Friday night Donald Trump was scheduled to speak in Chicago at the campus of the University of Illinois (UIC). Yes, it was a college campus where young Americans and others gather to learn. How better to learn than to listen to a person who is running for the presidency than to attend his talk even if you think the guy is a great pretender.
On the day before his talk it was clear that he was not welcome there. It was not only the students who were against his coming, something that you would expect because they are still in the process of learning about such things as free speech, but it was more than 300 faculty and staff members who also wanted him barred from speaking.
Now it is sort of strange that so many of the people who take pay checks from the University seem to have forgotten that picking on people for saying what they believe can be very costly. In November of last year UIC settled a suit brought by Steven Salaita who was hired to teach there but because he posted “incendiary statements about Israel during the country’s war with Hamas in Gaza” the job offer was withdrawn. The University Chancellor Phyllis Wise, who was not too wise at that time, said the job offer was rescinded not because of what he said but because the words were “personal and disrespectful words or actions that demean and abuse either viewpoints themselves or those who express them.”
She said that after noting: ”A pre-eminent university must always be a home for difficult discussions and for the teaching of diverse ideas. One of our core missions is to welcome and encourage differing perspectives. Robust – and even intense and provocative – debate and disagreement are deeply valued and critical to the success of our university.”
Steven Salaita who now teaches at American University in Beirut settled for $600,000 plus $250,000 for lawyer’s fees. Meanwhile, Chancellor Wise lost her job because of an email flap. Wise is now consulting her lawyers to see if she too can take a little extra away from UIC. I’m not sure who the chancellor is at present but fortunately whoever it is he or she is not in any way to blame for Trump taking his lumps Friday night.
We are now being told that we can expect this to be the new normal with respect to Trump. Having shut him down once and tasted blood some are vowing to continue preventing him from speaking. Most of the media pundits who have been publishing “sky-is-falling” type editorials and columns against Trump, and even Romney the pretender to the Republican nomination who set the tone for these anti-Trump movements, blame Trump for the fracas caused by people who came to the rally in order to disrupt it. In the past when the Tea Party folk went to political rallies and disrupted them they were blamed and not the politician who was speaking.
Trump has had rallies with large amounts of people, up to 35,000 at one event, almost every other day for months. More than 99% have been peaceful as have more than 99% of the people who attended them. There have been as best I can tell less than a dozen incidents of violence all which have been constantly highlighted.
Trump when interrupted will tell his security people to throw out the people doing it. Unlike Bernie Sanders who surrendered the microphone to a couple of protesters when they demanded it, Trump pushes back against them. For that he is being routinely condemned. Just as people have a right to decide who to let into their parade, so too they have a right to decide who can attend their rallies. There is no right to disrupt such an event.
The highly serious pundit David Gergen intoned: “This is very dangerous. The candidate must set the tone for his rallies. That’s his responsibility. He has set a tone that encourages his supporters to go out and punch people and that attracts more and more protesters to his rallies. He has to go to the country tomorrow and make it clear that while he wants to have rallies, they must be peaceful, that people come in peace and people leave in peace.”
What nonsense. It wasn’t Trump people who were not peaceful. It was the hundreds if not thousands who came to protest. Does Gergen think that Trump controls those people who according to the news were mostly Hispanics upset at Trump’s policies? There were plenty of Mexican flags being carried and even a couple of Red flags which brings back past memories.
Chicago’s major Rahm Emmanuel said: “the hateful, divisive rhetoric that pits Americans against each other demeans our democratic values and diminishes our democratic process.” Has he been listening to our president lately? Emmanuel praised the cops for protecting the people’s first amendment rights but failed to note that Trump lost his. The UIC police chief said: “The vast majority of attendees at today’s events exercised their Constitutional rights of free speech and free assemble peacefully.” What about the less than vast minority or Trump himself?
The lack of condemnation of the protesters who came for the purpose of disrupting the rally is striking. This more than anything encourages them to continue. No matter how much you may dislike Trump he still has a right to speak and to do so without disruption. The idea that he forfeits that right for whatever reason is something that also brings back memories of the way Joe Stalin operated.
