Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Kid Berwyn

Kid Berwyn's Journal
Kid Berwyn's Journal
July 4, 2025

They are illiberal and insane.

The Americans Who Embraced Mussolini

As we confront rightwing extremism in our own time, the history of American fascist sympathy reveals a legacy worth reckoning with.

Justin H. Vassallo
Boston Review, February 17, 2021

The Machine Has a Soul: American Sympathy with Italian Fascism
Katy Hull
Princeton University Press, $35 (cloth)

On the eve of the November 1938 midterm elections, President Franklin Roosevelt delivered a forceful radio address. “If American democracy ceases to move forward as a living force, seeking day and night by peaceful means to better the lot of our citizens,” he remarked, “then Fascism and Communism . . . will grow in strength in our land.” While opposition to communism was a standard current in U.S. politics, the rise of American sympathy with fascism had become an urgent concern for Roosevelt. Among the most visible sympathizers of the time was the anti-Semitic radio broadcaster Charles Coughlin, who regularly reached tens of millions of listeners, but Roosevelt and his administration knew fascist sympathy was diffuse among prominent Americans. From Henry Ford to the esteemed, path-blazing New York Times foreign correspondent Anne O’Hare McCormick, expressions of fascist sympathy had reached the center of mainstream discourse and American political thought by the late 1930s.

It is intriguing to revisit this history in light of conversations about fascism today. How did an ideology that relished violence, dictatorship, and illiberal communitarianism animate so many different people in a country whose founding myths extolled individualism and self-government? What led these Americans to admire fascism and even suggest it was the logical successor to democracy? The historian Katy Hull’s new book, The Machine Has a Soul: American Sympathy with Italian Fascism, is a welcome study of these questions, examining the intellectual legitimation of fascism in the United States in the interwar period.

In lean, eloquent prose, Hull weaves together the intellectual and status-seeking journeys of four Americans: the conservative ambassador to Italy (1921–1924) and writer Richard Washburn Child, the political philosopher Herbert Wallace Schneider, the Italian-American newspaper publisher Generoso Pope, and McCormick herself. Hull takes these four figures as representative of common threads of fascist sympathy in the United States. Their sympathy flowed from different social and political moorings, but as Hull explains, all thought that the United States, coming into full force as a world power, lacked the political leadership required “to make democracy relevant, to manage the pace of industrialization, and to support those who felt left behind in the modern world.” Italian fascism stood for them as an appealing model, yoking together communitarian values and national progress in a way that had eluded American government.

https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/justin-h-vassallo-allure-italian-fascism/

CONTINUED...

https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/justin-h-vassallo-allure-italian-fascism/
July 4, 2025

King Taco the Traitor and His KKKort Wish America Ill.

“They wouldn’t vote only because they hate Trump, but I hate them, too, you know?”



It's the Fourth of July and the nation is at the brink of becoming the base of an international NAZI empire. At it's head is one Donald J Trump, a man who yesterday proclaimed his hatred for Democrats.

The process has taken more than a century. But their near-complete power was put in cement, so to speak, by a corrupt Supreme Court and two corrupt Houses of Congress. They have acted in concert through GOP. And from the top down, the GOP has corrupted Washington, state capitals and local government through the Republican Party.

Thus, to at least me anyway, the GOP is an Un-American, un-Constitutional criminal organization. They are the "enemies foreign and domestic" to our nation and Constitution from which generations of loyal Americans swore their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to defend.

How did things get that way in the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave"? Getting money from Russian oligarchs laundered through NYC real estate and Deutsche Bank was a start. Even the NRA and Jeffrey Epstein got in on the action, helping grease GOP political wheels with Russian money and priceless compromising videography.



However, the crooks overseas and their hirelings in the GOP, swear allegiance to Mammon. Here's proof from Jane Roberts, hard-working, hard-wired and hot-for-the-wealthy wife of Chief Justice John Roberts:



'They come to me': Jane Roberts’ legal recruiting work involved officials whose agencies had cases before the Supreme Court

In newly revealed testimony, Jane Roberts, the wife of Chief Justice John Roberts said she worked for “U.S. attorneys, cabinet officials, former senators” and more.


