Why Aren’t Americans Fighting Against Fascism?

A concerned American citizen who goes by “Bee” has written a letter addressed to the citizens of the world who are asking the question: Why aren’t Americans doing anything to stop what is being called a fascist coup d’état?

She said, “I understand that from the outside looking in, the situation seems like US citizens are just letting this happen and are complicit in, if not celebrating, the astonishing atrocities you see on your screens. While this is true for some, it isn’t the whole picture.”

Her main arguments are as follows:

1. There is electoral apathy, a significant portion of the eligible voters of the US population did not vote.

“It’s sad to see that the insanity happening is because of people’s apathy and/or refusal to vote for someone who does not align enough with their beliefs to make sure someone worse didn’t get it,” she said, indicating that voters refused to vote for Kamala Harris because of her support for Israel.

2. The Congress and the Supreme Court largely enable administrative actions, which makes the public distrust the democratic process.

She points out that “Congress is a whole other beast. Our politicians prioritize their careers over the will and good of the people. . . Both democrats and republicans serve the corporations and lobbyists who give the most money; there is no accountability, and the shown focus is on the outrage of the problems instead of possible solutions.”

3. Protesting is dangerous in the US, the right to protest and to free speech is being infringed upon and Americans fear that martial law may be declared in the event the government feels threatened by a protest or if a riot breaks out.

Bee states, “According to the US Constitution Article 1 Section 9, ‘The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.’”

Protesting, she said, feels useless because politicians are not listening and prohibiting people’s right to protest.

4. People are not using the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms.

The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states:

“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.”

It does not explicitly state that the amendment is to protect citizens against a tyrannical government, although that is how it has been interpreted based on historical writings by the founding fathers who saw the right to bear arms as a safeguard against tyranny.

5. The media is most often manipulated to further political polarization. People either believe the propaganda, fueling their hatred for the other side, or they disbelieve in it and become apathetic.

In 1987, the Reagan administration repealed the Fairness Doctrine, which required news broadcasters to give the news in a fair and unbiased way, because they believed it restricted free speech. The repeal allowed more extreme politically biased news reporting. People have become more radicalized due to the propaganda.

Bee explains that “With the news no longer having to be partial, right-wing media was able to start pushing these ideas out to the rural areas that were more right-leaning . . . The center and left media was twisting the story to [hide] the truth. In effect, they blamed everyone else for what they were doing. . . When everything is a crisis, nothing is a crisis, and people stop being affected when truly atrocious things occur. They also don’t give the other perspective, and when they do, it’s implied the other perspective is idiotic. When the right gets painted as these dumb, huge bigots that are deplorable in the center and left media, it alienates people.”

6. There are great challenges to organizing a resistance in the US due to the size of the country. Everybody is spread out and gathering in person for resistance work is difficult, and Americans fear a declaration of martial law.

She explains that “Since we do not have enough people willing to stand together, we have no chance of a successful armed resistance. Our police are trained with military tactics when it comes to protest control and riots. While the federal military cannot be deployed, the National Guard can and has been. To create an armed rebellion, not only would it be faced with massive force from the government, but it would also give one of the only two situations that allow for martial law.”

In the US, martial law can be declared in cities or states in the event of a rebellion or invasion, in which case Habeas Corpus will be suspended. Martial law can be declared if the Supreme Court decides that civilian law cannot maintain order in the case of a public safety crisis, natural disasters, or riots. Only the president can declare martial law at the federal level while state governors declare it at the state or city level.

7. If the US falls to authoritarianism and/or fascism, it affects the rest of the world, some countries may follow the same footsteps.

She finishes out her letter to citizens of the world: “Use the US as an example and let it put a fire under you to make sure it does not happen there. You cannot rely on the US not falling, sadly. We are speaking out, we are helping the unfortunate the best we can, and we are finding ways to resist, even if it ends up having to be in the shadows. Yet, we are being ignored and our rights taken while they say they are trying to uphold them. Our time to prevent this was years ago; your time is now.

With much love and all the luck I can give,

Bee”