Fascism in America

The Wise Use Movement of industry-sponsored violence against environmentalists and indigenous peoples is a fascist movement. Like the racist fascists and the theocratic fascists, Wise Use fascists deploy intimidation and thuggery as standard operating procedures. Sometimes, Wise Use fascists combine with or complement racist and theocratic fascists to achieve their goals. This appears to be the case with Pacific International Terminals, Citizens Equal Rights Alliance, and the Tea Party.

As a rationalization of theft, fascism in America incorporates much more than the Minutemen and Tea Parties; while these white supremacy factions of fascism are especially repugnant, the rationalization of theft found in the neoliberal privatization project is far more lethal in terms of scope and numbers. While Wise Use fascists might be uncomfortable with Christian Patriot fascists, their mutual willingness to use violence to maintain power and privileges based on wealth or race make them natural allies.

Excusing Wise Use because they are not racists or theocrats is common, but racist and theocratic fascism cannot be defeated by cuddling up to Wall Street fascists. One has to be against fascism in all its forms, or not at all.

The Wise Use/Tea Party threat noted in my editorial Gateway Pacific Terminal Consultant Threatens Journalists exposes how ruthless Wise Use and racist fascism can be, and foreshadows the potential for fascist violence if not circumscribed by the moral sanction of progressive religious leaders and the beloved communities that have fought fascism in the United States since Mississippi Freedom Summer fifty years ago.

As the iconic folksinger hero Woody Guthrie once remarked, “This fight against fascism gotta start right here.”