Muwahidun, not” Wahabbi.” Calling Salifist mujahidun by the name of the founder of their firqa is like calling Muslims “Mohammadans.” It sounds ignorant to Muslims.
My madhab is Hanafi, my manhaj is Mutazili. I have occasional Alid sympathies. Al Hujwiri is the qtub. Need to know more?
I still believe in the melting pot, and I think that successive waves of immigrants have energized this country. Unlike Trump, I think the U.S. is great today.
The reality of Denmark today
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/03/10/liberal-harsh-denmark/
Somewhat along those lines:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-election-afd-idUSKCN0WF0V9
I’m a Muslim, and, an American citizen. I find Trump’s message very alarming. If you really want to defeat Daesh, you are going to need us. It’s a “yuge”mistake to alienate Muslim Americans. The white boys from Middlebury and DLI just don’t have the language skills and cultural knowledge necessary to penetrate Daesh or JAN. Trump will put the whole war effort back ten years. The guy has no idea what he’s talking about and couldn’t find his way to first base regarding the Middle East. Honestly, Trump is just plain stupid. He’s not what we need.
Obviously, you are not a Wahhabi Sunni.
But the Sanderistas are not what the US needs either.
“Hitler and Mussolini used to disrupt their political’ opponents’ meetings and speeches, Hitler’s gangs with truncheons, Mussolini’s with castor oil which they forcibly fed to opposition leaders. These tactics had been honed by the Reds before the Revolution, and were exported for use by the Communists in various parts of Europe. To the best of my knowledge there have been no such operations by Trump’s followers, but apparently there are increasing numbers of protests at his meetings. While there have always been some roughhousing and scuffles in American politics, raiding each other’s gatherings has not been traditional, with some exceptions. More usual is getting yourself thrown out of someone else’s meetings, thus getting the publicity rather than the speaker. I expect to see a lot of that in the next few weeks, and a great deal more after the conventions.”
https://www.jerrypournelle.com/chaosmanor/
The economy is in good shape. Most of our troops have brought home. Obama’s approval rating, 50 percent, is about the same as Reagan ‘ s (51 percent) at this point in their second terms, according to Gallup.
Yeah but the workforce participation hadn’t hit the tipping point then. Things like entitlements as a proportion of GDP are growing. I’m self employed and if this is a good economy, I would hate to see a bad one.
Well, we have seen a bad economy. It’s frequently referred to as the Great Recession. President Bush left the economy in a shambles. President Obama put it back together again. The current unemployment rate is 4.9 percent, and the U.S. has added private-sector jobs for 72 straight months. Wage growth and the labor participation rate are weaknesses. A large part of the decrease in workforce participation has been caused by our aging population: baby boomers are retiring in increasing numbers and leaving the labor force. The weakness in wage growth was around before Obama (and Bush), but it’s a serious problem that needs to be addressed. But even here, there’s some good news. Hourly wages jumped in January. Hopefully, wages will continue to increase.
Matt:
It’s disconcerting to see and know that the people who are against Trump’s message have no idea what would be in store for them, their children and their grandchildren if the quid pro quo and the status quo continues.
The government is broken. Trump, as the outsider, with skin in the game (his children and his grandchildren) wants to scrap “Change and Hope” and the failures that go along with it. We owe $19 trillion and counting.
We are closing in on 16 years of public corruption and government crime and Trump wants it to stop. The evidence to prove what is going on in government is in plain sight, if they read the news.
[email protected]
Expert Government Witness
K:
In it’s present incarnation the socialism of the American Democratic Party is entirely authoritarian ; Government mandated ” Obama Care ” is its clenched Bolshevik fist punching millions of recalcitrant American recipients in the mouth, the gut, and the pocketbook.
Black youth rioting in the streets in this era of a two term Black President who has done little for Blacks economically, but socially as regards depopulatng Prisons has for instance been very effective, is at least half ironic. Tom Wolfe in BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES called this tactic ” Steam Control “; Hitler called similar political ” revolutionaries ” the BROWN SHIRTS. The difference is negligible in terms of political tactics between them. So, turnabout is fair play. You cannot call political dissent and physical violence at Trump rallies toxic unless you acknowledge the toxicity of physical violence in the Ferguson, Missouri. There are a lot of poor whites in America. There always have been. If poor whites and poor blacks could resist the blandishments of the political manipulators in both parties and got out in the street together, then that is a Revolution I would be looking at through less cynical eyes. That would be Dr. King’s Revolution !!!
