Aperiodic Commentaries by C. Clark Kissinger
(in chronological order, newest first)
Misplaced Euphoria
November 9, 2025
With the onset of the Great Depression, popular support for the Nazi Party in Germany soared. In 1928, the Nazis polled only 2.6% of the vote. But by September of 1930, the Nazi share of the vote had risen to 18.3%. Then in July of 1932, the Nazis polled an astonishing 37.3%, becoming the largest party in the German Reichstag (parliament) with 230 delegates. Their rising vote, plus their Stormtroopers in the streets, made the Nazis seem unstoppable.
But opposition to Nazi outrages also grew, and a seeming miracle occurred. In November of 1932, new elections were held and the Nazi vote plunged to 33.1%, for a loss of 34 seats in the Reichstag. A general euphoria prevailed among the anti-fascist forces. A corner had been turned! The Nazis were not unstoppable! The pro-democracy forces would now surely prevail in the next elections!
Two and a half months later, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor (Prime Minister). Soon after, all opposition parties were outlawed and the first concentration camp for political prisoners was opened at Dachau in Bavaria.
This little bit of history should give some pause to those who are ecstatic about recent election results in this country.
Certainly, America in the 2020s is not Germany in the 1930s. But fascists are still fascists. Donald Trump, JD Vance, Pete Hegseth and Stephen Miller have no intention of ever allowing national political power to fall into the hands of the Democrats, or any other oppositional force. The Trump/MAGA team believes that only those who stand for “traditional American values” (white supremacy, male supremacy, Christian supremacy, xenophobia, traditional gender roles, and American global dominance) are fit to rule. And they are supported by a cohort of billionaires.
Just as in November of 1932, the time we have left is now very short. Among the many millions opposed to the Trump/MAGA fascists are people with many different views of what a decent future would look like. But the point is this: None of us will the get any of those futures unless the Trump/MAGA forces are prevented from consolidating fascist rule. All those who want to see a decent life for future generations must now come together and unite as one behind the common demand that Trump Must Go Now.
This can be done. By refusing to surrender the future and our humanity to a vengeful fascist maniac. By millions rising in massive, unrelenting, nonviolent protest and resistance—amassing in Washington, DC. By defying and refusing to comply with fascist dictates. By walking out. By shutting down. By fearlessly using our platforms and influence to inspire and challenge others to join us.
At this point, to wait for, and place our hopes on, rigged-in-advance elections yet to come is to court disaster.
What’s In a Word?
November 1, 2025
An editorial in the New York Times titled “Are We Losing Our Democracy?” begins with “Countries that slide from democracy toward autocracy tend to follow similar patterns.” But like so many institutions of the establishment, most noticeably the leadership of the Democratic Party, the New York Times cannot bring itself to use the appropriate noun: fascism.
The Times goes on to list 12 areas in which fascism is being consolidated in the United States, while resolutely refusing to use the word fascism. Yet the longer the truth is evaded, the more difficult it becomes to defeat fascism. To call it something else just throws dust in people’s eyes.
The liberal establishment does not eschew the word fascism because it doesn’t believe that what we are facing really is fascism. Most of their wiser heads know full well that it is. Rather, the problem that ties their tongue is that if they admit that what we are facing actually is fascism, then what is called for is resistance on a qualitatively different level—a level to which they are not yet prepared to go.
Others are not waiting, however. On Wednesday, November 5, thousands are mobilizing in Washington, DC, to launch a campaign to drive Trump from power before it is too late. As the call from RefuseFascism.org reads:
“This Can Be Done. By refusing to surrender the future and our humanity to a vengeful fascist maniac. By millions rising in massive, unrelenting, nonviolent protest and resistance. By defying and refusing to comply with fascist dictates. By walking out. By shutting down. By fearlessly using our platforms and influence to inspire and challenge others to join us.
“By doing all this day after day. Coming back stronger in the face of attack and repression. Uniting, not dividing, across many viewpoints and backgrounds. Fostering a collective spirit of courage and righteous fury. Willing to sacrifice for the greater good of defeating this fascism.
“We begin now. On November 5th, from across this nation, we pour into DC. From that day forward, we don’t stop until the regime is removed.
