I made a promise 50 years ago. Never again. Never again will we let what happened in Nazi Germany happen again. This promise was to my mother and grandparents, survivors of the Holocaust. This promise was to myself. This promise was to the people of the world.
I connected with RefuseFascism.org and have been devoting my life to getting rid of this fascist regime. We all have to work together with the single goal of having this nightmare end. Not just to “survive”, but, for a better world.
We have watched a slowly rising tide of fascism in this country over the last 35 years. Suddenly, there was a huge qualitative leap in the United States with the election of Donald Trump and Mike Pence that shook me and millions of people awake. Fascism was taking hold of the leadership of the U.S. government. A host of fascists were being appointed to key positions.
The similarities and parallels between Nazi Germany of the 1930’s and the U.S. today are astounding. “Make Germany Whole Again“, “Make America Great Again“. The intense rise and levels of nationalism and xenophobia with increased attacks on different sections of people. The increased drum-beating of “traditional family values” from the Christian fascists, along with the ever-increasing threat for women to lose the right to control their lives, including the right to abortion. This was a cornerstone of the Nazi’s plan for women with the “Law for the Encourage of Marriage” and “Kinder, Küche, Kirche” (children, kitchen, church) programs. The dismantling of democratic rights with filling the courts with fascist judges, getting rid of regulations, and disregarding democratic norms, all an echo of Nazi Germany.
Pastor Niemoller’s poem has been going through my head daily, hourly,…”First they came for the communists and I did not speak out because I am not a communist; then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out…”
I knew that I had to be actively part of any movement that would stop this step-by-step procession of fascism before it is consolidated and too late to do so. As they say in the streets, “We have seen this movie before“. I heard about RefuseFascism.org shortly after their first emergency conference after the elections in December, 2016.
I have friends and colleagues that say we must vote. Will voting get rid of this horrific mess that already terrorizes millions of people and is getting worse every day? My friends acknowledge that the Democratic Party has done nothing to stop this juggernaut, let alone slow it down. This is exactly what the Germany Democratic Party did in the early 1930’s: they kept accommodating, conciliating, and even collaborating with the Nazi Party. Then why are you voting? Almost everyone I talk with agrees that the Mueller investigation and the Supreme Court will do nothing to drive out the Trump/Pence regime. So where does that leave us? Refuse Fascism has a real plan recognizing that we have to rely on ourselves, yes us, in our millions to be able to succeed in accomplishing what needs to be accomplished. All of humanity demands it.
So, I pose to everyone I meet, ”If you were living in Nazi Germany in 1932, and if you knew then what you know now about how fascism develops and consolidates step by step–what was outrageous last week is now normalized this week– what would you have done? Be a ‘good German’, or, use every ounce of your being to change history and prevent the total consolidation of fascism in this country, which, in turn, would affect the whole world?”
I have chosen the latter because I know what RefuseFascism.org is doing is correct and represents the truth for all of humanity. I am a sustainer of RefuseFascism.org through making a monthly donation and will continue to do so until our single demand is met: This Nightmare Must End: The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go!
Join me in pledging that we will not stand aside while there is a chance to stop a regime that imperils humanity and the earth itself.
Join me in becoming a sustainer,
Scott Gilbert
Become a Sustainer:
>> Donate monthly via any credit/debit card
>> Donate monthly via Paypal
>> Donate monthly $100 or more through our fiscal sponsor, in which case your donation maybe be tax-deductible
Each dollar, each month, determines how many people know about RefuseFascism.org and become part of stopping a fascist USA.