There is a sickness, a virus that is plaguing the United States. The plague is Fascism. It is just being recognized by the disease center, our political leaders. Under the cloak of capitalism, the threat of the disease spreading to the White House is quite real. Never, ever in my wildest imagination could I have dreamed that the specter of Fascism could arise in my country, the United States of America.

Fascism is an authoritarian and nationalistic right wing political ideology. The Fascist government is fueled by a dictator. Fascism celebrates the nation or a particular race, such as white people or German Aryans as being superior to other peoples. It is when an unchecked class of privilege attacks the poor and or working class to the advantage of a race or economic class.

Fascism has a sordid history. Benito Mussolini was the father of Fascism. His political career took off after the March on Rome in 1922. He promised the people to revive the nation. His brand of governance was less racial in nature than its neighbor the National Socialist, but he continually spoke about the racial impurity of the Slavic peoples. Fascism was against both socialism and democracy. He used the democratic process to get elected to be the youngest Prime Minister in Italian history and then disbanded other political parties and became a dictator. Even in the 1960’s he was remembered fondly by some Italians because he made the trains run on time.

Adolph Hitler was a brother in arms. He was elected to be Chancellor democratically but soon became dictator in chief. He exalted the nation and the racial purity of Aryans while disparaging other peoples for being inferior or worse. Germany was to be restored to it’s rightful place among nations.

Franco of Spain was also a Fascist who ruled Spain with an iron fist after the disastrous Spanish Civil War.

Today, we see in Europe a resurgence, once again, the rise of Fascism, in places like Hungary and Austria. Even France has a very popular Fascist party.

In a scene out of a James Bond movie, we have on one hand, a media mogul who has a television network designed to promote support for a political party, the Republican Party. Under the advertising brand of fair and balanced Fox News is the spreader of the virus through a constant drone of lies. Fox News is neither fair nor balanced but rather the propaganda arm of the Republican Party. Fox News would be praised by Goebbels for having successfully told enough lies long enough and repeated the lies often enough that people now believe the lie. The shame of it is that the victims of this ruse are the high school or less educated class that the fascist intend to use for their own political good by selling the disadvantaged the bill of goods that they too can become wealthy.

Donald Trump is the leading Republican candidate. His statements and the actions of his supporters are enough to remind one of the Hitler rallies where the Brownshirt’s beat up on opponents. Trump’s supporters don’t take to kindly to anyone of color being at his rallies and he was heard to say that a black deserved to be roughed up. Trump’s fiery rhetoric is a feast for the white is superior crowd. He has insulted and excoriated opponents and people from different countries and religions even talking about having a data base for Muslims in our country. His ridicule of a reporter who has a disability, again reminded me of Hitler’s views towards anyone who disagreed with him and anyone who had a disability.

Most importantly Trump, toots the horn of American nationalism. He says that he will make America great, again. His appeals to our pride in America. This is not unlike the promises of other Fascists, who exalted their country’s past history and promised to revive and restore their nations to their past glory.

One would never think that Fascism could take root in America, but not so fast, it could be happening here, and right now.

It is really hard to believe that what we are witnessing is actually happening in America. The virus needs to be treated with truth. Let us hope that fever will break and the danger will pass. If no one speaks up against the behavior that is taking place, there might come a time when it would be too late to say anything as we will have lost our freedom.