“History is full of examples where people who had right on their side fought against tremendous odds and were victorious. It is also full of examples of people passively hoping to wait it out, only to get swallowed up by a horror beyond what they ever imagined.
“The future is unwritten. WHICH ONE WE GET IS UP TO US.”
A Harbinger of Elections to Come
October 16, 2025
Twenty-three days ago, Adelita Grijalva was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat by the voters of her district and her election has been certified by the secretary of state for Arizona. Yet Rep. Grijalva is locked out of her office, she cannot take her seat on the floor of Congress, nor can she vote on legislation. Why? Because the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson has refused to swear her in.
Trying to put less ominous spin on this story, some pundits have asserted that this is all because the Republicans are afraid of adding another vote in the House to compel the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
If only the reason were that mundane! The real reason is that the MAGA Republicans are fascists who do not believe that any Democrat can or should legitimately hold public office. To this end, voting districts are being redrawn, voting rights laws are being gutted, Republicans who win by-elections are being promptly sworn in, and political power is step-by-step being concentrated in the hands of the executive branch and its military.
Those who are pegging their hopes on some future election to take power away from the MAGA fascists need to come to grips with reality. The Christian fascists of the MAGA movement believe that they are on a mission from God to “take back the country.” They have no intention of being bound by future elections that do not come out the way they want.
What is required now is a massive, nonviolent political earthquake from below with the central demand that TRUMP MUST GO NOW! Nothing less is commensurate with the threat we face. All out for No Kings Day, October 18. Then on to the national convergence on Washington DC, November 5.
Two troubling facts with an unnerving connection
October 3, 2025
There are two facts from history and from the present that have a connection which is not at all apparent on the surface.
The first fact is that almost all the major German corporations that existed before the Nazis came to power in Germany are alive and well today.
The second fact is that neither Senator Chuck Shumer, nor minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, nor any other major Democratic leaders have issued calls for the decent people of America to pour into the streets in their millions for actions like No Kings Day or the November 5 mass convergence on Washington to launch the end of the Trump fascist regime.
Let’s take a look at the first fact. The famous armaments manufacturer Krupp is alive and well as the ThyssenKrupp company, one of the largest steel manufacturers in the world. The giant German electronics company Siemens is also alive and well. The same can be said for automotive companies BMW, Daimler-Benz and Volkswagen. Deutsche Bank is still the largest bank in Germany. The great German chemical manufacturer IG Farben (manufacturer of Zyklon B used to gas people in the death camps) exists today as three daughter companies Bayer (as in aspirin), BASF, and Hoeschst. Even Messerschmitt, the manufacturer of German fighter planes, flies on today under its new name: Airbus.
What we learn from this history is that there is no contradiction between fascism and capitalism. Fascism is, in fact, one of the forms of government used by capitalist countries. The Nazis were extremely respectful of private property and private wealth owned by Herrenvolk (members of the “master race”). And in return wealthy capitalists have funded the fascists movements in their countries, citing fascism as a bulwark against communism.
Now fast forward to today. It is certainly the case that the Trump/MAGA fascist movement has no contradiction with capitalism. It bills itself, in fact, as a movement that does away with all the troublesome taxes and government regulations that are a drag on profits. It is famous for its support from some of the wealthiest capitalists on the planet, such as Elon Musk and Larry Ellison.
But here is something people do not see as clearly. There is also no fundamental contradiction between the neo-liberal, globalist wing of the capitalist class and fascism. Fascism may not be their favored way of operating the capitalist state—they generally prefer two-party (and only two-party) elected governments—to protect their system of private wealth and property. But—and this is the important point to grasp—when push comes to shove, they can live with fascism. What they cannot live with is what it would take to prevent the consolidation of fascism.
What it will take to prevent the consolidation of fascism is millions of people in the streets, in mass non-violent, sustained and determined opposition, non-cooperation, and resistance. In the eyes of the liberal wing of the ruling class, this is too dangerous to be unleashed because in carries with it the potential for “people getting out of hand” and becoming a danger to the system itself.
