There are Fascists among us.
I sat through and testified at a MN Senate and MN House committee this last weekend. Despite reasoned argument not a single vote was swayed and a constitutional amendment now appears headed for the 2012 ballot. Now if this was something other than a constitutional issue the party line voting would be the norm. But this is about our state constitution.
It got me thinking about Fascism and about how did that form of government ever get a toe hold in Europe. So I looked the term fascism up on the world wide waste of time, other wise known as the internet.
fas•cism
noun /faSH izəm/
1. An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.
2.( in general use) Extreme right-wing, authoritarian, or intolerant views or practice
Despite having three branches of government the current Congressional branch is doing an end run around the other two branches essentially negating their participation in governing. This to me seems to be fitting real well into these definitions for fascism.
Now mind you, we’re not talking about legislation here, we’re talking about messing with the state constitution, a document so sacred to society men and women swear an oath to it and in some cases die for it. Military oaths identify the constitution and NOT a thing about any religious tradition. Here’s the non-officer oath for the National Guard.
I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the State of (STATE NAME) against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the Governor of (STATE NAME) and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to law and regulations. So help me God.
Yet this week we have a Congressional body saying religious traditions should be enshrined into our collective document where in the past we have identified our civil rights. Moreover the issue at hand is to limit civil rights, to use a majority to suppress a minority, the bedrock of our Federalist system. This is a 180 degree turn about on how we have used this document for our common good in the past.
Their defensive position on this is the mantra “Let the People Vote”. Well we did vote, just last fall, and two candidates said raise taxes, their combined total exceeded 50% of our vote. The guy that lost said “no new taxes”, even on the wealthy. I smell a fascist approach to government, how about you?
The situation smacks of fascism so let us just call it what it is and identify the perpetrators of this new political paradigm we are under.
These fascists are Sen. Amy Koch, Sen. Warren Limmer, and Rep. Steve Gottwalt.
Let me hear the arguments that they are acting otherwise and if there are none but “let the people vote” then let us just call it what it appears to be.
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