The craziness continues – thirteen men were indicted yesterday in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer and overthrow the local government. “The alleged scheme included plans to overthrow several state governments that the suspects “believe are violating the US Constitution,” including the government of Michigan and Whitmer, according to a federal criminal complaint.”1 I ask again, what the hell is going on in this country?
“The arrests are likely to draw additional attention to the political tensions roiling the nation in the closing weeks of the 2020 election season, and underline warnings from law enforcement officials, members of Congress and groups that track extremism about the increasing threat of extremist and far-right groups. Whitmer at times has been the focus of extreme vitriol from far-right groups over her handling of the coronavirus pandemic.”1
Trump and his administration always want to talk about the economy and the stock market as metrics that demonstrate they are doing a great job for America. I dispelled that myth in a previous post and won’t belabor that here. There are, however, other metrics that are quite telling about the Trump administration and one that Trump would prefer not to discuss – the rise in hate crimes and the rise in white supremacist groups during this administration.
During the Trump administration, white nationalist, far-right hate groups have grown 55%.2 There were 155 such groups counted last year and that is over and above the ‘usuals’ like the KKK and the skinheads. That should be a metric that is of concern to every American – at least every American who is not a racist. Apparently, the individuals charged in the alleged plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer were members of the ‘Wolverine Watchmen’. Apparently, a lot of these groups are very concerned about the changing demographics in the country and are driven by an ideology that this is a ‘white, Christian country’ and the changing demographics threaten that.
In addition to the increase in white supremacist groups, there has also been an increase in hate crimes. The FBI released a report at the end of last year that stated that hate crimes were at a 16-year high and part of that was an increase in hate crimes against Latinos. I doubt if it’s a coincidence given Trump’s rhetoric about Mexicans and building ‘The Wall’.3
These metrics seem to fly in the face of Trump’s desire to bill himself as the ‘law and order’ president. Unless, of course, in Trump’s mind he doesn’t see the rise in white supremacist groups and hate crimes as a ‘law and order’ issue? He obviously doesn’t see all of the corruption around him as a ‘law and order’ issue. I guess its only a ‘law and order’ issue if it involves protestors demanding a stop to systematic injustice in the legal system and the unwarranted killing of people of color by police officers. So, like most everything in Trumpworld, ‘law and order’ is whatever Trump defines it to be.
In any case, most of us Americans who would like to live in a civilized, peaceful society without having to worry about governors being kidnapped and killed and heavily armed wingnuts storming government buildings, deserve an answer as to how this was allowed to happen under Trump’s watch. That was somewhat of a rhetorical question because we all know why this has happened. Donald Trump has not only allowed this to happen, he has implicitly and explicitly given these organizations license to come more out into the open and be more vocal, more visible and more violent. His continued divisive, bigoted rhetoric just adds gas to this already smoldering fire.
During the last presidential ‘debate’, when he was asked to unequivocally denounce white supremacy, he waffled and then finally told the Proud Boys to ‘stand back and stand by.’ It is true a couple of days later, when backed into a political corner, he did try to denounce white supremacists. However, it seems like the times that Trump has made such denouncements, they have been because of a backlash of comments that he originally made. Condemning white supremacy just doesn’t seem to come naturally to him. He only does it when he is forced to do it for political purposes. That should be very telling.
Governor Whitmer has been a frequent target of Trump’s Twitter wrath and insults. It will be interesting to see if he contacts her or says anything to condemn the actions against her. If I were a betting man … Well, we’ll just see what happens.
It is a fact that white supremacist groups and hate crimes have increased during the Trump administration. The data are from his own FBI and multiple other sources. Is that a metric that we as Americans should be proud of? Is this really the kind of country we want to live in? Trump has not done anything but make this problem worse for the last four years. What do you think will happen if he gets another four years? Maybe next time a governor, Congressman, Senator or just innocent American citizens won’t be so lucky. Enough is enough.
The Third Reich became popular with their first success with the return to economic stability during the Great Depression that boosted the regime’s popularity. This stability allowed
racism, Nazi eugenics, and especially antisemitism, that were central ideological features of the regime. The Germanic peoples were considered by the Nazis to be the master race, the purest branch of the Aryan race. Discrimination and the persecution of Jews and Romani people began in earnest after the seizure of power. The first concentration camps were established in March 1933. Jews and others deemed undesirable were imprisoned, and liberals, socialists, and communists were killed, imprisoned, or exiled. The progression of these events seem very similar to what is happening in our country today in the Trump administration.
If history repeats itself, the Trump administration would be a good example that mirrors the Third Reich.