By HAILEY FUCHS and JOSH GERSTEIN
Politico, 01/31/2023

EXCERPT...

Jane Roberts’ placements included at least one firm with a prominent Supreme Court practice, according to the complaint, which also includes sworn testimony from Roberts herself, in which she notes the powerful officials — whose agencies have had frequent cases before her husband — for whom she has worked.

“A significant portion of my practice on the partner side is with senior government lawyers, ranging from U.S. attorneys, cabinet officials, former senators, chairmen of federal commissions, general counsel of federal commissions, and then senior political appointees within the ranks of various agencies, and I -- they come to me looking to transition to the private sector,” Roberts said, according to a transcript of a 2015 arbitration hearing related to her former colleague’s termination.

In her testimony, Roberts also noted the benefit of working with senior government officials: “Successful people have successful friends.”

Continues…

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/31/jane-roberts-legal-recruiting-work-agencies-cases-supreme-court-00080515



Even wearing suits in 1983, the nation's great past was torched and pissed on in order for power to go from one GOP mob boss to another.



Seems the Roberts have been at the trough a long time. But the United States of America, no matter what they say, does not belong to them or their paymasters. And while it seems to get mentioned less and less with each passing Fourth, We the People need to remember who runs the show.
July 3, 2025

Not many with sufficient courage to bring up JFK assassination.

Murder Most Foul

Twas a dark day in Dallas, November '63
A day that will live on in infamy
President Kennedy was a-ridin' high
Good day to be livin' and a good day to die
Being led to the slaughter like a sacrificial lamb
He said, "Wait a minute, boys, you know who I am?"
"Of course we do, we know who you are"
Then they blew off his head while he was still in the car
Shot down like a dog in broad daylight
Was a matter of timing and the timing was right
You got unpaid debts, we've come to collect
We're gonna kill you with hatred, without any respect
We'll mock you and shock you and we'll put it in your face
We've already got someone here to take your place
The day they blew out the brains of the king
Thousands were watchin', no one saw a thing
It happened so quickly, so quick, by surprise
Right there in front of everyone's eyes
Greatest magic trick ever under the sun
Perfectly executed, skillfully done
Wolfman, oh Wolfman, oh Wolfman, howl
Rub-a-dub-dub, it's a murder most foul

Hush, little children, you'll understand
The Beatles are comin', they're gonna hold your hand
Slide down the banister, go get your coat
Ferry 'cross the Mersey and go for the throat
There's three bums comin' all dressed in rags
Pick up the pieces and lower the flags
I'm goin' to Woodstock, it's the Aquarian Age
Then I'll go to Altamont and sit near the stage
Put your head out the window, let the good times roll
There's a party goin' on behind the Grassy Knoll
Stack up the bricks, pour the cement
Don't say Dallas don't love you, Mr. President
Put your foot in the tank and step on the gas
Try to make it to the triple underpass
Blackface singer, whiteface clown
Better not show your faces after the sun goes down
I'm in the red-light district, like a cop on the beat
Livin' in a nightmare on Elm Street
When you're down in Deep Ellum, put your money in your shoe
Don't ask what your country can do for you
Cash on the barrelhead, money to burn
Dealey Plaza, make a left-hand turn
I'm goin' down to the crossroads, gonna flag a ride
The place where faith, hope, and charity died
Shoot him while he runs, boy, shoot him while you can
See if you can shoot the invisible man
Goodbye, Charlie, goodbye, Uncle Sam
Frankly, Miss Scarlet, I don't give a damn
What is the truth, and where did it go?
Ask Oswald and Ruby, they oughta know
"Shut your mouth," said the wise old owl
Business is business, and it's a murder most foul