So it is not such a mystery why the leading Democratic politicians do not call for massive non-violent resistance. It is because, in the final analysis, they are more frightened by what it would take to prevent fascism than they are by fascism itself.
This means there can be no waiting for Democrats, no waiting for elections that MAGA fascists will not accept anyhow unless they come out their way, nor any waiting for court cases that only end up in the MAGA-controlled Supreme Court. The responsibility is on us to act NOW. Only the people unleashing an earthquake from below can prevent the disaster that is now all too close at hand.
The Charlie Kirk Memorial
September 23. 2025
Well, I did it (someone had to). I watched all five hours and ten minutes of the Charlie Kirk Memorial. Here are my take-aways:
1) This may have been the largest assemblage of white people in U.S. history. 90,000 people—99.9% white—packed the stadium and two overflow viewing areas. Of the 26 speakers, 24 were white. The performers were white. The token Black speaker was Republican Ben Carson and the token Latina speaker was Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL).
2) The event was, for the first 4½ hours, a Fundamentalist Christian Revival meeting. Trump administration figures turned out in force to proclaim their loyalty to Christian nationalism. Tulsi Gabbard: “God, my life is yours.” Marco Rubio: “When Jesus returns there will be a great reunion.” Pete Hegseth: “Only Christ is king.” VP Vance: “Jesus Christ was the king of kings.” Two noticeable absences from the speaker list: Pam Bondi for unknown reasons and Scott Bessent for a well-known reason—he is openly gay.
3) The racism, male supremacy and anti-LGBT program of Charlie Kirk were completely ignored, and instead what was emphasized was his ministry to young men. His program for them was to give themselves to Jesus, get married, and raise lots of children. (Fascism has always been pronatalist.)
4) Speaker after speaker emphasized that Kirk’s assassination and the memorial rally were going to be a turning point in the fight for the future of America—and the future of “the West.” There was a whole atmosphere of “now the gloves are off.”
5) A soothing message of the rally was supposed to have been how Charlie Kirk was for free speech and reasoned debate with those who disagreed with him. Most speakers stayed on message, but the dark fascist undertone (This Is War) came out from Stephen Miller and Jack Posobiec. And of course, Trump can never stay on message, saying he hated his enemies and wished them ill. He then wandered off into how great his tariffs were, how he is going to clean up Memphis and Chicago, and how his administration was going to make a big announcement about the cause of autism.
L'État, c'est moi
September 21, 2025
It took the banning of two late-night show hosts to drive home to many people just where we are at. There was a time when political figures would brag about how in China or in Russia no one in the media would dare to make jokes about Chairman Xi or President Putin. If they did, they would be off the air in a hot minute. But here in AMERICA… we have the freedom to criticize our leaders without fear of retribution. No more.
As the call from RefuseFascism.org for the November 5 convergence on Washington starkly puts it, “Fascism is not a looming threat. It is upon us now.
Still people ask, “Is it really fascism? Nobody can take Trump seriously for long. Won’t this get corrected by the normal operation of the system? After all, we have a constitution, we have elections, we have laws.”
To understand why there is nothing “normal” about what is happening, it helps to remember the ABCs of fascism:
A) Fascism comes about when a section of the ruling elite decides that the weakness and permissiveness of representative democracy, with its checks and balances, divided leadership, civil liberties, and social laxity, make the state no longer capable of dealing effectively with crises, imperialist rivals and internal dissent.
B) A political movement led by a populist demagogue is then launched which calls for the re-establishment of traditional values and a restoration of “the way things used to be” before society was invaded and weakened by alien elements and alien ideas that have defiled what the country is presumed to stand for.
C) This requires a Great Leader who can speak for the people who feel they have lost their traditional way of life, their privileges and entitlements that flow from living as white people in imperial America. A Great Leader who can forcefully expel all alien elements and ideas, requiring only that political power be concentrated in the executive branch, unencumbered by antiquated laws, courts, “independent” agencies, and legislatures. Such institutions should serve to strengthen and support the Great Leader, not thwart his great mission.
