FOXTOPUS, A Good Name For Fox News

Well we've all heard the use of "octopus" for someone who can't keep their hands to themselves, especially on a date, and especially in reference to the places where they like to put their hands. Since Fox News has been dealing with the likes of Roger Ailes and Bill O'Reilly, and as Fox News has been in support of the "P---y Grabber-in-Chief," Donald Trump, I'd say a good name for them is, "FOXTOPUS." Hopefully they'll like the name; they've earned it.

WORD HISTORY:
Sleazy (Sleaze)-The word "sleazy" seems to have come from a "cute" English pronunciation in the 1600's for German "Schlesien" (German pronunciation as if, "schlay-zee-en," thus English "sleazy"). Schlesien (English form: "Silesia") was then a German region ^ known for the production of cloth, which was often a German export. Indeed, the English form, Silesia," was used as a word for the cloth. The cloth was thin, thus "flimsy," and this meaning began to be attached to the word, which eventually broadened beyond the cloth itself. From this "flimsy" meaning, came the further meaning, "low quality," which then broadened to, "someone of low character (20th Century);" thus, "The sleazy councilman in the neighborhood took bribes from drug dealers." Also the meaning, "a place of low or dirty repute;" thus, "We're entering a sleazy part of town, where all sorts of illegal activities go on." The noun "sleaze" was derived from the adjective (mid 20th Century?). 

^ Today, due to border adjustments after World War Two, parts of the "Silesia" region are in Poland, the Czech Republic (Czechia) and Germany.   

Donald Trump, Captain of the Titanic

Donald Trump is the captain of the new "GOP Titanic." The ship took years of hate and division to build. Years of hate and fear mongers like Morton Downey, Jr., Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter preaching against government, minorities, women, gays, labor unions and just about any change, and using various conspiracy theories to scare Americans, usually white Americans, into supporting an ever more reactionary agenda and the reactionary politicians who pushed it. If you think such propaganda doesn't work, Joseph Goebbels would not have had such a prominent position in the Nazi regime. Rush Limbaugh, "seemingly" somewhat diminished in the number of listeners in the last year or two, was so powerful a force within the Republican Party, that any Republican officeholders who dared criticize him, spent the next day groveling at his feet to regain favor. Of course, another monumental moment in the march of reactionaries into the lives of many Americans came when long time conservative Republican operative, Roger Ailes, was given his own personal fiefdom with the creation of "Fox News" on cable television. It became a "conservative media paradise," where Republicans and leaders of conservative causes ran for cover, as it was anything but, "fair and balanced." (NBC then chose to make cable station "MSNBC" the anti-Fox News outlet; thus liberal/progressive.)  

While the ship was built, the escalating harshness and stridency of the hate preachers continued with barely a peep from the Reagans, the Bushes, or the Mitt Romneys and Bill Welds of the world. Some of these same folks got into a panic when Donald Trump began moving like a juggernaut toward the Republican nomination for president. Some panicked so much, they tried to derail Trump with Ted Cruz, a true fire-breathing fascist, who lacks only the armband and a raised right arm salute. Trump prevailed by a large margin. The so called "Republican establishment," those who previously tolerated this crap for so long, and who did not speak out, not even to save their own honor, have further removed the mantle of "the party of Lincoln" from the Republican Party, a party now based upon racism, bigotry, extreme nationalism, militia groups and conspiracy theories. When basically good people fail to speak out, this is how fascists take hold. I've written here before, that once you let fascists in, you can only get them back out with great difficulty and pain. The GOP regulars are passengers on board the Titanic, and they bought their tickets long ago, on an installment plan, just paying the final balance about the first of the year. There is an immense iceberg unseen in the distance and there are not enough lifeboats for all the GOP passengers.
       
WORD HISTORY:
Sink-This word goes back to Indo European "sengw," which had the notion of "to go beneath water." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "sinkwanan," with the same meaning. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "sincan," which meant, "to sink, something to go below water." It also gave Old English, "besencan," which meant, "to sink something, to cause something to sink." The latter then became "sinken," before the modern form. The other form died out, or evolved, in part, into "sench," which kept the meaing, "to sink something, in the sense, cause it to sink." It has since died out, with both meanings now used only in "sink." The noun for a basin; as in, "the kitchen sink," originally developed from the verb in the 1400s, and it came from the idea of a hollow area of ground where water collected; the term then transferred to the man made objects "sunk" into a cabinet. Common throughout the other Germanic languages (verb forms): German has "sinken" (to sink) and "versenken" (to sink something, to scuttle), Low German Saxon "sinken," West Frisian "sinke" (to sink), Dutch "zinken" (to sink), Danish and Norwegian "synke" (to sink), Icelandic "sökka" (to sink, but it lost the "n" over time) and Swedish "sjunka" (to sink) and "sänka" (to lower, to cause to sink or lower).

