by Mark Maxey
In our public school’s system in the mid-1960s and early ’70s taught Government and Civics in America. I was raised with a very full understanding of civil liberties, rights, constitutional rights and how our government was supposed to operate under democracy. History has shown how other ruling class systems and governments have weakened the rights of the citizenry to usher in fascism and racism directed at the working class. The multi-pointed act was done in stages and was coldly calculated to have a lasting impression upon society.
Let me first make sure we all understand what I mean by fascism.
This is the context I use fascism. Benito Mussolini consolidated control over the Fascist movement in 1919 with the founding of the Fasci italiani di combattimento, whose opposition to socialism he declared: We declare war against socialism, not because it is socialism, but because it has opposed nationalism.” Fascism further means a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism. Does this sound familiar? “But Friedman was more than an academic. He was an advocate for, and popularizer of, a radical right-wing economic ideology,” Sen.Bernie Sanders said. “With all due respect to the late Milton Friedman, his economic program is nothing more than a wish list for the greediest, the most monied interests in our society. At the same time that this ideology is supported by the rich and powerful–except when they’re lining up in Washington for their welfare checks–this same ideology is almost unanimously opposed to working families and middle-class people across this country.”
The Republican right-wing establishment has been dismantling our American dream. This has been going on for over forty years. Cold calculated robbing the working class of any opportunities. All the while lining their pockets from their corporate sponsors. Representing the corporations, capitalists, and not the citizens, the workers. Neither parties are the answer. It will have to be something new.
Amanda Litvinov, wrote in 2017 an article for National Education Association (NEA), on how civics was removed from the core curriculum in our American education system. “Until the 1960s, it was common for American high school students to have three separate courses in civics and government. But civics offerings were slashed as the curriculum narrowed over the ensuing decades, and lost further ground to “core subjects” under the NCLB-era standardized testing regime.”
In 2016 I held a social justice protest at the Oklahoma State Capital regarding the Republican-led legislators to attempt to not hold the Oklahoma Oil industry to a gross production tax that would have funded our entire budget. Instead, they wanted to lower the gross production tax for the wealthiest of all industries in Oklahoma. Several of the 30-year-olds had no idea that they could go visit their legislators. Nor did they even know who their legislators were. And they had no idea you as a citizen could attend and watch the legislative debates in person. When you dumb down society it is easier for the fascist agenda to usurp citizens’ rights without them knowing about it.
Harold Hamm of Continental Resources was a huge proponent against the rising of gross production tax in Oklahoma. This is the same man when he divorced his wife, the judge ordered him to pay his wife a settlement of over $975,000,000. He wrote a check that moment in court for payment. That is how rich he is, and he feels that the state of Oklahoma does not deserve his full taxes for his industry. If the richest among us are not forced to pay their fair share of taxes, who is left holding the purse strings? It is the working poor, which is not only gross but goes against society’s growth in the past 1000 years. Our hard-earned workers rights just go down the tubes.
This style of forcing neoliberalism and fascism is further populated by an unregulated media. Our current structure of media is not fair reporting, nor is it the truth. It is shaded, colored truth, as likened to poison kool-aid.
I worked for over 15 years in the communications media business. First as an on-air personality, then a producer, newspaper journalist, and some public relations writing. During my radio days, I did some news stringing for larger market radio on certain news events, One such time was a murder trial being run in Muskogee, OK. I was working at KBIX and KRMG out of Tulsa, OK asked me to cover it for them. It was while I was at KBIX that the Fairness Doctrine was struck down by President Reagan in June of 1987. During the trial one day the District Attorney wanted to introduce crime scene photographs. The defense lawyers objected citing it would incense the jury. The judge dismissed the jury and reviewed the photographs. The media pool was able to see the photos as well. The judge allowed it to be entered into evidence. The trial continued. I called in my report and Rand LaVonn, KRMG News, recorded it. He asked me if I saw the photos. At that point, I asked for the recording device to be turned off. I confirmed with Rand if it was off. He assured me that it was. I then described the gruesomeness of the photos. Later that night my brother called from Tulsa stating that my news story had totally grossed him out enough that he could not eat dinner. The next day I called Rand and asked why he had lied to me on turning the recorder off. He said, “It’s 5pm prime time news. If it bleeds it leads.” I told him he was being unethical and I quit stringing for KRMG. That was my first time seeing the demise of ethical, honest news media in broadcasting.
The Fairness Doctrine also established some guidelines with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in how many markets a media company could own stations. After the repeal in 1987, you began to see media outlets merging and buying out smaller markets. During this time you saw media groups diversify and get involved financially with all forms of media. Whether it was radio, television, magazines, print, and movie studios the ownership dwindled to just a handful of groups.
Presently six media groups own 90% of all media consumed by U.S. citizens. Six companies tell you their editorial views or slant whether it is radio, television, print, or movies. And knowing what we do on the capitalist present company policy it is being driven by advertisement. Forbes reported in 2016 that fifteen billionaires own the media in the United States.
The above graphic shows the main parent companies and all their subsidiaries. These few companies pay for advertising with the six companies that own 90% 0f our media. Those fifteen billionaires are the capitalists that allow other billionaires to usurp our decision making while we gladly turn our money over to them. Do you see how sick this system is? As well, the editorial decisions by these media groups are always driven by money. So our news no longer is merely the facts but carefully worded spin to make billionaires more money. I say get off this merry go round. Stop the madness.
