AMERICAN ABERRATION The fascist nightmare threatens mankind again. A regressive global trend towards authoritarianism, totalitarianism and jingoism, is sweeping over countries worldwide. Trump, an American aberration, is a Trojan Horse of all these dangerous forms of rightwing

AMERICA, YOU ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. It's a call for action and a warning coming from multiple people who have lived under dictators & autocrats. Today, the country has the most power it’ll ever has in the current fight against authoritarianism in America. (Atl.)

Maria Ressa, the journalist who earned the Nobel Peace Prize for her attempts to save freedom of expression in the Philippines, told that WHAT SHE EXPERIENCED UNDER THE PRESIDENCY OF DUTERTE IS NOW, WITH STARTLING SPEED & SIMILARITY, PLAYING OUT IN THE U.S. (Atl.)

And Ressa's message is: AUTHORITARIAN LEADERS TOPPLE DEMOCRACY FASTER. IF YOU WAIT TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THEM, YOU HAVE ALREADY LOST. (Atl.)

But Trump is moving faster than even she had anticipated. To Garry Kasparov, the Russian dissident and chess grand master, the situation is obvious. America is running out of time. (Atl.)

As Kasparov wrote recently “If this sounds alarmist, forgive me for not caring. Exactly 20 years ago, I retired from professional chess to help Russia resist Putin’s budding dictatorship. People were slow to grasp what was happening there too.” (Atl.)

Shortly after Trump was reelected last fall, Ressa knew that the speed of the destruction of institutions—one of the first steps an authoritarian takes to solidify & centralize power—would surprise people here, even those paying the closest attention. (Atl.)

The chorus of people who have lived through democratic ruin will all tell the same thing: DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING YOU STILL HAVE TIME. Those who have seen democracy wrecked in their home country they have a sense of inevitability about the dangers of autocracy. (Atl.)

UNLESS Trump’s POWER IS CHECKED, & SOON, THINGS WILL GET WORSE VERY QUICKLY. WHEN PEOPLE LOSE THEIR FREEDOMS, IT CAN TAKE A GENERATION OR MORE TO CLAW THEM BACK, & THAT'S IF YOU'RE LUCKY. (Atl.)

THE Trump ADMINISTRATION'S BREAKNECK PACE IS OBVIOUSLY NO ACCIDENT. While citizens are busy processing their shock over any one shattered norm or disregarded law, Trump is already on to the next one. This is the playbook authoritarians have used all over the world.(Atl.)

First, the leader removes those with expertise & independent thinking from the government & replaces them with leaders who are arrogant, ignorant, & extremely loyal. (Atl.)

Next, he takes steps to centralize his power & claim unprecedented authority. Along the way, he conducts an all-out assault on the truth so that the truth tellers are distrusted, corruption becomes the norm & questioning him becomes impossible. (Atl.)

THE CONSTITUTION BENDS AND THEN FINALLY BREAKS. THIS IS WHAT TYRANTS DO. Trump IS DOING IT NOW IN THE UNITED STATES. (Atl.)

In the U.S., the overreach in executive power & the destruction of federal agencies were carried out in the first 30 days of his presidency. Even so, what people don’t always realize is that a dictator doesn’t seize control all at once. (Atl.)

“The death of democracy happens by a thousand cuts,” told Ressa. “And you don’t realize how badly you’re bleeding until it’s too late.” Another thing the people who have lived under authoritarian rule will tell you: It’s not just that it can get worse. It will. (Atl.)

Americans who are waiting for Trump to cross some imaginary red line neglect the fact that they have more leverage to defend American democracy today than they will tomorrow, or next week, or next month. (Atl.)

While people are still debating whether to call it authoritarianism or fascism, Trump is seizing control of one independent agency after another. What Trump is trying to do in America is now textbook fascism. (Atl.)

Many American citizens, though, have been conspicuously quiet in the early days of Trump’s second term. AT A TIME LIKE THIS, HESITATION CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FREEDOM AND TYRANNY. (Atl.)

These are not uncertain times. The trick of aspiring dictators is they tell you exactly what they’re going to do ahead of time. There’s a famous saying about propagandists—that they repeat the lie until it becomes true. (Atl.)

But corrupt & authoritarians leaders repeat lies & outrageous truths until they no longer sound outrageous. Technologies that could be used for democratic expression are instead used to warp public opinion & suppress dissent. (Atl.)

Social platforms built for scale—and designed to reward anger, hate, and snap reactions over truth—helped Trump win the presidency. As networks for anti-freedom propaganda, platforms have assisted others like Trump in gaining power around the world. (Atl.)