To aid in purging the disloyal elements and alien ideas, it will necessary to squeeze out of existence traditional civil liberties and legal rights, like freedom of speech and assembly and legal due process. It will be necessary to purge the mass media of dissenting views and analysis, to defund the universities that fail teach the officially approved truth, and eventually to unleash armed gangs of fascists operating outside any laws but with the tacit approval of the state.
Here it is helpful to remember that the traditional values to be strengthened and restored are white supremacy, male supremacy, Christian supremacy and fixed gender roles. The alien elements to be expelled are undocumented immigrants and refugees. And the alien ideas to be expunged are those of secularism, empathy for the oppressed, science, protection of the environment, gender fluidity, internationalism, and all opposition to capitalism.
There is also a D to the ABCs of fascism, and that is that once firmly established, fascism cannot be voted out. Traditional political leaders who have not jumped on the bandwagon will capitulate. Election results unacceptable to The Great Leader will be nullified. Adverse legal rulings will be overturned by a Supremacist Court, beholden to The Great Leader. And as if that were not enough, The Great Leader is also Commander-and-Chief of the armed forces and head of the national police agencies.
It must now be recognized that we are nearing the point of no return.
For the decent people of this country, there can be no living with this fascism. Any decent outcome for our future and our children depends now on defeating and driving from power the Trump/MAGA fascist regime. And this, in turn, can be accomplished only by millions rising in massive, unrelenting, nonviolent protest, noncompliance, and resistance. By defying and refusing to comply with fascist dictates. By make society ungovernable to the point where the rulers become deeply split over the efficacy of retaining the Trump Regime.
This means now coming together despite long-standing differences and refusing to be divided. It means being willing to listen to new and unaccustomed voices and analyses, and seeking for the truth. It means defending both public figures and our next-door neighbors from fascist attacks. It means fostering a collective spirit of courage and righteous fury, and a willingness to sacrifice for the greater good of defeating this fascism. For there is no easy out, no shortcut to a decent future at the point.
What must be done now is that people begin to organize nonviolent resistance everywhere. People must turn out for the No Kings demonstrations across the whole country on October 18. Then we must be all out for the national convergence on Washington, DC, on November 5, where hundreds of thousands will surround the White House, surround the Capitol, surround the fascist-packed Supreme Court with one common demand: The Trump/MAGA fascist regime must go—NOW!
A different future is possible, but only if we seize the moment!
Trump’s New Private Army
September 4, 2025
The Washington Post ran an interesting article on an “ICE Career Expo” held by ICE in Arlington, TX. 3,000 people showed up. ICE is planning hire 10,000 new officers this year and it has already received 130,000 applications.
As the Post described it, “The recruiting push has come with militaristic branding that evokes World War II-era U.S. propaganda posters featuring Uncle Sam, casting immigration enforcement as a defense against an ‘invasion.’ At the hiring expo, a video played on a large screen in a dimly lit room touting ICE’s role investigating human trafficking and drug-smuggling, and showing agents in fatigues and bulletproof vests.”
The scene was, however, more redolent of the rise of fascism in Germany.
The financial figures tell the story. Trump’s budget request for “homeland security” for fiscal year 2025 was $112.4 billion—of which $60.6 billion is for “discretionary funding,” meaning Trump can use it however he wants. $11.3 billion is budgeted in FY 2025 for ICE alone. That can buy a lot of masked men with guns.
All generals and admirals who command U.S. military forces require Senate confirmation. In ICE, however, only the Director of ICE requires Senate confirmation. All other officials—all those commanding ICE agents on the ground—are political appointees, serving at Trump’s pleasure.
The Nazi SS (Schutzstaffel—protection detachment) started out as an armed security force for Nazi rallies and leaders but grew into a full-scale private army for the Nazi party. It answered directly to Hitler, and the SS was responsible for staffing all the infamous Nazi concentration camps.
Today, ICE already maintains 120 detention facilities (https://www.ice.gov/detention-facilities) and is building more.
Everyone needs to be building for the second “No Kings Day” on October 18 and then the November 5 national mobilization in Washington, DC, to launch “The Fall of the Trump Fascist Regime.” No one should be sitting at home watching.
What would you do if you REALLY thought Trump was a fascist? A matter of principle.
