Democracy is Dead

Fascist Playbook – Law and Order

n this week's episode, we discuss the next installment of the Fascist Playbook focusing on the myth that fascists care about Law and Order in the traditional sense of the terms. Laws pertain to everyone else and not them. The current Trump Regime is currently breaking or circumventing many of the laws our government has and you aren't hearing a peep from the right. Because it was never about Law and Order. It was always about the pursuit of power and wealth. Sources:How Fascism Works – Jason StanleyOn Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams

Fascist Playbook – Victimhood

In this week's episode, we discuss the next installment of the Fascist Playbook focusing on the sense of victimhood that fascists cultivate in their followers. We give examples of the current Trump administration pushing this false rhetoric.Sources:How Fascism Works – Jason StanleyOn Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams

Democracy is Dead News: Feb 02 2025 - Feb 08 2025

We continue with our Democracy is Dead News segment covering the policy changes and goings-on in the new American Fascist administration. This is a weekly addition to the podcast to attempt to catalogue for listeners as concisely as possible the growing fascist threat in America perpetrated and planned by Trump's second term. Please see references below.References:Re: Gaza purchase by UShttps://www.bbc.com/news/live/clyn05y9x2xt RE: El Salvador locking up deporteeshttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/04/el-salvador-deportees-incarcerated-us-citizens Re: Fentanyl and Canada/Mexicohttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c805jjk2klko Re: Musk access to private informationhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/feb/04/donald-trump-tariffs-live-blog-news-updates-canada-trudeau-mexico-china Re: Firing coast guard leaderhttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/21/trump-administration-removes-four-star-coast-guard-leader-in-firing-spree Re: Russel Voight appointmenthttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/06/russell-vought-democrats-protest-trump Re: Summary of Feb 3-Feb 7 weekhttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjdep9j31l8o Re: China Tariffshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czrl053kez3o Re: Banning transgender athletes:https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20g85k3z35o Re: Rare earth Ukraine dealhttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mzgv4x901o Re: Bondi disbanding anti-corruption initiativeshttps://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/pam-bondi-disbands-anti-corruption-task-force-1235259073/ Re: Climate change information and mentions from websiteshttps://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/climate-change-transparency-project-foia/2025-02-06/disappearing-data-trump Re: Trump Impeachmenthttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/05/al-green-trump-impeachment-articles-gaza Re: Biden security clearancehttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn57p5r99xyo Re: FBI sue government over firingshttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/04/fbi-jan-6-trump-doj Re: Bird flu dairy cattlehttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/05/bird-flu-us-cattle Re: Anti-LGBT initiativeshttps://www.france24.com/en/americas/20250122-trump-orders-end-of-government-dei-programs-lgbt-protections Re: Multiple Jan 6 rioters arrested already on other chargeshttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/07/january-6-attacker-arrested Re: Illegal words for funding in Trump administrationhttps://gizmodo.com/the-list-of-trumps-forbidden-words-that-will-get-your-paper-flagged-at-nsf-2000559661

Fascist Playbook – Hierarchy

In this week's episode, we discuss the next installment of the Fascist Playbook focusing on the hierarchy that fasists follow to stratify the worth of other human beings. We talk about DEI initiatives in Trump's autocracy and what it really means in this episode.
Sources:
How Fascism Works – Jason Stanley
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/10/john-kelly-donald-trump-fascist/
https://jmheatherly.substack.com/p/fascism-unmasked-how-to-recognize?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams

Fascist Playbook – Unreality

In this week's episode, we discuss the next installment of the Fascist Playbook focusing on the unreality that fasists create to sow hatred and division in supporters. This is the episode that talks about the 'fake news' of Trump's particular flavor of fascism.
Sources:
How Fascism Works – Jason Stanley
https://publicleadershipinstitute.org/2022/09/07/the-three-pillars-of-fascism/
On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams
HBO's Chernobyl Series

Fascist Playbook – Anti-Intellectualism

In this week's episode, we discuss the next installment of the Fascist Playbook particularly why fascism is inherently anti-intellectual and how this manifests in fascist policies. Many historical examples of Trump and his followers have been anti-intellectual are outlined.
Sources:
How Fascism Works – Jason Stanley
Brewer, Mark. Trump Knows Best: Donald Trump’s Rejection of Expertise and the 2020 Presidential Election. Society. 2021.
(https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7786860/)
On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams

Fascist Playbook – Propaganda

Continuing on the series of the pillars and tools in the fascist playbook. This week, we look at propaganda and the flavor it takes on with fascism and how it is used to move the masses.
Sources Used and Media Mentioned:
How Fascism Works – Jason Stanley
Fascism: A Warning – Madeleine Albright
On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich – William Shirer
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4970904-trump-attacks-democracy/

Fascism Playbook - The Mythic Past

Today is the first part of a series of episodes on the Fascism Playbook. The first episode of the series is on The Mythic Past which Fascist parties and governments use to appeal to an age that either never existed or was grossly mythologized.
Sources for the episode and mentioned in the podcast:
How Fascism Works – Jason Stanley
Fascism: A Warning – Madeleine Albright
On Fascism: 12 Lessons from American History – Matthew MacWilliams
The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander

The Earth Keeps the Score

What the coming second Trump administration will mean for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and environmental impacts in the United States.
Sources and mentioned media/organizations:
Greendreamer.com - Website mentioned that enumerates other organizations and NGOs that are pro-environment and EPA.
Earthjustice.org - Largest Environmental law organization in the United States
Silent Spring (1962) - by Rachel Carson
Refrigerants and the EPA:
https://www.epa.gov/mvac/acceptable-refrigerants-and-their-impacts
DDT and the EPA:
https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/ddt-brief-history-and-status

Death by Health Care…Or a lack thereof

This episode goes into the assassination of the United Health Care CEO and explores how the decline in government guardrails has allowed rampant insurance company profiteering.