FASCISM ON THE MARCH

© 1985 by Stuart Norman

Appeared in RFD #44, Fall ‘85 “Right-Wing Fascists Descend”
Skin Heads are one current manifestation of ultra-right demagoguery, youths whose often abusive upbringing is manipulated into raw hatred by older authoritarian figures from established right-wing groups who plan to use them as shock troops to commit mayhem if social collapse should occur. In the wake of the Oklahoma bombing news has focused on ultra-right militias and the problems they could cause.


        We should be informed of the growth of neo-Nazi, ultra right-wing groups in the U.S. These racist, white supremacist, fundamentalist Christian groups are attracting followers by playing on their fears of economic ruin and social collapse. Farmers in middle America and bible belt are prime targets, as many find their mortgages being foreclosed. And lacking sophistication to discern the bigotry in the rightist rhetoric, they may swallow the whole biased explanation.
        These ultra-rightist groups preach against an international Jewish bankers’ conspiracy that is attempting to rule the world. thus bringing up an old Federal Reserve conspiracy theory of controlling the money supply of the world. With banks closing, rumors of financial instability in major institutions, and loans being defaulted, there are perhaps grounds for fear that there may be runs on banks.
        Anti-Semitism runs rampant in the discourses of these groups. Fundamentalist interpretation of Revelations in the Bible is used to associate the current crisis with the “Mark of the Beast", an obscure symbol of turmoil.
        White supremacy, worship of Hitler and his Aryan race theories also abound. These groups preach against the evils of communism as well as that of capitalism and democracy. They admit that they don’t want to allow free choice.
        Some of these groups openly declare their intention to violently overthrow our government. Many of the groups have secret plans for takeover and revenge. How well networked these groups are is not known. But some leaders and members have been arrested and prosecuted for crimes from murder and beatings to storing caches of automatic weapons. These people can be very dangerous even if they remain a small minority.
        One major reason for the growth of these groups is the perceived breakdown or fragmentation of society. And coupled with an economic crisis affecting the lower middle class and the poor, they offer simple analyses of the problem, especially directing their invective and anger toward certain minority groups that threaten the traditional conservative social beliefs. They want a scapegoat to blame. Of course, their invective is occasionally turned against gays exploiting the AIDS issue.
        The Ku Klux Klan, Christian Identity and other Nazi philosophy sympathizers are joining together in expectation of a race war and biblical Armageddon. Many are prepared to live out the worst part of the war as survivalists in closed, armed camps which they already have in isolated sections of the country. These people do not realize the evil they preach. Hatred and fear fuel their beliefs and actions, making them immune to reasonable discourse and cooperation. Yet, as always, such people ultimately bring about their own ruin. Their hatred and violence eventually burns them out. Their moral lack of respect for others’ rights will be turned against them. That is Karmic law. Just like Hitler’s Nazis, they will probably lose the struggle, but these groups can create much human misery in the interim.
        How do we stop them? Not by violence directed against them, nor by outlawing their organizations, which would only drive them further underground. They have a right to their beliefs, just as we do. Education directed at those who might be taken in by their rhetoric would help. New economic policies to assist those people disenfranchised would diffuse their despair and give them some faith in our government. The current administration doesn’t seem to care or perhaps doesn’t understand the potential for social collapse in the practice of its policies.

Contents Fear and Mourning: Post-mortem of an Election - 1990 The Decline and Fall of Western Civilization