Shards, Threads, and Nails

By Peter Wilbur Edited by Natalie Herr In the wake of the Charlottesville violence and subsequent actions and debate surrounding Confederate monuments, millions of Americans are learning of experienced activist groups whom most have rarely heard of or encountered before. At the same time, these groups are now interacting with a cadre of brand-new activists drawn to the internet--and the streets--in response to Trump's ascendence. Inevitably, mischaracterization and misunderstanding have ensued, so I think it worthwhile at this critical juncture to unpack some mythology about anti-fascists and to offer a few suggestions as we move forward through this dark era in our nation's history. Let's be clear: the president is not the only person drawing false equivalencies between neo-Nazis and far-left activists. Even the New York Times engaged in a bit of it in a recent piece about leftists that relied heavily on anecdote, and opened with a discussion of violence, ...

Good morning, good morning, (Trump has no concept of time zones) it's great to speak to you, (He has no idea this island even existed, let alone that it has a governor) and I just wanted to pay my respect. (Did somebody die? Not yet...) And we are with you 1000%. (Nice hyperbole. And who are "we"? Guam is a territory of the U.S. It is a part of the country.) You are safe. (Keep saying it Donald. Is that what your legal team tells you when they tuck you in at night?) We are with you 1000%. (With friends like these, who needs enemies?) And I wanted to call you and say hello. How are you? ("Hey, I'm great, Donald, an unpredictable despot just threatened my island with nuclear armageddon, but the sun is shining in Guam!") Well, we're going to do a great job, (Good to know, Donald. I'm sure that clinches it.) don't worry about a thing. (What me, worry? Don't worry; be happy now!) They should have had me eight years ago. (Let me pivot t...

I know Mr. Manafort, ( You know, the same way you might "know" your neighbor. Not too close, but I "know" him. Classic downplaying of their relationship.) haven’t spoken to him in a long time, (Probably technically true, but you can bet that Trump's legal team has been all over Manafort's. In fact, many observers think that Manofort's dumping his old legal team for a new one immediately after the raid is a sign that Trump threw him under the bus.) but I know him. ( Just like I know my secret service guy, what's his name. ) He was with the campaign, (he was the campaign manager, about as close as you can get to the center of power.) as you know, (yes, we know) for a very short period of time, (five grueling months, in fact) a relatively short period of time, (he was manager during the Cleveland convention, pretty significant!) but I’ve always known him to be a good man. (This is a non sequitur. "Good man" is nearly an insult in th...

Today, I finished John Farrell's new biography of Richard Nixon, a fascinating read on its own, but never more so than in the age of Donald Trump. This new book is a compact tale that benefits from the author's having full access to the unabridged and infamous Oval Office tapes that ultimately led to Nixon's downfall. The odor of scandal has followed Trump throughout his campaign and presidency, and he and James Comey have exchanged barbs about "tapes" to the shock of a nation. On the left, the assumption that Trump is crooked is a given, and comparisons are quickly drawn to Nixon, another paranoid, power-obsessed, win-at-all-costs president. However, though both of these men's reputations will likely be defined by their misdeeds and will to power, the comparisons end there. Would that Donald Trump were one percent of the intellectual, statesman, and above all, diplomat that Richard Nixon was. This is not to excuse the abuses of the Nixon presidency. He o...

As much as I have done to resist the current administration, I have refrained from making wild comparisons to Hitler, or calling Trump Cheeto and so on. No more. Today's despicable, dog whistling, race-baiting legislative announcement makes me sick to my stomach, furious beyond belief, and mortified to be an American. Let's review the sad litany of civil rights assaults attempted or proposed by this FASCIST administration: 1) The baldly stated Muslim ban. Flat our racist and Islamophobic. 2) The terror campaign unleashed by Homeland Security and ICE against the most vulnerable undocumented people. Again, racist and mean. 3) Rolling back of protections for trans people by DOJ and Dept. of Education. Transphobic, bigoted, stupid, unnecessary scapegoating. 4) Trump's military trans ban, announced as a series of tweets, unbeknownst to his generals. Callous, unresearched, behind the times, transphobic pandering to the ignorant. 5) DOJ return to maximum force by poli...