EDITOR:

On September 1, Biden read his teleprompter stuffed with divisive and hateful indictments aimed at over half our citizens. I thought, I’m not a fascist. I don’t even know a real fascist… as I listened, three areas seemed the most incongruous in his rants. He didn’t know the history of the word or of the movement and his attack was very hypocritical.

First point: The Fasces is an ancient symbol, going back to the Etruscans and used widely by Imperial Rome where its bundle of bound rods with an axe head at its top symbolized power and jurisdiction. It appeared on the reverse side of our Mercury dime and today large gold fasces flank the speaker’s podium in the House of Representatives chamber. The National Fascist Party, led by Benito Mussolini adopted it as their symbol and name in the 1930s through 1945. Mussolini infamed the symbol as Hitler did with the equally ancient Swastika, which was an ancient calendar showing the seasons relating to the Big Dipper rotating around the north star at dusk.

Point 2: Fascism has its roots historically secured in Socialism. There is no continuum of political nationalism that could honestly define half our country as far-right Fascists. Speakers and writers are using this deception to ironically attack the GOP and Trump. Research would find the political pundits of the 19th and 20th Centuries all describe the movement of the Fascists as a form of Socialism. It wants the resources of the individual and industry placed in the service of a centralized state. According to Karl Marx, Socialism is not engaged in a fight between left and right, but between different leftist ideologies. (Look up Giovanni Gentile and Karl Marx. Also, the 1932 “The Doctrine of Fascism,” by Mussolini and Gentile.) In contrast to Fascism, Conservatism wants small government so that individual liberty can flourish.

Point 3: Hypocrisy is rampant in all that the Democrats say and do. The left accuses opponents of their own evil deeds: spying, lying, destroying documents, coercion, working with foreign and hostile governments. Specifically, FISA warrants were aimed at Trump, it was a cabal of illegal collusion by ranking FBI, DOJ, and political leaders. Two impeachments have illustrated the Democrats’ hypocrisy. The DNC and Hillary worked with Russians, also remember Biden’s bragging coercion video that removed a Ukraine prosecutor, Jan. 6 actions compared to 572 Riots in 2020- Constitutional rights suborned, fair play and equity under our laws are totally disregarded. Biden uses executive orders, the unelected controls and powers of the FBI, DOJ, EPA, IRS, CDC and finally he appeared flanked by two Marines while standing in front of a blood red background, and he called me a Fascist!

John Hager

Stonington