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In 1933, Joseph Goebbels, chief Nazi propaganda officer, gave a speech designed to incite young students to go forward and burn books. The Nazis were incredibly successful in deceiving their people and creating a level of hysteria that would be necessary to install a fascist regime and wipe out those who were considered to be un-German.

The authors of these un-German books included people like Helen Keller and Albert Einstein. You may recall that the Nazis, who sexually tortured thousands of people, had a problem with people who were gay. They also had a real problem with Jews. As it turned out, they had a real problem with anyone who was not a fascist.

My dad, along with many other dads of people my age, couldnt wait to sign up to fight against this rising, international threat. It took many years, millions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives but in the end, the nations of the world came together to defeat fascism. That was then; this is now.

Today, right now, at this very minute, its happening all over again. We are seeing the rise of authoritarianism and fascism. We are watching in real time as the worlds #1 bully, Vladimir Putin, prepares to physically attack and take over another country. It may have already happened by the time youre reading this, or he may wait until after the Olympics so as not to annoy China.

In America, we saw the rise of authoritarianism in 2016 when Donald Trump was elected president. Fortunately, this man didnt have the inner strength, nor the brain power, to turn America into a fascist state. He was more concerned with amassing more money for himself. He was, however, successful in empowering many other, like-minded crazies who are more than willing to take up the torch and destroy America from within.

History is repeating itself. From a January 2022 article in The Guardian: Literature has already been removed from schools in Texas, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming. Librarians and teachers warn the trend is on the increase, as groups backed by wealthy Republican donors use centrally drawn up tactics and messaging to harangue school districts into removing certain texts.

Then, last week, we witnessed the temporary closure of the Butterfly Sanctuary in Southern Texas: A South Texas butterfly conservatory said it will temporarily close after being warned that it could be a target of a nearby rally headlined by conspiracy theorists and allies of former President Donald Trump. Huffington Post.

The allegations were that the Butterfly Sanctuary was a front for human trafficking and a child-sex ring. Sound familiar? Think of the same allegations that were wagered against a pizza shop in Washington and that Hillary Clinton was operating a child-sex ring there.

And who do you think might be behind this conspiracy? The butterfly center said We Build The Wall founder Brian Kolfage and Steve Bannon, a chief strategist in the Trump White House, attempted to boost fundraising efforts by attacking the sanctuary and Trevio-Wright with defamatory and malicious lies in late 2019 and early 2020. It should be noted that Bannon went after the Butterfly Sanctuary after the sanctuary had the audacity to suggest that the building of Trumps wall was having an impact on butterflies. That was enough to set off macho-bully Bannon. Going after butterflies is right down his alley and should easily bolster his tough-guy image.

The simple fact is, these cowards are no different than the cowards who came before them. There is no difference between the disgraced Mike Flynns, Steve Bannons, Marjorie Taylor-Greens, Paul Gosars, Lauren Boeberts, Madison Cawthorns, Matt Gaetzes and Donald Trumps and the disgraced Joseph Goebbels. They all have a few things in common. They will lie, mislead and distort at the drop of a hat; and they are all power hungry.

What is happening right now in America is what has happened all around the world for many years. In the past, America was revered for being different from fascist, authoritarian countries. America was the country that stood for individual rights. It stood for freedom of, and from, religion. It was the melting pot where all who were willing to work hard and do their part, were welcome. This is what truly made America great.

America is changing fast. You either see whats happening or you don't. If you do see whats happening, you have two choices: You either fight against the rise of fascism in our country or you dont. You either support fascists who want to ban books they dont like, or you fight back. You fight to support all Americans, those who are like you and those who are different from you. You fight for a free and open society where diversity is celebrated and differences of opinion are vigorously debated without fear of bloodshed. You support those who fought and died so that we would not live under fascist authoritarian rule, or you dont.

Bob Stannard lives in Manchester Center.

Read more:
Stannard: When they come for books and butterflies - Rutland Herald