Tommy, can you hear me? I'm the Acid Queen
I'm riding in a long, black Lincoln limousine
Riding in the backseat next to my wife
Heading straight on in to the afterlife
I'm leaning to the left, I got my head in her lap
Hold on, I've been led into some kind of a trap
Where we ask no quarter, and no quarter do we give
We're right down the street from the street where you live
They mutilated his body and they took out his brain
What more could they do? They piled on the pain
But his soul's not there where it was supposed to be at
For the last fifty years they've been searchin' for that
Freedom, oh freedom, freedom over me
I hate to tell you, mister, but only dead men are free
Send me some lovin', tell me no lies
Throw the gun in the gutter and walk on by
Wake up, little Suzie, let's go for a drive
Cross the Trinity River, let's keep hope alive
Turn the radio on, don't touch the dials
Parkland hospital, only six more miles
You got me dizzy, Miss Lizzy, you filled me with lead
That magic bullet of yours has gone to my head
I'm just a patsy like Patsy Cline
Never shot anyone from in front or behind
Got blood in my eye, got blood in my ear
I'm never gonna make it to the new frontier
Zapruder's film, I've seen that before
Seen it thirty-three times, maybe more
It's vile and deceitful, it's cruel and it's mean
Ugliest thing that you ever have seen
They killed him once and they killed him twice
Killed him like a human sacrifice
The day that they killed him, someone said to me, "Son
The age of the Antichrist has just only begun"
Air Force One comin' in through the gate
Johnson sworn in at 2:38
Let me know when you decide to throw in the towel
It is what it is, and it's murder most foul

What's new, pussycat? What'd I say?
I said the soul of a nation been torn away
And it's beginning to go into a slow decay
And that it's thirty-six hours past Judgment Day
Wolfman Jack, he's speaking in tongues
He's going on and on at the top of his lungs
Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack
Play it for me in my long Cadillac
Play me that, "Only The Good Die Young"
Take me to the place Tom Dooley was hung
Play, "St. James Infirmary" and, "The Port of King James"
If you want to remember, you better write down the names
Play Etta James, too, play "I'd Rather Go Blind"
Play it for the man with the telepathic mind
Play John Lee Hooker, play "Scratch My Back"
Play it for that strip club owner named Jack
Guitar Slim going down slow
Play it for me and for Marilyn Monroe

Play, "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"
Play it for the First Lady, she ain't feeling any good
Play Don Henley, play Glenn Frey
Take it to the limit and let it go by
Play it for Carl Wilson, too
Looking far, far away down Gower Avenue
Play, "Tragedy" play, "Twilight Time"
Take me back to Tulsa to the scene of the crime
Play another one and, "Another One Bites the Dust"
Play, "The Old Rugged Cross" and, "In God We Trust"
Ride the pink horse down that long, lonesome road
Stand there and wait for his head to explode
Play, "Mystery Train" for Mr. Mystery
The man who fell down dead like a rootless tree
Play it for the Reverend, play it for the Pastor
Play it for the dog that got no master
Play Oscar Peterson, play Stan Getz
Play, "Blue Sky", play Dickey Betts
Play Hot Pepper, Thelonious Monk
Charlie Parker and all that junk
All that junk and, "All That Jazz"
Play something for the Birdman of Alcatraz
Play Buster Keaton, play Harold Lloyd
Play Bugsy Siegel, play Pretty Boy Floyd
Play the numbers , play the odds
Play, "Cry Me A River" for the Lord of the gods
Play Number Nine, play Number Six
Play it for Lindsey and Stevie Nicks
Play Nat King Cole, play, "Nature Boy"
Play, "Down In The Boondocks" for Terry Malloy
Play, "It Happened One Night" and, "One Night of Sin"
There's twelve million souls that are listening in
Play, "Merchant to Venice" play, "Merchants of Death"
Play, "Stella by Starlight" for Lady Macbeth

Don't worry, Mr. President, help's on the way
Your brothers are coming, there'll be hell to pay
Brothers? What brothers? What's this about hell?
Tell them, "We're waiting, keep coming"
We'll get them as well
Love Field is where his plane touched down
But it never did get back up off the ground
Was a hard act to follow, second to none
They killed him on the altar of the rising sun
Play, "Misty" for me and, "That Old Devil Moon"
Play, "Anything Goes" and, "Memphis in June"
Play, "Lonely At the Top" and, "Lonely Are the Brave"
Play it for Houdini spinning around his grave
Play Jelly Roll Morton, play, "Lucille"
Play, "Deep In a Dream" and play "Driving Wheel"
Play, "Moonlight Sonata" in F-sharp
And, "A Key To The Highway" for the king of the harp
Play, "Marching Through Georgia" and, "Dumbaroton's Drums"
Play, "Darkness" and death will come when it comes
Play, "Love Me Or Leave Me" by the great Bud Powell
Play, "The Blood-stained Banner" play, "Murder Most Foul"

Written by Bob Dylan

&list=RD3NbQkyvbw18&start_radio=1

The United States of American have not been the same since November 22, 1963. Dylan noticed. Wish more would.
July 2, 2025

That would be ungenteel.