The Growing Danger Of American Reactionary Fascism

This was first published in August of 2014.

Elements of fascism have been around for a long, long time, before there was a general term for them. Generally speaking, it was Benito Mussolini, a former socialist, and some other Italians, who combined some of these elements into a true political movement after World War One. Mussolini took power in Italy quite quickly, as he became Prime Minister (also known by some as "Premier") of Italy in October of 1922. Mussolini's rise to power and the overall postwar situation in various parts of the world, especially in Germany, Austria and Hungary,* brought copycat fascist political movements elsewhere, although with national variations from the Italian brand.

The defeat of major fascist led countries Germany (which then included Austria) and Italy in World War Two undoubtedly led many to believe fascism was no longer a big threat to the world, although fascist governments remained in power, notably in Spain and Portugal, and another notable fascist-like leader would take over in Argentina, Juan Perón. In the United States, the Great Depression had seen the increased popularity of radio broadcasts by a Michigan Roman Catholic priest named Father Charles Coughlin, who gradually incorporated many fascist ideas, including anti-Jewish rants and hatred, into his speeches and talks, as he became a major critic of President Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal.** The beginning of World War Two in Europe in 1939 seemingly shook Americans back to their senses, and Coughlin's overall popularity declined. The 1950s saw the rise of one George Lincoln Rockwell, a former American military officer, who latched onto Hitlerian hatreds of Jews and non-white people. He eventually founded the American Nazi Party, complete with all of the hatred and nonsense espoused by Nazism's former nutcase-in-chief, Hitler.

Back in the 1960s my father was an auditor for an auto parts company (supplier). This brought him some extra work, as parts' dealers would occasionally hire him to take inventories for them, and a couple of times, he took me with him to help. I don't recall the exact year this happened, but I'll guess like 1967 or 1968. While we were on one of these inventory jobs, someone had placed Nazi pamphlets on the windshields of the cars in the area where my father's car was parked. It's been so long ago I can't recall everything, but I believe the pamphlet was all in black and white (no racial reference intended), with several crude cartoon like drawings depicting Jews and Black Americans in derogatory caricatures. While I don't remember the exact content, there was Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" quote, followed by a picture of George Lincoln Rockwell and words something like, "But he has [or had] a dream too." *** The whole thing was quite appalling and after all of these years, I still remember that night.

The Great Depression had brought about a major political realignment in the United States, with Democrats "generally" becoming the governing majority for several decades, although Republicans did break the Democratic dominance on occasion, especially at the presidential level. Gradually voters seen as progressives shifted more and more into the Democratic Party, while voters seen as conservatives shifted into the Republican Party, until we arrived at where we are today. Increasingly conservative elements began to gain control of the GOP, where they were often seen, even by other Republicans, as "extremists." Arch conservative Republican and libertarian Barry Goldwater, the GOP presidential nominee in 1964, addressed the extremist tag by saying, "...extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice." Senator Thomas Kuchel, a moderate Republican from California, expressed concern and outright dismay in the mid 1960s about the extremist conservative infiltration of the GOP, and he called these elements "a neo fascist political cult ... driven by ... corrosive hatred and sickening fear ..." **** Again, this was in the mid 1960s, well before the major influx of former conservative Democrats, which gradually accelerated during the 1980s up until about a decade or so ago, which only concentrated and intensified the right wing fascist ideas of the GOP. The election of Barack Obama brought fascist racial, ethnic and religious hatred to something of a fever pitch, as former moderate and traditional conservative Republican officeholders shifted rightward, fearing their defeat in primaries by right wing candidates, who would have been laughed off the political stage less than a couple of decades ago.

Moderate and progressive Americans need to sit up and take notice of what's been going on, as right wing extremism has spread from the far right into the periphery of the mainstream, sold to the American public by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and others, including an organization hiding behind the cover of being a "news" organization, but which was founded with the direct purpose of supporting a political point of view, an organization headed by former Republican operative Roger Ailes; that organization being Fox News. I see comments posted online by those seemingly complacent individuals predicting the "demise of the Republican Party" (see book title in note **** below), this is nonsense, and it is very dangerous folks! In my lifetime I've heard such predictions about the demise of both parties. Remember, underestimating your enemy can be devastating, and these are not just political opponents, they are enemies, as they see anyone who does not toe their line as "the enemy," as can be seen by their attempts to force Republicans further to the political right, although some Republicans have begun fighting back. In the 1920s and early 1930s many Germans, including German Jews, thought it would never be possible for the ranting, far out, sort of crazy and almost comical looking Hitler and his Nazis to gain power; that educated Germans would never let it happen, but it did. After the Nazis took power, the anti-Nazis deluded themselves into thinking the Nazis could be held in check and that the nightmare would soon pass, but it didn't, and it got much, much worse, including war, mass murder and genocide. I see our own modern American reactionary nutcases for what they are .... FASCISTS!