Matt
What do you think would happen in America if Donald Trump did become president? The good and bad and everything inbetween?
On a side note, what is the intel on Jim Martorano? Is he still living in Quincy? How long has he ever served in jail and what charges was he convicted by a jury? How does he (and guys like him) hold onto owning homes even though been in and out of jail? He seems to fly under the radar, no?
Are you breaking down the Whitey Bulger 19 murder accusations once you finish your book?
Jerome:
1. It is difficult to say what Trump will be like if he were to be elected which I see little chance of happening since he has alienated many voting blocks. One thing for certain as a business man he will be good for business and will keep things in that area pretty much as they are. The problem is that we really do not know if he is a liberal or a conservative – he hasn’t done anything but pour out generalities. We especially have no idea what his foreign policy will be. He should be asked specific questions: would you move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem; would you allow the Chinese to expand more into the South China Sea; what would you do if the Chinese and Japanese come to blows in the East China Sea; would you remove U.S. troops from South Korea; what steps would you take against North Korea if it made an incursion into the south; what if Putin goes into Estonia to protect the Russians who are living there, what would you do; do you think the Navy carriers are too vulnerable to attacks from out foes; do you support keeping Assad in power; are you willing to undo the deal with Iran and what will you put in its place; does the Iran/Russia/Syria axis worry you.
You get the idea – we have no idea where he stands on these paramount issues nor do we know what the other Republican candidates will do. In sum, neither I nor anyone else, including Trump, has any idea what he will be like as president.
‘2. I’m not sure about Jimmy Martorano or his brother the Murderman. Jimmy was convicted of extortion in 1976 (Halloran was a co-defendant and acquitted) and got ten years, also in the race fix case he got two years in 1979, he and Halloran were arrested for a gun charge in Boston and I believe did some state time on that before the federal time. These guys are on the street because they make deals to turn on others to keep themselves free which is the code of all criminals. As for having assets they are still in the rackets in one way or the other I would assume. Anyway both Martoranos are nearing the end of the line so we won’t have to worry about them too much.
‘3. I’ll finish the Whitey murders soon – the book will be much later – but I have to get back to the murders and some other things relating to the documentary.
Matt
Thanks and hope you are enjoying your research into J Edgar Hoover. I am re-reading DEADLY ALLIANCE and will have a few questions but will save them for the Whitey murder posts.
A cross-cut of Trump’s bombastics with those of Mussolini would make for an amusing political commercial. I’m surprised that bright young people with computer skills haven’t produced such a commercial.
If Trump somehow wins the Presidency, it will be “wild in the streets.” I suspect black folks will torch a number of American cities to express their discontent. As Marcuse foresaw, they will lead the real revolution. You can sense the start of things in the Black Lives Matter movement. Can the new Panthers be very far behind?
Death to Fascism! All aboard the train to Finland Station! There’s not a moment to lose. Tear down those prison walls, and, loose the army of revolution. Che lives!
Khalid:
The predictions you make about Trump were also made about Reagan and in small part about Nixon.
Democratic Socialism is not authoritarian socialism. It’s the exact opposite. Does any one believe that the the governments of the Scandinavian countries and other Western European nations are fascist, and/or authoritarian socialist? If so, why? Democratic Socialism has been around since the era of Bismarck, when, elements of socialism were adopted by the Prussian state to look after the welfare of its’ proletariat.
There’s noting abstruse about the explanation of fascism provided by Overton. His thinking is complex, but, quite clear.
John: I agree about Billary. Her program is definitely not socialist. Bernie against Trump would make for an exciting political contest. I’m hoping the Clintons fail in their quest for the Democratic nomination.. I am tired of seeing them in the media, especially Bill. November can’t come quick enough.
Khalid:
True socialism in Europe is not so bad but those supporting the socialist Bernie are more Red and Black than the benign Europeans. Socialism first raised its head in competition with the anarchists after the Paris Commune. The socialists in the United States have always been quite fond of the anarchists and the communists. Even Eugene Debs on of their icons allegedly said he was more an anarchist than a socialist.
