Milo Yiannopoulos
By MJ Vara
Another Trump villain to be aware of --- know your adversaries (enemies?) folks:
Milo Yiannopoulos, a Steve Bannon protege, spreading racism and sexism wherever he goes.
We must NOT overreact to this sort of person and damage free speech rights, even those of our political opponents.
But remember, the Trump administration has repeatedly told the press to shut up. And Donald Trump and his henchmen (that's what they are) have not created any message to unite us as a nation, to bind the wounds of the campaign, or to engender good will with the nation as whole.
Therefore, we do not accept their "cover stories" and "spin" that they simply advocate legitimate, conservative views.
These people are NOT thoughtful, philosophical, principled conservatives who we may disagree with, but have redeeming features, like like Willam F. Buckley, George Will, David Brooks, or Kathleen Parker.
These are NOT even on-par with past administrations we may have had a hard time accepting after our candidate won, like Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush.
For goodness sake, Reagan worked with Tip O'Neal to shore top Social Security... and George W. Bush was our only president to speak fluent Spanish... and he visited a mosque within days of 9/11, respectfully taking his shoes off, and conferring with the Imam, in order to deliver two messages: 1) American Muslims should not be harmed... 2) we were not at war with Islam as a whole.
The normal American tradition is our political opponents are just that: opponents, not enemies.... and the side that lost an election or is in the minority in the House or Senate is called the "loyal opposition."
But, we are not suckers! These deplorable people have made themselves our adversaries --- maybe even our enemies.
The concept of "the enemy within," the toxic element that is undermining and damaging our nation's principles and mechanism, our very democracy (like befriending Putin, the "neo-Soviet" despot) is now before our eyes... perhaps not for the first time , but possibly more menacingly than ever before.
I see no redeeming characteristics in the present President or his circle of advisors.
While calling them "Nazis" may be hyperbole, there is a solid reason why many people are engaging in such hyperbole: something sinister is afoot and we are not idiots.
Thankfully, they are hardly geniuses and lack even the rudimentary skills needed to pull the wool over our eyes!
Editorial Clarification: Lest anyone call me rash, unfair misinformed, or just plain mean-spirited: I am well aware that the comparisons of Trump to Hitler, like those of George W. Bush or Obama to Hitler, are historically and morally inaccurate—at least at present.
Two caveats: 1) even some experts, seasoned, measured historians and journalists, have stated that we are now facing a potential menace on an order of magnitude not previously seen in our nation…Trump may not be Hitler, but he is a menace, and perhaps unwittingly setting the stage for a future despot. 2) there is a “vibe” in the nation that is creating anxiety and fear: hyperbole, metaphor, allegory and comparison with previous historical eras can serve a salutary purpose…certainly an illustrative purpose. At least I am not engaging in “alternative facts,” but in literary techniques in the service of making “pointed points,” if you will. 3) Trump himself recently asked in regard to our intelligence agencies (when he was pissed at them): “Are we living in Nazi Germany?” Hey, what’s good for the goose, is good for the gander!
MJ will be a regular contributor on The Davy V. Blog.
Please be sure to check back to read his column.