* Germany, Austria and Hungary were all defeated in World War One, thus bringing attempts to place blame for their defeat elsewhere, like on leftist and communist elements of their respective nations. Adolf Hitler came to add an especially virulent racist element to his form of fascism, with an illogical obsession with Jews being its foremost principle. The Bolshevik takeover in Russia in late 1917 had added a particular sense of fear to wealthy (and definitely to the nobility) and middle class people in many European countries, and in the United States, especially during the Great Depression. This fear drove some, perhaps many, toward the various fascist movements in Europe, as fascist paramilitary forces and thugs, like Mussolini's Blackshirt units and Hitler's Stormtroopers, were likely seen as protectors against communist thugs (they had thugs too).

** Remember, there was no television in those times, so radio was a fast, direct and major way to reach large numbers of people. Coughlin also published a weekly newspaper/magazine to disseminate and promote his ideas.

*** If my memory serves me right, Rockwell's picture showed him with a corncob pipe, something he had adopted from General Douglas MacArthur, who was famous for such, and whom Rockwell deeply admired. I am not sure of the exact line used following Dr. King's quote, because Rockwell was assassinated in 1967 by a former American Nazi Party member, so whether it was in the present or past tense ("has" or "had"), I don't remember.

**** See: "Rule and Ruin (the Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, from Eisenhower to the Tea Party)," by Geoffrey M. Kabaservice, Oxford University Press, New York 2012, page 220.

WORD HISTORY:
Danger-The history of this fairly common word is a bit involved. It goes back to Indo European "domo/doma," which meant "house." This gave its Latin (Italic) offspring "domus," meaning "home," and then the derived "dominium," which meant "property," and then the derived "dominus,"  which meant "lord of the estate." This then produced "dominarium," which meant "the authority or power of the lord." This gave French, a Latin-based language, first "dongier, and then "dangier," meaning "power, authority." This was carried to England by the Normans, where it was altered to "daunger," with the same meaning, and it was borrowed into English in the 1200s. The idea of  "power or authority over others," also had come to mean "power to punish, do harm to," and this gradually became "the risk or fear of harm," the meaning it still carries today.  

Rolling Back Fascism Is Not Easy, Part Five/Final

Ingrained within fascism has been a "survival of the fittest" code. This seems to appeal to some of the wealthiest people in society (and some others), but certainly not all.  When you aren't particularly worried about how you'll get your next meal or how you're going to pay your rent or electric bill, there might just be a tendency for a disconnect with those struggling to make ends meet, although there are certainly people who abuse the system. The thing is, not everyone getting some sort of assistance is a freeloader; yet, to hear those on the political right talk, the country is just teeming with a bunch of bums. Some of those who have screamed and whined the loudest, like Mitt Romney, have done very well in this country, and I just wonder if they've ever considered how much corporate welfare and questionable, if not outright wasteful, government money from government at all levels (federal, state, local), including for defense, has gone into the bank accounts of some of our wealthiest citizens. My "guess" is, there's been more of that abuse than by those citizens far, far down the economic ladder. The wealthy wouldn't have lobbyists otherwise. The poor can't afford to hire big time lobbyists. Unlike many poorer Americans, the wealthy aren't fighting for survival, they're fighting for "mo' money, mo' money, mo' money." Remember this slogan, "Success, not excess." We need to stop paying heed to those concerned with the plight of billionaires and millionaires, and get back to paying attention to America's struggling middle class and poor. The rich can and will take very good care of themselves, as they always have, but they will have to take less and workers at all levels will have to get more, and that means the wealthy will be kicking and screaming all the way, such is their sense of "entitlement." 

The survival of the fittest part of fascism also appeals to those who want virtually no rules or regulations, as that's true "survival of the fittest." They like the idea of returning to the pre-civilization era, before some humans started worrying about others and sharing certain things. Nope, in their narrow little world, you're on your own, except when it comes to fighting wars, then you MUST belong to their community or face severe consequences, including death.* Their ultimate point is to keep the government and economy from functioning so that people will turn to them. "Hate the government, shut down the government, try to stop the economy from recovering, stop Obama from succeeding, then let us establish a government," this lies behind their ideas.

