Part II. What I am trying to do.

WAIT - GO BACK AND READ THE PREVIOUS POST, PART I, FIRST.

Welcome back.

So having cried "the End is Coming" repeatedly, I now want to talk about what I am doing and what I'm not doing. I am not picking up a gun (not that I ever owned one) or street fighting. Some may feel that it is time. I do not. I would not advocate anyone doing anything violent but defend themselves, which they have a right to do. I hope, it never gets to the point where this becomes a random shooting war, although we know there has already been plenty of killing. I want everyone to stop fighting and killing. Others may disagree and think time is past, and the enemy is now restricting free speech.

Having said that, I know they are not going to stop. I do believe we are in the first stages of fascism where one side has captured all the levers of power, uses rhetoric shamefully but effectively, and actively tries to destroy those who oppose them by getting them fired or not hired, or for others to stop using their services. I have no doubt that extreme-right wingers would do that too if they had the power. Fortunately, the FBI and others destroyed the power of the Klan and others in the 1970s. The government is not doing that now. Even Trump treated BLM and Antifa with kid gloves. Right now the idiot mayor of Portland is crying for help, because radicals eat their own and his homegrown radicals occasionally try to eat him. I doubt anyone is coming to help because they would be fighting radicals, and when Trump tried - this same mayor and the rest of the loonies called them stormtroopers and the like. They only go to aid against the right wing radicals, such as when Governor Cuomo, who has also become a fascists, sending NY National National Guard to D.C., allegedly to protect a peaceful transfer of power.  I don't see how he has the right to use them as a military force - in fact, I'm sure he doesn't.  The left radicals, thanks to some of the worst people in the world in Hollywood (I single out some, just because I've heard they given to the cause, but we know it's many people), and the recent election, is empowered. What do we do?

I have one friend who fistfights with people if they call him a racist and over other things he considers necessary. I can't do that. One, I've never believed in fighting to solve problems (but, understand, sometimes it is necessary) and think it must be a last resort. I still have hope. Not a lot, but some.

So, I do two things. I've been doing one for years and the other since the George Floyd riots/protests (some of each, no doubt, some both). Both things I do maybe small enough, but what I'm doing here is crying out to my legion of three readers (I love saying that) that I want them to do it too. Because it is high noon in America - it has already started and it is going to get worse. Sadly, before I even start, I know they almost certainly won't. It is an American tradition to slam the barn door only after the colt has fled. And, you can extend that to every example of appeasement or patient waiting that didn't turn out to good throughout the world in all of its checkered history.

Here's the first thing.

Speak and write. I write. I talk to friends and argue with them and others who are not friends. I will not be cowed into not speaking my mind because the tactics of "I'm not talking to you anymore," or, the old, here's my opinion - now let's not discuss it. There is definitely a danger in speaking or writing. One it is not possible to communicate without someone misunderstanding you. The people closest to me misunderstand me often enough, political adversaries want to or do so on purpose.

In order to speak or write now, you have to have courage. I'm not saying I am the epitome of courage. In fact, assume if you want I am the least courageous person. But, in this, I am trying to be courageous because I believe the stakes are so high. When so many people I know agree with me on various issues, but are afraid of speaking I know it is not just anecdotal - it is a widespread epidemic of the "woke" or the cancel culture by people in positions of power that has created a frightened, cowed nation. And, there can definitely be consequences. I expect that if I did have a large readership, and people already knew what I wrote, I'd be cancelled - because I say things like "all lives matter" and MLK,Jr. was a hero and  BLM is not even a civil rights organization at all, but a socialist black supremacist group (I say that, because I read their varied websites and an occasional book on race issues) that cares about black lives.

I admire Winston Churchill immensely. You can argue to me about his own racism, loyalty to crown and even selling out some countries to help others. Still a great man. But, most important for here, I don't know if anyone has ever "mobilized" their language and "sent it into battle" (JFK) like he did. 

Churchill was smart enough, when he took over as PM during the war, not to pretend everything was peachy. He promised only "blood, toil, sweat, and tears." I can do the doom and gloom part. I'm frequently told I'm negative (by friends, mind you). Of course, I admit, I do not have the self-possession or talent he does to use soaring words to inspire others. I try, in plain English to inspire a handful of people who might read this (I have to give myself an LOL - as sometimes have to send it to people or even fewer would read it).  

You don't have to tell me I'm not Churchill. I agree. But, he inspires me and many others who are trying to scream "the emperor has no clothes" or "incominnnnng!" I want to be believed and I wish I had his abilities. So, in my own infinitesimal way, I am trying. I do no that sometimes I am successful. But, the reason I am suggesting it here, is because if everyone does it (not that we will all agree on everything) it will help to some degree. It is really hard to get someone to change their mind. Sometimes I do convince or inspire someone and I've been convinced and inspired by others. Sometimes it takes time. 

I don't mean you should have to write or make speeches (speeches are yet another thing I think I'm bad at). But, you should not be afraid of speaking your mind. At that includes to people you like who will "cancel" you or you don't want mad at you (like family). It does take courage. And it may go badly. But, the other side is not afraid, filled with righteousness and often rage. If the real antifascists (not, of course, the fascist antifa) don't do this - well, it's going to get worse.

And, you have to call a spade a spade, as the saying goes (is that a racist saying? No idea). I call these people "fascists" because they have already started. Some are men, some women, some older, some younger. Some black, white, Asian, etc. They are fascists. I'm not advocating using racial or ethnic slurs (I mean real ones, not the ones they just decided were slurs). I don't think it helps, probably hurts (as you lose moderates who think - oh, I guess they are racists - when they hear it). But, I am for telling people when they are being fascistic, or, even in ignorance, supporting them.