Jayeez’us … Abstruse political definitions aside a lotta people seem to dig the Trumpster. Mussolini’s thugs would administer castor oil emetics as well as beatings to his foes. He was the progenitor of what we now liberally smear any political movement besides Democratic Socialism as : Fascism. In his day ir was the alignment of government and corporate interests as opposed to and opposing the People’s political will and inclinations . IL Duce made it quite the dirty word. In today’s age it is a word whose meaning is seen as clearly as a sun mote on a field baking in the midday sun. In other words , in a political and cultural landscape in which it is the overarching architecture of economic and political reality for both major parties it is in a sense nonsensical to level it as a moral charge against either a Donald Trump or a Hillary Clinton. For what it’s worth they could both be called fascists. And it’s worth being President.
I think Trump invites this kind of conflict. When you appeal to the lowest common denominator, guess what you wind up with? But I don’t see Trump as the second coming of Mussolini or even Juan Peron. He’s a huckster and a flimflam man. If he gets the GOP nomination, Clinton gets the White House on a silver platter.
Dan:
I really cannot agree that Trump invites the large crowds coming in and disrupting his rallies and causing violence. His rhetoric about protesters is his response to people who have come in and disrupted his rallies. To say he invites it is to suggest that persons who strongly expresses views inimical to some large segment of society he is responsible for what happens to him. President Mckinley was murdered because and anarchist did not like his conservative views on running America. Did he invite that assault. President Reagan was shot by someone who very well could have been motivated by the hostility toward Reagan which mirrors that of Trump’s.
Trump is as you say a huckster and flimflam man in many respects. If you listen closely to him there is little doubt he’d done well in business but beyond that he knows very little about the world and its problems or even those in America. Right now it looks like Trump or Cruz – I’m not sure who will lose worse. Teh horse is out of the barn so we just have to sit back and see interesting march toward November. Is there anyone who can beat Hillary?
Hi Matt: As a lifelong Democrat, I’m happy to say I believe Clinton will beat either Trump or Cruz. Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr., a nut job who believed that murdering the president of the United States would impress actress Jodi Foster. (Hinckley harbored a sick and twisted obsession with Foster. ) So no, antipathy toward Reagan had nothing to do with the shooting. I’ll take your word on McKinley and his anarchist assassin, but I don’t see what it’s got to do with Donald Trump. Trump is making a serious play for white, working class voters, which is fine, but he’s doing it by stirring up fear and hatred of immigrants. This has mainly taken the form of attacks on Mexicans and Muslims. (Evidently, we face no danger from white immigrant groups.) Race-based appeals — as opposed to the usual liberal/conservative back and forth — are extremely incendiary. And when you play with fire, you risk getting burned. So yes, his words have invited this kind of conflict.
Overton describes the economic rationale of fascism:
…the fascist mode of organisation and control of a national economy, to make all economic activities subservient to “national” ends as determined by the ruling group, and to ensure subordination of all private ends or interests to those—through the imposed social economic structure of the “corporative state” with its organizations of the industries and occupational groups, controlling their members and controlled by the state—all this may be said to to represent an effort to revive a medieval pattern and adapt it to modern conditions.
On its face, and, to a certain extent, in reality, this kind of social-economic order differs from the Communist system, in leaving private property rights and property incomes intact in a sense and so it appears to preserve private “capitalism” as opposed to Communism or any form of true, thorough going socialism. But, the extreme restrictions of all private economic freedoms, the subjugation of the management of all properties and enterprises, and decisions on the uses of incomes and resources, to arbitrary control by state authorities, who are not bound by any fixed or reliable body of law but make and change and enforce their ad hoc rules as they see fit, all this takes most of the meaning, reality, or substance out of private property and business rights, and, makes the contrast with Communism or authoritarian socialism more nominal than real. Yet there is a different point of real contrast both with Communism and with free or liberal private capitalism, ie., a lack of effective, concentrated drive toward, and, systematic provisions for, progressive economic development and high economic efficiency, which in different forms are present in both of the other systems. The economic theories and policies typical of fascist systems can scarcely interest economists as such, for they have no consistency or rationality from an economic point of view. The essential aims of fascist regimes are not economic—to cause the resources and productive energies of the people to be used or applied as efficiently as possible for the sake of abundant, all-around satisfaction of all their ordinary human wants—but are really non- or extra-economic, political, military, and, socio-cultural aims—to make the economy or system of all economic activities and resources-uses subservient to the state machine and its military machine, and, the vague, variable ends pursued by the authorities in the name of the national will to power and grandeur.
