It
is time to rebuild a better world.
by César Omar Sánchez. Community organizer, New York/New Jersey Cuba Si Coalition, Advisory Board Member of ProLibertad: Free All Political Prisoners Campaign.
Reference
Arendt, Hannah. “Totalitarianism in
Power.” The Origins of Totalitarianism. Penguin Classics. 2017.
Hedges, Chris. “Faith.” American
Fascists: The Christian Right and The War on America. Free Press, p. 10-22
Trotsky, Leon. “What next?” The
Struggle Against Fascism in Germany. Pathfinder Press. p. 234.
Paxton, Robert O. The
Anatomy of Fascism. Vintage Books, 2005. pp. 16-173
Wolin, Sheldon S. Democracy
Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism.
Princeton University Press, 2017.
SPL Center, Team.
“Frequently Asked Questions about Hate Groups.” Southern Poverty Law Center,
18 Mar. 2020,
www.splcenter.org/20200318/frequently-asked-questions-about-hate-groups.
Gilabert, Pablo. “Kant and the Claims
of the Poor.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, vol. 81,
no. 2, 2010, pp. 382–418. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20779568.
Accessed 7 Dec. 2020.
Everybody is talking about this coming election and how "change" will come once Donald Trump is out of office. But what are the changes Joe Biden is offering to the American people? Ask yourself that question before going to the voting booth.
All I see is business as usual in this facade and anemic democracy we have left in this nation. I see the continuation of the status quo where the rich continue to make obscene profits while the working class is practically being destroyed. I see It’s business as usual for these greedy oligarchs that continues the warmongering policies against other sovereign nations. For what? Oh yes, their natural resources! I see the constant voting shaming on the American people because many are talking about voting for a third party or simply just sitting this one out.
The United Failed States of Amerikka is now implementing draconian laws to suppress and oppress those who defy the Wrath of the Imperial Tentacles of the US. From the killing of Black African Americans by Murderous Cops to the definite detention of undocumented immigrants under ICE custody and the mindless endless systemic racism mechanism in place, Biden and his VP candidate Kamala Harris will not change anything. Let us not forget that presidential candidate Joe Biden will not provide medicare for all to US Citizens even during a Global Pandemic. Biden is not the solution but part of the problem of why we can not move forward.
Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin was correct when he noted that Imperialism is the Highest Stage of Capitalism. And like all previous empires that have fallen, the US Empire is slowly decaying, going to a death spiral, and will most likely fall as well.
We need to understand that the two political parties in our government WILL NOT SAVE US! Again I’m going to repeat this, THE TWO CURRENT POLITICAL PARTIES WILL NOT SAVE US from the disaster we are all experiencing. It’s time to say that the economic and political system we have now needs to go! We also have to recognize that financial institutions like the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and The World Bank need to go as well. I strongly believe that these current financial institutions that continue to corrupt the political parties are the problems.
Natural Disasters are happening under the current system.
The current paradigm we are all living today is a monetary system that oppresses the mass majority of people financially and is destroying the planet because of the need of maximizing profits. By doing so, we are destroying the natural habitats of every wildlife known to man which is why we see a huge influx of animals migrating to other states or countries to survive. For example, DuPoint Industries has been using a Teflon like substance on pots and pans that are actually poisoning people which is giving them cancer. These toxic, cancerous chemicals within the manufacturing process of these products are contaminating the rivers and every water supply resource in the state of Virginia and other states nationwide. Cows, deers, squirrels, and many other wildlife creatures are dying because of the illegal dumping of these toxic waste products in our environment. All this, FOR WHAT? JUST TO MAKE A PROFIT. In the eyes of DuPont, profits, and productivity for people's consumption of their products is what matters the most. When independent scientists (not pseudo-scientists) has concluded that human activity is what is causing the destabilization of our planet.
In my honest opinion, we need a Paradigm shift if we are going to save the planet, the animals, and ourselves. We need to urgently change our way of thinking and how we see money and focus on how we see ourselves as part of a living organism on a finite planet. Yes, It Is Time for A Paradigm Shift Indeed!
by César Omar Sánchez. Community organizer, New York/New Jersey Cuba Si Coalition, Advisory Board Member of ProLibertad: Free All Political Prisoners Campaign.
“The whole hemisphere will be ours in fact as, by virtue of our superiority of race, it already is ours morally.”
“The youth must defend the country with the weapons of knowledge.”
- Pedro Albizu Campos
Every nation on this planet has the right to self-determination. Every foreign government has the right to implement any political and economic ideology with the support from the people. However, no country around the world should be under siege and dictated by any foreign nation, especially by an imperialistic nation like the United States of America.
As a child, I remembered seeing a black and white color poster of what I would describe as an angry man shouting at a crowd of people while standing on a podium. With dark pierce eyes and having a passionate characteristic look, the expressions on the people's faces standing there looked inspired with hope and determination. Throughout my childhood, up to my adolescent years, this same iconic figure still appears in many Puerto Rican bars and restaurants in the Tri-State area of New York City. At that time, I never fully understood why this particular man was so important within the Latin community. The man’s face on every posters, flyers, t-shirts, and mural I came across in many Latin communities was the Revolutionary Pedro Albizu Campos.
Like many Revolutionaries all around the world, they fought against colonialism and the systemic economic caste that oppresses their people. Pedro Albizu Campos who was one of the main leaders and organizers of the Puerto Rican National Party fought for the independence of Puerto Rico.
Revolutionaries from Latin America and the Caribbeans were and still are being mischaracterized and misunderstood in history books. It is also sad to say that many Revolutionaries like Pedro Albizu Campos are no longer being discussed in the community or just simply hidden from LatinX and Caribbean academic studies. Can it be because of the fear of red-baiting from the US propaganda machine? Can it be the fear of actual systemic change in Puerto Rico that keeps many of us in the dark? One thing for sure, a radical and critical way of thinking to study and analyze the situation of Puerto Rico, both past and present is urgently needed.
A book that I highly recommend reading which I believe gives a great overall summary history of the many movements in Puerto Rico against oppressive components and mechanisms like the Gag Law policy, FBI terror raids, and torture programs all supported by J. Edgar Hoover and US Government. That book is called the "War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America Colony"
From the Ponce Massacre to the US Bombing Campaign on the small island of Vieques(Puerto Rico's Land), and to the terror tactics unleashed on the poor working community throughout the island, the book sheds light on this dark history era in Puerto Rico.
Author Nelson A. Denis does not hold back on tells it how it is and how it relates to Puerto Rico's Political and Economic today.
I believe this book needs to be studied in Latin America and Caribbean Academic studies in the US. I thank the author for his fantastic work and hope that many readers buy or borrow a copy of Nelson’s compelling book.
by César Omar Sánchez. Community organizer, New York/New Jersey Cuba Si Coalition, Advisory Board Member of ProLibertad: Free All Political Prisoners Campaign.
Interview with César Sánchez, member of the Cuba Sí NY/NJ Coalition, during the vote on Cuba at the United Nations Assembly. Nov. 9, 2023 As...
