Tag Archives: Fascism

Charlie Kirk, Democracy under attack, Fascism, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism

Speaking truth about Charlie Kirk…

[BenIndy Editor: this short letter in today’s Times-Herald print edition expresses perfectly my position: “selling fascism and racism to undergraduates is not an achievement we should admire, in life or in death. I will not pretend to feel admiration for what I find contemptible. His assassination was a heinous crime, but his public career was a disgrace. Both statements are true, and one does not cancel out the other.” I would only add a reference to Kirk’s deep-seated patriarchal views – misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, etc. – RS]

I won’t be cowed into silence

Vallejo Times-Herald, by Charles Kruger, 21 September 2025

I’m not seeking to publish this short essay about Charlie Kirk because I think it will persuade anybody. Those who agree already know. Those who disagree won’t be convinced.

I’m doing it because crafting words is what I do. I’m a writer. And also because there is an active movement by powerful players making powerful threats who would prefer that I shut up.

But if I do that out of fear, wouldn’t that be surrendering my freedom in advance?

Sometimes it’s important to speak the truth in order to show courage in the face of power that wants it suppressed.

So, here goes:

Charlie Kirk was not objectionable for “expressing his opinion.” He was a skilled political operative and propagandist who used his talents to advance a fascist project in the United States, dressed up as “civilized debate.” Propaganda is a profession, and Kirk was one of its masters. His rewards were prestige and millions of dollars.

He did nothing illegal, and he performed his job brilliantly, way beyond mere competence. But selling fascism and racism to undergraduates is not an achievement we should admire, in life or in death. I will not pretend to feel admiration for what I find contemptible.

His assassination was a heinous crime, but his public career was a disgrace. Both statements are true, and one does not cancel out the other.

He should not be mistaken for a free-speech advocate or a defender of civil debate. He was a propagandist for fascism in America, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

His death does not change the facts or make his agenda respectable. Death does not perfume the stench of garbage. No matter how many flags have flown at halfmast.

— Charles Kruger, Vallejo

Democracy under attack, Donald Trump, Fascism

Three Yale Professors who study facism offer urgent call for action

“Experts say the constitutional crisis is here now….”
“What you know as a historian is that there’s no such thing as a ship that can’t sink.”

For more…

Authoritarian Rule, Democracy under attack, Donald Trump, Fascism, MAGA extremists, Oligarchy, Racism

‘Crook, Liar, Racist’: Veteran Reporter Not Afraid to Call Trump What He Is

Calling Trump corrupt and a threat to America are not opinions. They are objective statements of fact.

ZETEO by John Harwood, March 12, 2025
John Harwood is an American journalist. He was the White House Correspondent for CNN from February 2021 until September 2022, after working as an editor-at-large for CNBC. He was the chief Washington Correspondent for CNBC and a contributor for The New York Times. Wikipedia

>> Donald Trump’s corrupt, chaotic presidency has propelled a long-running journalistic debate: how to accurately characterize the threat he poses to America.

Indeed, my opening paragraph itself provides grist for that debate. Can a fair-minded reporter flatly describe the president as corrupt and a threat to America itself? Are those facts?

Many colleagues I respect would answer “no.” When I interviewed the great newspaper editor Marty Baron a couple of weeks ago, he cautioned that such descriptions allow Trump to discredit journalists as partisans and are best left to opinion pages.

But I say, “Yes.” Calling Trump corrupt and a threat to America are not opinions. They are objective statements of fact. [emphasis added here – BenIndy]

I never expected to reach this point when I became a journalist 47 years ago. I did not pursue opinion journalism for a reason. My model was my father, Richard Harwood, who built his stellar Washington Post career on fearless reporting and news analysis.

Indeed, dad was appointed the Post’s first ombudsman after an earlier Republican president, Richard Nixon, howled about biased journalism the way Trump denounces “fake news.” An orphaned kid from the Midwest on a newspaper stocked with Ivy Leaguers, he found merit in some of those complaints.

So I began my career at the St. Petersburg Times in Florida, well aware of the need to fairly reflect different viewpoints – Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, police officers and college professors, Blacks and whites. My first big political profile was a sympathetic look at a GOP retiree legendary for her success in rounding up votes within her condominium complex.

Crediting the legitimacy of both sides wasn’t difficult then. American politics did not neatly sort the good guys from the bad guys.

John Harwood is an American journalist. He was the White House Correspondent for CNN from February 2021 until September 2022, after working as an editor-at-large for CNBC. He was the chief Washington Correspondent for CNBC and a contributor for The New York Times. Wikipedia