(Overton pp. 405-406)
Now that we know what fascism really is, we can start discussing glorious leader and his trumpeters.
Whoops! make that “critical thinking” in the last paragraph. I’m typing to fast.
Bill C:
Socialism and fascism are opposing ideologies. Conflating them is misguided. Trump is the candidate who represents fascism. Fascism promotes a return to regressive feudal economics. The New Left is against this drift backwards.
It is heartening that college students are beginning to revolt against class privilege and “big man politics.” Since we are discussing fascism, here is a textbook definition of fascism:
A fascist regime arises when some large part of a people of a nation, confronting what they feel to be, for their nation, desperately severe, hardly surmountable crises in its domestic and foreign affairs, and intolerably severe internal class or group conflicts unresolvable by reason, compromise, etc., become ready and eager to follow, and, obey, an emerging, fanatical, ruthless, and cunning, demagogue “leader” and dictator, who makes himself the voice, and, instrument of the passionate desire of the frustrated multitude for a forcible creation or achievement of national unity or solidarity, order, vigor and a strong assertion and great aggrandizement of national power, which relieves or compensates the feelings of individual and group weakness, inferiority, and humiliation, or, inflates the depressed ego of the average individual supporter of the movement by enabling him to feel “great” as a member, or, part and servant of a regenerated, powerful, and, glorious, nation. The ideal of submergence of all otherwise separate, conflicting, and frustrated wills in a single unanimous, collective, “general will” of the nation as a unit, expressed and carried out by the hero-leader; and the paradoxical achievement of a sense of “freedom” through renunciation, or, surrender, of all freedom in the ordinary meaning of the word—all this is in complete antithesis to the liberal ideal of the fullest possible, equal and mutually consistent, or, adjusted freedoms (in the ordinary sense) for all individuals, who as reasonable or moderate and social beings achieve all necessary agreement, order, and cooperation, through voluntary limited, mutual concessions to each other; and who, within the framework of agreed-on rules which limit and impartially protect the rights of all, may freely differ and compete as rivals in all spheres of life, and develop a rich variety of lives, characters, outlooks, and, achievements. the antithesis in which fascism stands to liberalism is, in fact, far more complete than that in which it stands to democracy in the sense of the sovereignty of the will of the majority. Any fascist regime is, of course, opposed to formal, rational, and liberal parliamentary democracy, but, it always has , requires, seeks, and gains mass support—with the aid, it is true, of much manipulation of the minds and emotions of the people with irrational propaganda—and it expresses and carries out the passionate will of what may well be even a large majority, for complete suppression of all hated, dissident minorities and all internal conflicts and disorders, and, achievement of national unity, order, vigor, power, and “glory.”
(“A History of Economic Thought” Overton H. Taylor p. 404)
If we are going to use terms like communism, socialism, fascism, let’s define what they mean. The passage quoted above clearly places Trump and his followers in the fascist camp. If you believe otherwise, I’m open to argument. By the way, a college education, and, the critically thinking it fosters, come in handy when one is mulling over these kinds of ideas. Trumpeters should remember that “glorious leader” is college educated. That learning experience helps Trump manipulate those who weren’t so lucky, and/or, privileged.
Khalid:
Communism and fascism have shown themselves to be opposite sides of the same coin who when in power end up taking away the rights that people cherish. Most people don’t bother with those highfalutin explanations but know things in their guts. None of them ever appealed to the great majority of Americans. Socialism is supposed to be a kinder face of communism but we must remember that after the 1917 October Revolution most of those who called themselves socialists in this country became communists and took their directions from Moscow. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck don’t be reluctant to assume it is a duck.