August 18, 2025
The shameful return of most of the Democratic state legislators to Texas casts a sharp light on the danger we face. People give a lot of lip service to how bad Trump is, but very few are coming to grips with the reality of fascism and what it means for the future of humanity.
Many have said that the Texas Democrats had no choice. After all, they have families and jobs. They can’t stay away forever.
Really? Why not?
Are there really no decent people in Texas who would step up to support the families of the Texas legislators and the legislators themselves in exile? Although the same legislative opportunity did not exist in Weimar Germany, if they had had a similar chance should not the opposition legislators have left Germany to block the grant of full power to Hitler? What would have been the moral argument for NOT doing so?
And even as the Texas Democrats return to Texas, does that mean they have to take their seats in the Legislature and let the fascists gerrymander the state’s congressional districts? People will point out that if the Dems don’t show up, they may be arrested.
So?
What’s so bad about being arrested in a righteous cause? What is the higher calling here? Acting as tribunes of the people or warming seats in the state legislature?
“The whole point of principle is that you have to fight for it when it is not easy to do so. There is no need for principle if the only time it is applied is when it doesn’t matter.” –Bob Avakian
The military occupation of a national capital has happened before
August 11, 2025
One of the key steps in the coming to power of fascism in Germany was the seizure of the state government of Prussia which included the German capital Berlin and its police, all done in name of preserving public order. Here are the first two articles of the federal government’s emergency decree:
Decree of the president of the Reich concerning the restoration of public safety and order in Greater Berlin and the Province of Brandenburg of 20 July 1932:
On the basis of Article 48 (1) and (2) of the Reich Constitution, I decree the following for the restoration of public safety and order in Greater Berlin and the Province of Brandenburg:
§ 1. Articles 114, 115, 117, 118, 123, 124 and 153 of the Constitution of the German Reich shall be suspended until further notice. Therefore, restrictions to personal freedom of the right to free expression of opinion including freedom of the press of the right of association and assembly; interference with the secrecy of correspondence, mail, telegraph and telephone; orders for house searches, and seizures and limitations of property are permissible outside the legal limits otherwise determined for them.
§ 2. Upon the promulgation of this decree, executive power shall pass to the Reich minister of defense, who may transfer it to military commanders. For the implementation of the measures necessary for the restoration of public safety, the entire protective police [Schutzpolizei] of the designated area shall be directly subordinated to the holder of executive power.
On the basis of this decree, the elected government of Prussia was deposed. Prussian Interior Minister Carl Severing, who commanded a force of 90,000 Prussian police officers, let himself be led out of his office and ministry by a delegation consisting of the police chief whom Chancellor Papen had just appointed and two police officers. Papen had imposed a military state of emergency under the Reichswehr – a national force of 100,000 men – and, after the Prussian government backed down, occupied the Prussian Interior Ministry, the Berlin police headquarters and the headquarters of the Schutzpolizei (protective police).
Six months later, Adolph Hitler was appointed federal Chancellor.
It is important to understand that fascism does not come all at once. It does come quickly, but in incremental steps; steps which if not resisted lead to disaster.
Democrats are not going to save us. No elections are going to save us. No courts are going to save us. It’s on us. Get with RefuseFascism.org before it becomes too late.
Is it possible for mass actions to force a change in regimes?
July 22, 2025
Below are eight examples where mass protest and non-cooperation created a climate where existing regimes could no longer effectively govern and were forced from power.
Some of the examples are indigenous while others are examples of U.S. client regimes which became a liability and on which the U.S. was forced to pull the plug. None were led by revolutionary communists seeking to emancipate people from capitalism-imperialism. But all did oust onerous regimes and all give a sense of what is possible when millions of people go beyond the tepid dissent allowed by the existing state power and engage in massive, protracted resistance.
To provide a common source of reference, I have used descriptions excerpted from Wikipedia. My comments are in brackets; my emphasis in bold.