Unions have declined, but that hasn't stopped the whining by wealthy interests, who have been rather successful in convincing many average people to support the war on unions with the tactic, "Support our anti-union plans and we'll give a job for $8.00 an hour." Of course, said under their breath and with a snicker is, "How you get by on such wages is YOUR problem, but we'll do just fine paying you eight bucks." Fascism always seeks to destroy unions to keep wealthy interests supporting them and to eliminate a source of organized opposition. Beware before it's too late! As I just noted, the economic meltdown brought on by deregulation and poor oversight of financial markets and banks has given wealthy interests a chance to exploit the fear of many average Americans by getting them to take less money and benefits and pitting workers against unions; "divide and conquer." Of course, the wealthiest Americans don't take less money, they take more! There's been little shared sacrifice; in fact, some wealthy interests have whined that they deserve more! As I've mentioned in previous articles, the Mr. Thurston Howell multimillionaire character from "Gilligan's Island" perhaps put it best when he heard that someone was spending some of his money, he said something to the effect, "Little does he care how hard other people worked to make me that money." This survival of the fittest mentality, if carried to its ultimate, would lead to the demise of mankind, as only one person, the most ruthless of all, would survive, and their ultimate death would extinguish humans. And of course, with no other humans to exploit, their death would probably come rather quickly.

Fascists seek to exclude others from their own self created little worlds where they dominate as an elite. Their warped minds build up false enemies as Hitler did with Jews. In this country the hate has spewed forth against African-Americans, Latinos, unions, and yes, sometimes Jews or Muslims. You can't maintain a nation by exclusion, including "undesirables" only when you want them to fight wars or to exploit their labor. The survivalist, ultra nationalist fascists feel a devout hatred for people they see as "foreigners," and they'll use any lie, seeing themselves as above reproach because of their duty to protect others from the people they hate. The "birthers" prove this point all the time, led by one Donald Trump, a survival of the fittest fascist if there ever was one. Roger Ailes has provided the drumbeat of propaganda for the increased fascism in our country, using the technique of  "keep repeating the same lies until enough people accept them as truth." No political party or philosophy has a monopoly on truth, but this is orchestrated by Ailes-led "Fox News," a propaganda organization devoid of any shame as Ailes promotes it as "fair and balanced." 

So, you don't want to be called a "fascist?" Don't act like one and don't support those who are. I suppose all of us at one time or another needs to look into a mirror and ask ourselves some tough questions. If you have been trending toward fascism, take a deep breath, look into the mirror and face reality, you'll feel a lot better than being on the side of evil. We're all part of selfishness, that's why we have to keep reminding ourselves about reaching out to those less fortunate. We have to keep fighting the fight against our own worst inclinations and fears. We aren't perfect individually and we won't be perfect as a nation, but we don't have to be fascists! 

* See "Note ** " in the previous part of this series:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2013/01/rolling-back-fascim-is-not-easy-part.html

WORD HISTORY:
Frock-This word's meaning has varied over time, but generally it came to mean "a long, loose, gown-like garment worn by people of the clergy," but also used as a term for "a hunting coat," and "a formal coat for men," which evolved into the "tails," for white tie, and as part of the term "frock coat," a coat previously used for formal daytime dress for men. The word is still around, but I suppose its most common usage in today's English is as part of "defrock;" that is, "to dismiss someone from the clergy." It "seems" to go back to Indo European "ruk/rugk," which meant "to spin (cloth/fabric)." Its Old Germanic offspring was "rukkaz," which meant "a jacket," but also could mean "a skirt" (Old English had "rocc," meaning "over garment," and German still has "Rock," which means both "jacket" and "skirt," and the other Germanic languages have forms, too). Latin borrowed a form of the word from Germanic, which was then inherited by its Old French offspring, or Old French borrowed a form from Frankish, a Germanic dialect/language, and then passed it to Latin. In any case, the Old French form became "froc," with the religious garment/gown meaning, which was then borrowed into English in the 1300s as "frok," before the modern version. The "f" beginning in the French word "could" be from the influence of Latin "floccus," which meant "a lock of wool," thus; if true, making "froc" something of a compound meaning "wool gown/garment." German borrowed the word from English in the 1700s as "Frack" (the "a" is pronounced as in "father," making it very similar to English "frock") and in modern German it means "a man's formal evening dress, tails."