And that is frowned upon at the club.

July 2, 2025

Corporate McPravda prefers profit over truth...

…AND THE CONSTITUTION.

July 1, 2025

'He wanted me in here': Trump calls Biden a 'son of a bitch' in visit to 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Evidence shows the imbecilic, unqualified traitor occupying the Oval Office is criminally insane.



'He wanted me in here': Trump calls Biden a 'son of a b----' in visit to 'Alligator Alcatraz'

by Joey Garrison
USA TODAY, July 1, 2025

WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump referred to former President Joe Biden as a "son of a b---" as he toured a detention facility in the Florida Everglades known as "Alligator Alcatraz," claiming his predecessor wanted him behind similar bars.

"Biden wanted me in here, OK," Trump said July 1 next to chain-link cages with beds that will house detained migrants beginning Wednesday. "He wanted me. Didn't work out that way, but he wanted me in here that son of a b----."

Trump has repeatedly blamed Biden for his 2023 federal indictments led by Special Counsel Jack Smith over Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and concealing classified documents. Trump claimed the indictments were politically motivated to hurt his chances in the 2024 election. Both cases were closed after Trump was elected to a second presidential term in 2024.

Snip...

"This is not a nice business," Trump told reporters in Washington before departing to Florida. "Snakes are fast but alligators ‒ we’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator," he said, waving his hand in a back and forth motion. "Don't run in a straight line. Run like this."

Continues...

https://www.yahoo.com/news/wanted-trump-calls-biden-son-184518880.html

July 1, 2025

White Affirmative Action: Just-Us John Roberts



How John Roberts Got to the Top

The Spectre of White Affirmative Action


By LINN WASHINGTON, Jr.
September 28, 2005, CounterPunch

EXCERPT...

Bush's selection of John Roberts for Chief Justice is a glaring example of white affirmative-action irrespective of Roberts' respected legal acumen elevating him above the ranks of an inadequately prepared candidate.

The bigot Bush designated Roberts to replace, the late William Rehnquist, at least spent fourteen years as a Supreme Court Justice before his elevation to Chief Justice.

Roberts has less than three years experience as a federal appeals court judge, getting that lofty position without having any prior judicial experience.

SNIP...

Roberts landed a plum clerkship with a federal appeals judge after his Harvard Law School graduation, followed immediately by a prestige elevating clerkship with US Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist ­ who never hired a black law clerk.

CONTINUED...

http://www.counterpunch.org/2005/09/28/the-spectre-of-white-affirmative-action/

A 20 Year-old article that is still news to most everybody in the United States of America.
June 29, 2025

Original New Dealer Wisdom



“The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic State itself. That in its essence, is Fascism — ownership of government by an individual, by a group or by any controlling private power.”

— President Franklin D. Roosevelt
June 28, 2025

By lying.

On Univision, Fox and Fox Español. CNN, of course misses the story.



To the Russian Foreign Minister and then Russian Ambassador to Washington:

“I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job," Trump said, according to The Times. "I faced great pressure because of Russia. That's taken off.”

"I'm not under investigation," he added.

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/10/527755991/trump-meets-with-russias-lavrov-at-the-white-house-today

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-nut-job-james-comey-russia-2017-5

That was 2017. And CIABCNNBCBSFakeNoiseNutWerk was never on it.

Profile Information

Member since: Mon May 6, 2019, 08:01 PM
Number of posts: 21,028

About Kid Berwyn

I am the DUer who once posted as Octafish. Ask me about the BFEE.
Latest Discussions»Kid Berwyn's Journal