The 1960 Stanley Kramer classic film ‘ Inherit the Wind’ is a must see for everyone, especially our young middle and high school students. This film focused on the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial when a teacher was arrested for teaching evolution in Tennessee. Yet nearly 100 years later the story resonates over and over when we look at what is transpiring today. The Clarence Darrow character, portrayed by Spencer Tracy, was up against it while defending Scopes. In one of the multitude of tense scenes he is being stopped by the court to bring forth a suitable, intelligent defense. He is about to withdraw from the case and shouts angrily to the judge, as I paraphrase a bit here: ” Fanaticism and ignorance are forever busy and need feeding. And soon, with banners flying and with drums beating we’ll be marching backwards, backwards through that glorious age of the 16th century when bigots burned a man who dared bring enlightenment and intelligence to the human mind!”
Look around you and see how in many ‘ Red States’ like my own here in Florida the powers that be orchestrate the banning of books ( even burning them at times) they deem unsuitable for libraries to offer. School boards are being ‘ taken over’ by extremist white Christians, many wearing MAGA hats and Trump shirts. In addition to the plan to go after any mention of LBGTQ topics in said books, this extends to their desire to only have their version of Christianity exhibited. Ironic how most of these same people bow and scrape for the current Zionist led Israeli government. Hypocrites in office label anyone who dares to criticize what Israel is doing in Gaza ( and the West Bank) as being anti-Semites, yet supported Mr. Trump after the 2017 Charlottesville ‘ Unite the Right’ march and riot. Trump mentioned, after the incident, that there were ‘ Very fine people on both sides’, even after the marchers were seen carrying torches and saying over and over ‘ Jews will not replace us’ and ‘ Blood and Soil’, right out of the Nazi storm trooper playbook.
Since 2017 there have been newer and more dangerous theories floating around the MAGA universe. Tucker Carlson, mouthpiece for years now on The White Replacement Theory, got millions of MAGA supporters on the bandwagon. This theory believes that non whites are being brought into our country to eventually replace white voters. Merged with this tripe are more reasons for white Americans to both fear and hate the undocumented AKA Illegal Aliens. Thus, #1 on the MAGA hit list becomes the ‘ Urgent need’ to close our southern border, NOT our northern one with Canada. Who cares if white folks filter in so long as we can keep the brown ones out? One neighbor, a normally nice lady, referred to the guys who were hired to do our roof work in 95 degree heat as ‘ Monkeys’. Where did she hear that one wonders?
It isn’t just the Christian evangelists who spout such nonsense. An acquaintance of mine from the YMCA, a retired attorney and lifelong Democrat, tells me he believes that the overwhelming majority of parishioners at his Catholic Church are MAGA supporters. All that seems to matter to those folks is abortion and gays proliferating our society. These folks are oblivious to anything troubling working stiffs or the terrible influence of super rich corporate America. The Republicans, through Trump and Vance, just play the ‘ Killing babies’ and ‘ Fentanyl carrying’ border crosser’ cards. In the Old West those two jokers would be standing on the back of a covered wagon pitching the newest snake oils to the suckers, saps and lollipops. God Bless America… before Feudalism and Fascism overwhelm us all!
PA Farruggio
October 2024
As is usually the case,Mr.Farruggio is 100% accurate on his analysis of the mentally challenged MAGA movement,those White Christian Nationalists(Evangelicals) and anyone else on board this fascist,non-rational , anti-critical thinking theory simpleton train…as he succinctly puts it,and as the politically astute know,there would be no uproar at all if the people attempting to come here were white or from our Northern border or from Western Europe….the Orange Cretin said this several years back when he lamented,”Why can’t we get people from the Scandanavian or Western European countries to come here” ( a paraphrase that is apt)…Remember when he called them “sh– hole countries…remember when after an horrific natural disaster in Puerto Rico he threw paper towels out and I’m sure,did that sarcastically…George Carlin also saw this “against people of color” mind set many years ago. It’s worth a try to educate our ignorant friends,neighbors and sadly,in too many cases,family members.
As is usually the case,Mr.Farruggio is 100% accurate on his analysis of the mentally challenged MAGA movement,those White Christian Nationalists(Evangelicals) and anyone else on board this fascist,non-rational , anti-critical thinking theory simpleton train…as he succinctly puts it,and as the politically astute know,there would be no uproar at all if the people attempting to come here were white or from our Northern border or from Western Europe….the Orange Cretin said this several years back when he lamented,”Why can’t we get people from the Scandanavian or Western European countries to come here” ( a paraphrase that is apt)…Remember when he called them “sh– hole countries”….remember when ,after an horrific natural disaster in Puerto Rico ,he threw paper towels out and I’m sure,did that sarcastically…George Carlin also saw this “against people of color” mind set many years ago. It’s worth a try to educate our ignorant friends,neighbors and sadly,in too many cases,family members.