Today, December 7th, we commemorate Pearl Harbor Day, 82 years ago – the day the US entered World War II and fought against the Empire of Japan and the German fascists.
While my mother lived in San Diego during World War II, both her husband – my father – and her brother were in the US military fighting Japan, along with millions of other Americans fighting the Hitler Nazis and the Fascists of Italy. My uncle never made it back – having been wounded during the Battle of Corregidor and captured as a POW but dying on a Japanese transport ship.
Luckily for me, my father did make it back despite wounds in the battle to retake the Philippines. And I was born 7 years after Pearl Harbor.
Both have long since passed but I wonder what they would say now if they were able to listen to Trump, the GOP presidential front-runner for 2024.
Trump is clearly espousing a type of fascism for America if he is re-elected. Everyday almost, he says something right out of the playbook of authoritarianism.
Imprison his enemies, erect concentration camps for migrants — and dissidents, shut down dis-loyal media like MSNBC, throw the Constitution in the round file, round-up generals who displeased him and execute them, use the military and violence to control the masses who resist. Dismiss the Civil Service and install thousands of his minions who follow him. The list is endless –
And we need to take Trump at his word. And take him literally.
Trump truly wants to have a dictatorship and take over our country — which would incite a second civil war and deadly strife, no doubt. And in doing this, among many other things, he deeply insults every American who fought in World War II – and all the civilians at home who made sacrifices. It is indeed an historic irony that we find ourselves in this situation.
Both my parents were life-long Republicans — but they believed in fair play, fair elections, democracy and the rule of law. If they were around today, they would be horrified by what Trump is saying.
They might ask, ‘Why did we fight in the war if years later, a politician would want to bring the very system we fought against – and died for – to our country?’
They wouldn’t have it, let me tell you. They wouldn’t take Trump’s insults lightly. They wouldn’t stand for it and would do everything in their power to stop him.
Just like we must, 82 years after Pearl Harbor.
Nice reflection, Frank, thanks. I’m sure a number of us had fathers who fought in WWII. My father was a submarine commander who patrolled the Pacific during the war and I, too, was very lucky he made it back and fathered me and my 3 siblings shortly after the war. Growing up he shared many stories of what life was like aboard those subs, but I know there were also many stories he didn’t share. I was/am very proud of his service, as well as my mother’s devotion to Navy life and its mission. Although as a family in service, neither he or my Mom were “allowed” to overtly express their political affiliations, my father veered toward Democrat- obviously a big fan of Kennedy, both b/c of the Navy and Catholic connections. My mother, however, was a staunch Republican, and in later years worked at the WH in their liaison efforts during the Bush admins.
I often wonder what they would think of where we are today, culturally and politically. My father I’m sure would be appalled, and I feel quite certain that my mother, who in spite of being conservative was a huge supporter of ERA and abortion rights, would have finally relinquished her party loyalty. She would never, ever, have supported Trump. She often humorously lamented the fact that she produced 4 liberal children, but the past 10 yrs would have been a turning point for her. I’m so glad they aren’t here to witness this…
Nice recollections, retired. Just as an aside, after my father had passed, my mother touched the “blue” and told me that the economy was so bad back in the late 80s that she couldn’t vote for HW Bush a second time and for the first time voted Democratic (Clinton).
As young liberal adults, we used to jibe my mom that, as a party voter, that she would have voted for Khrushchev if he’d ever run on a GOP ticket. Obvs not, but our point about the dangers of “party politics” was ,and is, still standing. It seemed to, thankfully, wane in the ensuing decades, and I honestly thought it would die with her generation (she passed in 1992) but now seems to have reared its ugly head again. It can NEVER be about party, it MUST be about person. Hence my commitment to independent voting. But here we are, Biden saying this week that if Trump wasn’t running , he prolly wouldn’t seek a second term? Um, for those of us already sitting on the Biden fence, this does NOTHING to further a good choice. I don’t honestly know how this plays out, but I do know this does NOT engage people who want change that is just not anti-Trump!
You two are slightly older than I, so it was my grandpas not fathers that fought in WWII.
The War on Korea was my father’s, and his dad (oldest grandpa) was the WWI vet. You know, the war to end all wars? That sure hasn’t worked out too well, has it?
Like both you and Frank, RB, my paternal family side were all Republicans but they were conservative Iowa farm people/small town businessmen who at least had food to eat during the Great Depression of the 30s.
At least that’s what the maternal side called it as they were of mixed politics & religious beliefs; “The Republican’s Great Depression.”
Mostly Republicans, though. That is, until Nixon ran for his 2nd term. Both sides, ALL my San Diego relatives, voted against Nixon including my dad who used to argue viciously with my Peace & Freedom Party stepmom over that rat bastid. She had bailed out of the marriage by 1972. But I do remember both crying when JFK was murdered so they had that much in common.
I honestly think all my older Republican-voting relatives would have been completely horrified over what the GOP has turned into under Cheney/Wbush and now Trump…Fascism in fact not just hyperbole. But then the Democrat side would have been horrified over the massive shift of their party to the right since Reagan, too, I’m thinking.
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But we’ve been deep in the poop much longer than just the end result of Reaganism we call Trump. Below is a quite good look at ourselves and our so-called leaders in the last two full generations (1930s-present). And no, I don’t agree with everything in this piece but it’s a good overall descriptive presentation of why we are where we are.
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Can America Wake Up from the “Free Market Magic” Lies?
America — and the Democratic Party — have arrived at one of our nation’s history’s great crossroads. Hopefully, we’ll make it through…
https://hartmannreport.com/p/can-america-wake-up-from-the-free-d5e
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The 2nd husbands of both grannies fought Fascism in the Pacific, too, as your fathers did but land-based slogging in the mud. Neither talked about which islands they were on or were very coherent when they did. Both drank excessively to forget to be honest, and that was mostly when some of what was inside them came out (late night drunken ramblings mostly). I heard some as a kid and young teen when spending nights at the grandparents. Both obviously had cases of ‘Combat Fatigue’ which, in the AEF volunteer soldier first husband of the paternal grannie, was labeled ‘Shell Shock’ after WWI. He also drank daily.
This country cannot survive another 4 years of that doddering violent Fascist spoiled idiot inherited wealth Frat Boy Narcissist…and imagine him dying in office (a very real possibility just as it is with Biden). With a VP like Margarine TrailerTrash from Georgia! Or maybe the third in line for President the new Theocratic Lunatic Speaker of the House takes over?
But then how much longer can this country survive under Reaganomic Neo-Liberalism/Corporate Capitalism that the Democrats are controlled by? Damned if you do, damned if you don’t isn’t good policy just as Lesser Evil Voting only keeps one under the thumb of evil.
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But then there is this question posed by a Texas GOPer:
Texas Republican Rep (21st District) asking fellow GOPers for just one thing they have done for people that he can campaign on:
Start at 6:43
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEp2olBpzt8
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And you’re right RB, voting for a candidate should never be about party but the qualifications of the person. Unfortunately the US is way beyond that now…
sealintheSelkirks