People need to tell their children the truth too. I know in modern society, the last 50-70 years, we've increasingly treated children as if they were the bosses. I tell you this - if my own daughter disagreed with me, I'd tell her the truth about it, regardless of the consequences. Don't let them intimidate you by withholding love or saying they won't speak to you. That's a tactic they've learned.

Cancel the things you love that support the fascists. The other thing I started this year after watching the media's grotesque coverage of the George Floyd riots. Instead of treating the takeover in Seattle and the deadly rioting, mostly in D areas, and taking mostly minority lives, as what they were - deadly fascism - they did the "its mostly peaceful thing," as big a lie as "you can keep your doctor," or, the Nazis' use of the Reichstag Fire or the Gleiwitz incident (a better example, as there really was a fire at the Reichstag and Gleiwitz was completely made up by the Germans. 

I hate boycotting and "canceling." Always have. But, I don't like one country invading another, yet approve of the Allies invading Europe - because sometimes, there is no other way. So, now I am a boycotter and canceller. And this, my friends, I think will work if everyone does it. 

I stopped watching tv, even movies. I know you are thinking, Sure, right. But, I did, maybe at the end of May or beginning of June. You can find an exception or two. I watched Serendipity, an old movie (John Cusack, the star, I think is an idiot now - but great actor in great movies), with my gf at her request at Christmastime. And, I watched a few political events in the presidential election - the debates, really. And I watched the ball drop at New Years Eve, because I was in the room with others and they wanted to watch tv that night (I was punished by having to sit through a disgusting BLM commercial which exploited little children). I do not run from the room if someone is watching something (though, I admit it's hard not to watch), including cartoons.

But, I cut out everything else - so, 99.999%. Like many people, I often had the tv on all day, although I don't watch a lot of "shows." The things I watched were mostly sports or educational. Still, I stopped. If we want to hurt the fascist cause, we have to stop doing certain things and watching tv and movies is the biggest. Ban Hollywood from your lives - why, because most of it - obviously we would be hurting some good people too - support fascist groups and the fascist cause. 

It's not all you have to ban though for my plan (do I sound like Elizabeth Warren).  Though I didn't use Twitter at all and had a Facebook account that I only rarely used to snoop on legal adversaries who foolishly posted online - it won me (I think) at least one case, I cancelled Facebook after they started playing political games by silencing Trump during the campaign. In fact, I try to avoid going in stores that post "Black Lives Matter," or using the websites, but, I admit, the goal is not to harm your own life - sometimes we have little choice as the other side already won the propaganda battle. 

The biggest thing I gave up was football. I was a football fiend.  It was a big part of my life. But, when they started having political holidays and going BLM, I stopped cold turkey. I have not watched a game this year and though you can't help hearing things (or seeing headlines on line) you can do it.

I don't want to do this. I feel it is important and I should do it. Yes, fighting fascism is important. I had a friend admit to me he would prefer a totalitarian or fascist country to giving up tv. He was just being honest. I think most people would agree with him or have some excuse.

I want to watch football. I want to watch the Olympics next year (nope, not when they now announce they will allow protest - why do we even have a team if we are going to criticize America). You can use my imperfection to say, okay, I will only watch tv 4 hours a day and 30 movies a year, in which case, it will all come to nothing. I say, at least, cut it dramatically. And be vocal about it.

My two biggest problems are Amazon, which I've learned runs virtually all the websites on their platforms and you cannot escape (even the website I went to try and avoid them said they had to use them), and Google, whose gmail I have used for many years and it would be hard to one, change with the world and, two, to lose thousands of emails, some of which I need for work. Both companies simply have the best technology in the world, at least for the consumer, and you cripple yourself when you stop. I have started using Duck Duck Go a lot more. I have started using Ebay to buy books a lot more. I'm working on it and any advice would be welcome. 

This post is on Google's Blogger. I did not know when I started this in 2006 that Google (or Amazon for that matter) would become so powerful and become so invested in the fascist-forward movement or then, that this movement was coming in what had been a great country). I am looking into switching over to another platform, but admit my technical ineptitude makes it difficult as I don't want to lose all the work I've done here.

Again, I admit my own problems here despite that it will also be an excuse for someone else. I'm willing 100% willing to make the even bigger sacrifice and cut everything out completely if I wasn't alone - if someone with a voice starts promoting it (naturally, after reading this post).

I don't do this for your praise (actually, I don't recall anyone has ever praised me for it, but virtue signaling is so prevalent today I thought I'd say it) or because I think my one person effort hurts any company I want to hurt. It has to be dramatic so that these companies understand what's at stake. I'm a pessimist by nature and don't expect others to join in. But, it would mean something if it could happen.

POST NOTE January 10, 2021: The day after I wrote this the fascist companies, including the one that regrettably, owns this platform upon which I wrote, Google, along with Amazon, upped the ante in trying to crush any discussion or dissent. They need to be broken up immediately and their insidious power taken away (I admit to being terribly wrong in the past about that), and those elements that transmit opinion, need to be deemed common carriers. Seriously, I know if you haven't been beaten by fascist mobs yet, and your family is okay, you just want to keep your head down and think everything will be fine. I'd love to feel the same way, but, for reasons stated above, feel like we must speak out.  I don't think you understand that they don't care whether you are doing that or not. Unless you become their minion, they will destroy you. I am torn between not using these companies at all, which seems almost impossible (means, the end of this blog, and my years and years of Google.com, and getting deliveries quickly) or using it to work against them. I will never say I approve of either of them. Fascists are fascists, even if they are not yet putting people up against a wall.