1) Iran (1978-9): By 1977, mass protests were underway. A key turning point occurred in August 1978, when the Cinema Rex fire killed around 400 people. While arson by Islamist militants was later alleged, a large portion of the public believed it was a false flag operation by the Shah's secret police (SAVAK) to discredit the opposition and justify a crackdown, fueling nationwide outrage and mobilization. By the end of 1978, the revolution had become a broad-based uprising that paralyzed the country for the remainder of that year…. On 10 and 11 December 1978, the days of Tasu'a and Ashura, between 6 and 9 million anti-Shah demonstrators marched throughout Iran. According to one historian, "even discounting for exaggeration, these figures may represent the largest protest event in history."…
On the morning of 16 January 1979, Bakhtiar was officially appointed prime minister. The same day, a tearful Shah and his family left Iran for exile in Egypt, never to return.
[The unfortunate aftermath of the Shah’s expulsion was a Muslim theocratic regime.]
2) The “People Power Revolution” in the Philippines (1986) which toppled the regime of Ferdinand Marcos.
The majority of the demonstrations took place … from February 22 to 25, 1986. They involved over two million Filipino civilians, as well as several political and military groups, and religious groups led by Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Manila, along with Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines President Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, the Archbishop of Cebu. It is remembered as a "Rosary miracle" in the peaceful victory. …
…It was then on November 3, 1985, after pressure from the US government,[40] that Marcos suddenly announced a snap presidential election would take place the following year, one year ahead of the regular presidential election schedule…The election was held on February 7, 1986.[41] The official election canvasser,… declared that Marcos was the winner…
On February 16, 1986, Corazon Aquino held the "Tagumpay ng Bayan" (People's Victory) rally at Luneta Park.[59] The event was attended by a crowd of about two million people.[60] In her speech during the event, Aquino announced a nonviolent civil disobedience campaign and called for her supporters to boycott publications and companies which were associated with Marcos or any of his cronies.
[there was then a military coup which had the covert support of the U.S.]
On the morning of Tuesday, February 25,… Corazon Aquino was inaugurated as President of the Philippines in a simple ceremony at Club Filipino.
[While Aquino was from an old ruling class family and enjoyed the backing of the U.S., it was the mass action forced the U.S. to change horses in the Philippines.]
3) GDR (East Germany) 1989. Many other GDR citizens demonstrated against the ruling party, especially in the city of Leipzig. The Leipzig demonstrations became a weekly occurrence, with a turnout of 10,000 people at the first demonstration on 2 October, and a peak of an estimated 300,000 by the end of the month. The protests were surpassed in East Berlin, where half a million demonstrators turned out against the regime on 4 November.… The massive demonstration in East Berlin on 4 November coincided with Czechoslovakia formally opening its border to West Germany….
On 9 November 1989, a few sections of the Berlin Wall were opened, resulting in thousands of East Germans crossing freely into West Berlin and West Germany for the first time in nearly 30 years. [Egon] Krenz resigned a month later.
[The ouster of the GDR regime was hailed in the west as a victory over communism, but the GDR was state-capitalist regime that had nothing in common with communism.]
4) Serbia 2000. After presidential elections in September 2000, opposition parties accused Milošević of electoral fraud.[137][138] A campaign of civil resistance followed, led by the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS), a broad coalition of anti-Milošević parties. This culminated on 5 October when half a million people from all over the country congregated in Belgrade, compelling Milošević to concede defeat.
5) The “Orange Revolution” in Ukraine 2004-5. [Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union were heavily involved in the contested 2004 election.] The Yushchenko campaign publicly called for protest on the dawn of election day, 21 November 2004, when allegations of fraud began to spread in the form of leaflets printed and distributed by the 'Democratic Initiatives' foundation, announcing that Yushchenko had won – on the basis of its exit poll.[1] Beginning on 22 November 2004, massive protests[nb 1] started in cities across Ukraine.[42] The largest, in Kyiv's Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square), attracted an estimated 500,000 participants…
In Kyiv the pro-Yanukovych demonstrators were far outnumbered by Yushchenko supporters, whose ranks were continuously swelled by new arrivals from many regions of Ukraine. The scale of the demonstrations in Kyiv was unprecedented. By many estimates, on some days they drew up to one million people to the streets, in freezing weather….