Khalid: The Left/Right division began with the French assembly after the revolution – which group sat where in the chamber. It is really meaningless in the 21st century, or the 20th.
It is more helpful and truthful to consider economic and political thought on a continuum scale from free to controlled. Free might be a 10, controlled at 0 individual freedom.
That way we can see that Fascism and Communism are both on the same end of the scale.
Where are you?
All of the liberals have gotten on the “divisive” accusatory rhetoric bandwagon, including the jerk mayor of Chicago, one of the biggest creeps around.
Actually, Matt, believe it or not, to me, this stinks to high heaven of the “rent–a–crowds” — – one of the techniques used in Ukraine and in Russia to stage fake political support for sovok mafia jerks.
Everything that I have seen of unbiased reports reeks of “rent-a-crowds” – or, if you prefer, shills and plants.
Elmer:
I agree that it was organized by certain groups who are lurking in the background. I’m not sure it was exactly a rent-a-crowd but more a “come-all-yah” type party where the mostly young crowd was promised a rip roaring night out on Friday (no class on Saturday) – a mini-Woodstock – and that the crowd was infiltrated by the hard core revolutionary types determined to destroy Trump’s events. Friday nights can be a hard time for lots of college kids when there is little else to do so why not go and have some fun. They don’t know how badly they are being used by others who have more sinister motives.
The George Soros funded moveon.org is taking credit for organizing and paying for the anti-Trump protests. Just visit their website for their boasts.
Why is it OK for George Soros to fund Super Pacs, but not the infamous Koch Brothers?
maybe they’re not so much in the background, Matt
please see reply of Henry Barth
also, they have adopted a sort of “whack-a-mole” tactic at the Trump rallies – they are dispersed throughout the audience, and they keep popping up at spaced separate time intervals in order to repeatedly disrupt the rallies
‘We stopped Trump!’ Mob shuts down Chicago rally
http://www.wnd.com/2016/03/we-stopped-trump-mob-shuts-down-chicago-rally/
“Domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, a onetime confidante of President Obama, was among the demonstrators in line outside the arena.
The former leader of the Weather Underground, participated in bombings of the New York City police headquarters in 1970.”
Henry:
Was that Bill who sucker shot a 13-year-old female Trump protester? You must know those old radicals are always up for another ride on the merry-go-round.
What I saw in Chicago: Hitler Youth shutting down a free speech event; Young Fascists who will not tolerate opposing views; Young Trotskyites, Young Commie Socialists, who are prevalent on America’s college campuses today and who believe there are only one set of acceptable ideas and acceptable values (leftist ones), and anyone who thinks differently or believes differently is a “hater” or a “phobic” or an “xist” who must be silenced. The Young Fascists, The Young Commies, by and large hate America and hate traditional American Judaeo-Christian values. They are fed anti-American rhetoric and a warped view of American and World History by leftist professors. 2. Remember, 50,000 persons at UIC signed a petition to banish Trump, a presidential candidate, from campus, to prohibit him from speaking at a public college, to violate his and his supporters’ First Amendment rights to (1) free speech and (2) to peacefully assemble. Today’s Fascist Youth on college campuses will not tolerate free speech. Today’s Young Marxists on college campuses will not tolerate diversity of expression. There is a cancer in our society: the indoctrination of the young in Intolerance. Beware the Fascist-Marxist youth of America, they are being taught to hate traditional American values, they are being taught to shun and silence, through threat and intimidation, all opposing views. The Nazis did the same. The Reds did the same.
Bill:
You’ll note that Khalid responded to your post pointing out that fascism and socialism are different — which I assume you know. H then posted a long definition of fascism explaining its operational principles. Yet as we know from history taht the communists and fascists although professing to have different ideologies still bring about the same type of results which is permission for others to think as they direct. Of course they have a warped view of America because it is easy to parrot the idea that America is the great source of evil in the world than to figure out how the world would have been without America.
The good thing is that eventually most of them will have to come into the workforce where they will have a better understanding of life itself. Rebellious youth are nothing new – shutting down speakers who do not agree with them has also been around for a while – so I’d guess this will be all sorted out in time as it has been in the past. I’m looking forward to seeing the effects of their actions – will Trump gain or lose? What happens will tell a lot about the nation.