This piece in Washington Post Magazine is a must read for anyone on the left. It clearly lays out that the religious right has declared war. If you're having trouble opening it or the paywall is blocking you click here for the IPFS link.
Is "war" hyperbole? No. From the piece:
“For all of Donald’s faults, and everybody knows them, he stood on the right side. We are in a civil war,” he said. “This is the standard-bearer for us in this war.”
(Fitton and Adams did not respond to requests for comment for this article. In a previous email, Adams stood by his remarks. In an interview last fall, Fitton told me: “The left has war-gamed this out. … And it could cause civil war.”)
Multiple people from far-right groups were promoting a movement to “Stop the Steal” that included specious claims that Trump won. One of the most prominent leaders was a former CNP fellow named Ali Alexander, formerly Ali Akbar. “We will not go quietly. We’ll shut down this country if we have to,” Alexander said at a Phoenix rally in December, later leading the crowd in a chant of “1776.”
I started reading about the religious right and Christian Nationalists in 2018. Since then I've come to believe they're our biggest threat. I think Handmaid's Tale is real.
There's a lot of talk about school boards these days. I wrote a piece about it. That's because the right is targeting them. Their ultimate goal is to dismantle public education and public schools, so religion can be taught.
Another great read covering this issue is David O. Williams' recent column in the Vail Daily. David nails it. Trumpers in Eagle County are crying foul, that David went too far. Confucious say, "The chicken kackles loudest when its head is on the chopping block".
In Andreas Malm's well researched book How to Blow Up a Pipeline he points out that peaceful protests aren't what leads to change. That change is often tied to violence.
I'm not suggesting that violence is the answer. But they are. Watch this clip from a Turning Point USA event at Boise State in Idaho. The man asks Charlie Kirk, "When do we get to use the guns? How many elections are they going to steal, before we kill these people"?
Jan 6. was practice. These people are dangerous, they're violent. They're ready to kill us.
I've been saying peace and love for years. I'm not ready to abandon my words. But what I am sure of is that if we're going to save our democracy, fight these bastards back, us on the left need to recognize that our efforts so far have been an abysmal failure. We need to recognize that while we were marching and tweeting, they were organizing and doing work. They were getting their peeps into power, winning elections. We need to take the fight to them.
That starts with voting - the one right that makes all other rights possible. Vote in every neighborhood, town, city, state and federal election.
Please vote in the upcoming elections. Volunteer. Give someone a ride to their polling place. Get involved.
It's what Obama said - “People have a tendency to blame politicians when things don't work, but as I always tell people, you get the politicians you deserve,” Obama said, to loud applause. “And if you don't vote and you don't pay attention, you'll get policies that don't reflect your interest.”