According to one version of events recounted by The New York Times,[52] Ukrainian security agencies played an unusual role in the Orange Revolution, with a KGB successor agency in the former Soviet state providing qualified support to the political opposition. As per the paper report, on 28 November 2004 over 10,000 MVS (Internal Ministry) troops were mobilized to put down the protests in Independence Square in Kyiv….
[But Yushchenko was install as the new president. Yanukovych was the Russian-backed candidate and Yushchenko was the U.S.-backed candidate.]
6) The “Jasmin Revolution” in Tunisia 2011, was “an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led to the ousting of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali…” On 14 January, Ben Ali dissolved his government and declared a state of emergency…. On the same day, Ben Ali fled the country for Malta under Libyan protection.
7) Egypt 2011. It consisted of demonstrations, marches, occupations of plazas, non-violent civil resistance, acts of civil disobedience and strikes. Millions of protesters from a range of socio-economic and religious backgrounds demanded the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Violent clashes between security forces and protesters resulted in at least 846 people killed and over 6,000 injured.[21][22] Protesters retaliated by burning over 90 police stations across the country. [It is estimated that 11 million people took part in the mass demonstrations centered on Tahrir Square in Cairo.] On February 11 at 6:00pm [Vice President] Suleiman announced Mubarak's resignation, entrusting the Supreme Council of Egyptian Armed Forces with the leadership of the country.
[A tragedy of the Egyptian mass actions is that people were misled to believe that the Egyptian army—which is heavily subsidized by the U.S.—was on the side of the people.]
8) South Korea 2016-17. On 3 December 2.3 million people hit the streets in a further anti-Park rally, one of the largest in the country's history. An estimated 1.6 million people gathered around the main boulevards from the City Hall to Gwanghwamun Square and the palace Gyeongbokgung. Another estimated 200,000 people gathered around the city of Busan and 100,000 in Gwangju. On December 10, following the National Assembly's vote to impeach Park,[30] hundreds of thousands gathered for weekly protests celebrating the move.
On December 31, South Koreans celebrate New Year's Eve with mass protest. Over 1 million people take to the street according to Organizer, brought the cumulative number of people who have attended the protests since October to 10 millions, the largest weekly protest in South Korean history.
Columbia University capitulating to Trump:
July 24, 2025
A Thought
July 15, 2025
elling people to wait for some future election is like telling someone having a heart attack not to worry because they have a regular checkup scheduled for next year. The dizzying pace at which fascism is consolidating power and the need for urgent and escalating action is captured well in the following editorial from the revcoms online newspaper. The situation has become so extreme that even MoveOn is now for mass actions!
The Nazis Come to Power in One Town
July 2, 2025
For those who are out to stop the consolidation of fascism in the United States, an informative book to read is The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of A Single German Town, 1930-1935, by William Sheridan Allen (Echo Point Books, 1965, 345pp)
The pseudonymous town of “Thalburg” had about 10,000 citizens, was mostly middle class, overwhelmingly Lutheran, and located in the rural hinterland with its strongly nationalistic prejudices.
Prior to the 1930 local election, the Social Democratic Party had been the dominant party in Thalburg, but the Nazi local vote suddenly jumped from almost nothing to 28%. Also, in 1930 the federal government seized control of the Prussian state government from the Social Democrats. This was very important, because it was the state government that controlled all local police.
With Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor in January of 1933 and his seizure of total power in March of 1933, Social Democratic and other oppositional local government employees and officials at state and local levels were summarily removed.
As the author Allen sums up:
“And yet, one has to ask the question, what happened to those who had sworn resistance? What happened to the Reichsbanner [the paramilitary arm of the SPD] which had repeatedly asserted, in the years before Hitler came to power, that when the expected Nazi coup came they would be able to defend the Republic? In Thalburg, at least, the Republic was destroyed without a single blow struck it its defense. The Reichsbanner, with all its plans for instant mobilization, had its members struck down one by one, its leaders imprisoned, beaten, hounded from their jobs and their homes without any resistance from the organization as a whole.