There is plenty of reliable progressive and leftist independently owned media you can get real news from. I personally get my news from such outlets and no longer dragged along by a chain with the mainstream news. Mainstream news misleads, misguides, and has a hidden agenda. Don’t be played by the capitalists owned news outlets. It’s a money game.
I will list some reliable progressive media outlets you can trust. Democracy Now, The Young Turks, Thom Hartman are great television-based news. Print sources are The Nation, In These Times, Monthly Review, Dissent, New Politics, Yes, Mother Jones. Internet-based is, Mint Press News, and Al Jazeera. New locally produced progressive media is popping up all the time. Support these alternative sources. The real truth is with them. If you get away from the mainstream news you also slowly hurt the capitalist owned bourgeoisie newsgroups. Every chain we break weakens them. Every time a new progressive news aware person awakes, the stronger the resistance becomes. Be part of the solution. Not part of the problem.
A great documentary to watch is called The Brainwashing of My Dad. Their website synopsis says, “As filmmaker, Jen Senko, tries to understand the transformation of her father from a non political, lifelong Democrat to an angry, Right-Wing fanatic, she uncovers the forces behind the media that changed him completely: a plan by Roger Ailes under Nixon for a media takeover by the GOP, The Powell Memo urging business leaders to influence institutions of public opinion, especially the universities, the media and the courts, and under Reagan, the dismantling of the Fairness Doctrine.” Personally, I’ve witnessed what was the greatest time for journalists. And I’ve seen what has become the ruin of journalism. Today I write for a 98-year old established progressive leftist news media. I know what I write and what my editors stand for is social justice and truth. We all make choices. In media, those of us on the front lines for the resistance need to set the example.
Let me show you how even mainstream media keeps most Americans in the dark on world issues showing how the rise of fascism is a global threat. It just not in North America but all over fascism and racism is growing in popularity.
A friend from India sent me this,
The killing of any youth is a fascist regime tactic to squash social protests. It also is a genocide of the next generation. It ensures the fascists to stay in power. Why do folks allow such tactics to be used in the present society is beyond me.
How many Americans and for that matter, did mainstream media dealt truthfully with the Hong Kong protests this summer, 2019? “There are many causes behind the 2019 Hong Kong protests. The immediate cause of the protest was the proposed legislation of the 2019 Hong Kong extradition bill. However, other causes have been pointed out, such as demands for democratic reform, the Causeway Bay Books disappearances, or the fear of losing a “high degree of autonomy” in general. Subsequent actions by the police, as well as what was perceived to be an illegitimate legislative process of the bill, sparked additional protests throughout the city.”
Here in America, recent mass shootings have “galvanized the Department of Homeland Security to expand its counterterrorism mission focus beyond terrorists operating aboard,” acting DHS Sec. Kevin McAleenan.”
Just today, November 4, is a story of white nationalism plot to bomb a Colorado synagogue. The Trump administration has bolstered the resolve of unchecked white nationalism. What Trump and his administration has done is not only felonious but so anti-American that impeachment is the only option.
Police brutality is up and it affects the African American community in the USA. The final total of people killed by US police officers in 2015 shows the rate of death for young black men was five times higher than white men of the same age. In One Year, 57,375 Years of Life Were Lost to Police Violence. A new study finds police killings exact a toll greater than accidental gun deaths.
This past weekend, I began to see a meme being posted on social media and trending.
While the mainstream media sold worldwide, the lie that socialism does not work. It was and is capitalism that has stolen the working-class pensions, savings, sent jobs overseers, robbed us of health care, and dismantled the educational system.
The Evangelicals are another group of terrorists. They actually are, #WolvesInSheepsClothing.
When evangelicals are allowed to spew their warped and terrrotist thoughts blind men feel empowered to lead. The combined dumbing down of society also perpetuates the plan laid out by the fascists. Such leads to stupid illogical deeds such as this group in Boulder, CO.
The Evangelicals began preaching and brainwashing their flock that America was in the hands of God. That all “born again” christians needed to vote and vote for Christian republicans. This was a tool by the Republican party to usurp democracy. The Founding Fathers did not create a secular government because they disliked religion. Many were believers themselves. Yet they were well aware of the dangers of church-state union. They had studied and even seen first-hand the difficulties that church-state partnerships spawned in Europe. During the American colonial period, alliances between religion and government produced oppression and tyranny on our own shores. This uptick of wrong and terrorist activity by the Evangelicals has attributed to more of our democracy being taken away by zealots in the Republican party. Call them what they are, for they are not christians, they are #WolvesInSheepsClothing .
Alexander Reid Ross in the book, “Against the Fascist Creep,” wrote. “Perhaps the most important strategy of fascism is what scholar Stephen D. Shenfield calls, ‘a gradual or creeping coup, accomplished by means of the steady penetration of state and social structures and the accumulation of military and economic potential’,”. (Stephen D. Shenfield, Russian Fascism: Traditions, Tendencies, Movements, London 2004) 1:249.
The USA and other world leaders have systematically altered the shift of fascism which is destroying lives all over this globe. History has shown how other ruling class systems and governments have weakened the rights of the citizenry to usher in fascism and racism directed at the working class. The multi-pointed act was done in stages and was coldly calculated to have a lasting impression upon society. Wake up and realize our democracies are failing. The power of reform is in the hands of the citizens. Arm yourself with knowledge. Utilize grassroots movements and stop this madness of unchecked fascism.
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