“Perhaps the basic reason for this was that there was no Nazi coup d’état. Instead, there was a series of quasi-legal actions over a period of at least six months, no one of which by itself constituted a revolution, but the sum of which transformed German from a republic to a dictatorship. The problem was where to draw the line. But by the time the line could be clearly drawn, the revolution was a fait accompli, the potential organs of resistance had been individually smashed, and organized resistance was no longer possible. In short, the splendid organization was to no avail; in the actual course of events it was every man for himself.”
The lesson is this: fascism must be resisted foremost by concerted action organized at the national level, for once fascism is consolidated at the national level, all local resistance will be scattered and powerless. The time to act is now, before it is too late.
On the Military
February 2025
Yes, Trump fired the Black chairman of, and the only woman on, the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But the key fact here is that Trump is taking personal control of the military—the principal institution of the state. We all remember when, during Trump’s first term, he wanted to deploy the military to crush the mass outpourings after the murder of George Floyd. But he got pushback even from the military.
Trump is now determined to never let that happen again. Fascism means naked state power by the executive, unhindered by law. This is how fascism gets consolidated.
It is helpful to remember that on August 20, 1934, a year and a half after Hitler was appointed Chancellor, he decreed that all members of the armed forces would be required to take a personal oath of loyalty to him.
"I swear by God this holy oath that I shall render unconditional obedience to the Leader of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, supreme commander of the armed forces, and that as a brave soldier I shall at all times be prepared to give my life for this oath."
Oathtakers then sang both Deutschland Über Alles and the Nazi anthem Horst-Wessel-Lied.
Happy New Year. NOT.
January 1, 2025
At age 84, I should be tending my bee hives and playing with my great-grandkids. But instead, I am working in my office/studio trying to break more people away from their belief in the system. People have been told that the only thing they can do now is lookout for self or do a little bit of good for a small number of people around them. This is dangerously wrong thinking in profoundly dangerous times...
This is not a time for demoralization and despair—it is a time for righteous anger and revolutionary determination. There must be active, determined opposition to this fascism, with the goal of defeating it. Defeating it IS possible with a movement so massive and powerful that it creates a profound political crisis, such that Trump cannot govern the country and implement his fascist program.
Should we be looking to the Democrats to lead that movement? Will they at least boycott the inaugural? No. The District of Columbia is the most Democratic electoral district in the country. Will the Democrats call on their constituents to line the inaugural parade route and turn their backs on the fascist parade? Nope. Will the Democrats instruct their department heads to refuse to assist the incoming administration with a smooth transition? No way. Will the Democratic representatives walk out when Trump tries to address a joint session? Don’t hold your breath waiting.
Only by looking to the leadership of those with demonstrated determination to lead such a movement—the Revcoms and those working with them—will there be a chance. Again, people need to follow BA’s social media posts @BobAvakianOfficial and watch the Revolution—Nothing Less Show on YouTube every Thursday evening.
I recently recommended that people read the book Hitler’s First Hundred Days. Two things can be learned from this book. First, just how quickly the fascists will move to take over everything after the inauguration. Second, without any visible resistance, the degree to which otherwise decent people will “adjust” to the new regime.
The last paragraph of the book begins with these words: “Not everyone agreed with the Nazis on every point, but most adjusted to National Socialism by interpreting it in their own way, adhering to old ideas by pursuing them in new forms. As a result, more and more Germans had accepted the Third Reich. This reassembly closed off any consideration of returning to the democratic governments of the Weimar Republic; it was neither recognized as a possibility nor desired….”
One particular thing to watch will be Trump’s takeover of the core institution of the state: the military. Some may think that the professional officer corps will honor their oath to the constitution, but that is a slim reed to lean on. In 1933, the one institution that could have stopped Hitler was the professional army. Some in the General Staff thought about it, but none acted. Then in August of 1934, the Nazi government required all members of the German armed forces to swear an oath of personal allegiance to Hitler. A few officers resigned, but the overwhelming majority took the oath.
A sobering thing to think about is this: no country was ever freed from a consolidated fascist regime by resistance from within; only by the defeat of its ruling class in a world war.
I would like to talk with those who are thinking about and looking for ways to act together while there is still some time, either in this list serve or privately (cck@dissident.info or via protonmail at cck6@pm.me, or by phone on Signal at 917-204-0927).