I feel that your time in the military has given you the unique perspective to write the brlliant column I just read. What is happening now in the once great USA is hopefully a temporary setback for 200+ years of the greatest democracy in the history of the world. Many more efforts like yours will be needed to move the needle in the right direction
Great post Col. Vindman and very wise advice. While I have never personally lived in an authoritarian regime, being born in 1933, I have vivid recollections of WW2, and the atrocities inflicted on the rest of the world by Germany, Italy, and Japan. I think it is only the ignorance due to a lackluster education that brought roughly one third of the nation to vote the MAGA authoritarians into power. Once the lies and fallacies that fooled them into thinking trump cared, are seen for what they really were, they will be ready to return to a more democratic governance.
We, the Democrats, must be ready to follow through.
And if the Democrats -- the ones in positions of power and influence -- are unwilling, then it will be up to the people to engage with the MAGA forces through disciplined resistance. I recommend reading Martin Luther King Jr's 1963 letter from Birmingham jail.
I also recommend taking initiative now to join or create a local affiliate of Indivisible. An opportunity is coming on Thursday, the 19th of December. Look for "Worth Fighting For!" https://weareworthfightingfor.org/
The Civil Rights and Equal Rights movements faced push-back from sections of government and society as they mobilized against systemic inequality and discrimination. It should be noted, however, that the resistance these movements encountered was different than the widespread suppression and control characteristic seen in authoritarian regimes.”
Actually, it wasn’t different at all. As an African American female who came of age in those eras, I can assure you that Blacks and women were disenfranchised by an authoritarian white male dominated system. We fought for our right to vote, to have entitlement to education, life sustaining jobs free of discrimination, freedom from physical, sexual and deadly assault, and to be treated as any other citizen who was born here under the US Constitution. We even had to fight for Black veterans who continued to suffer indignities after the desegregation of the US military. We’re still fighting today. That is why those of us who lived it, took part in it, know what’s going happen. We’ve lived it all of our lives.
Until America faces and accepts her foibles and weaknesses, admits that she has still has a long way to go and citizens own up to their responsibilities to themselves and allies, the next four years are going to be a very unpleasant learning experience for those here who’ve never known authoritarianism.
There seems to be no such thing as continuous societal improvement for the USA. Although the lofty goals set forth in the constitution are clear it seems many do not agree. It appears we still struggle with racism, misogyny and xenophobia. Hopefully over the next 4 years we can find a way forward out of the partisanship and tribalism and get back on track.
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of the situation our country is now facing, and the fact that the majority of our citizens, or their parents or grandparents have never lived under authoritarian rule, with the exception of our Native Americans. Discrimination, prejudice and bigotry, yes, we have not yet been able to live up to the promise of liberty and justice for all. But we have been able to keep the flame of Democracy burning.
I sincerely hope that there are enough of us to overcome the current GOP’s threat to dismantle our government and institutions. I have no doubt that the daily lives of people will have to get much worse before enough of the ones who blindly follow trump, and his enablers, will realize that they were just being used. Project 2025 sent chills down my spine, and I was reminded of a science fiction short story, written in 1950 by Damon Knight, titled ‘To Serve Man’. In it, aliens from outer space landed on earth and went to the United Nations to tell the world that they had come to improve the lives of everyone on earth. They had a book titled ‘To Serve Man’, which everyone thought was the blueprint for this wonderful offer……….it was a cook book.
" Americans may not fully conceptualize the consequences of losing elements of their democracy."
~~~Fortunately/ynfortunately for me I have fully conceptualized the consiquences of trump 2.0.
I majored in history in college, no I'm not a historian, my knowledge of history is not extensive except maybe a "little extensive" in WWII. I was born in 1948 so was not alive during that devastating conflict but I did grow up on a lot of WWII TV shows & movies & that developed in me quite an interest in that war.
~~~After what I assume was the 50 year cutoff for removing the "classified" determination from many of the aspects of fighting the enemies in that conflict there were an abundance of documentaries available & I bought most of them & have an extensive collection of DVDs. And then came the explosion of new interpretation & investigations into that war & new documentaries on it came flooding into Prime TV & Netflix. I've watched many of those as well so while I have not done personal research into these topics I do have a better than average understanding of pre-war & wartime Germany (My interest tends to be more in the European theater of the war.) thanks to others who have mined the depths of that conflict.
~~~What I do know & see coming, reflects what happened to Germany after Hitler took power. Within 6 months the Nazis had completely reworked the government. I took great notice of that timeline as Project 2025 delineates a multitude of changes to our system of government & then there is that ominous 180 day secret plan that they are already putting into action. 180 days is 6 months, so by July 2025 we might not recognize our country at all.
~~~For months I have been talking about the militias that backed trump in the coup. I saw the handwriting on the wall about those groups but it was only a day or 2 ago where I saw someone actually put 2 & 2 together & warn about how pardoning the J-6 "patriots' will give sustinence to these militias & quite possibly the pardoned will become commanders. Look at what is happening in Missouri, where the state government is now willing to consider setting up bounty hunting illegal immigrants, offering a $1,000 reward for individuals to turn in an illegal immigrant. And just how is that going to work out? I see these militias being deputized & given free reign. Then there's Tom Homan threatening governors & mayors who are willing to protect people from this deportation.
~~~ I see only violence unleashed & corruption on a massive scale. As a 76 year old Medicare, Social Security recipient I only see uncertainty about whether I can survive without those two backstops that I paid into during all the years I worked, so NO, THEY ARE NOT ENTITLEMENTS! They are earned benefits.
~~~So, I DO conceptualize what losing democracy means & it's very disheartening & frightening. For years I have seen the slide that the US has taken but never in all my imaginings did I think we would lose our democracy!!!!
Our country was shown two paths, one by trump and one by Harris. America chose the psychopath. Lt.Col. Vindman will go down in history as a true American hero. We need to spread his writings, protest and not forget how important our local and state governments are to the big picture. We need to stand with him, loudly, to save our Democracy.
I feel that your time in the military has given you the unique perspective to write the brlliant column I just read. What is happening now in the once great USA is hopefully a temporary setback for 200+ years of the greatest democracy in the history of the world. Many more efforts like yours will be needed to move the needle in the right direction
Great post Col. Vindman and very wise advice. While I have never personally lived in an authoritarian regime, being born in 1933, I have vivid recollections of WW2, and the atrocities inflicted on the rest of the world by Germany, Italy, and Japan. I think it is only the ignorance due to a lackluster education that brought roughly one third of the nation to vote the MAGA authoritarians into power. Once the lies and fallacies that fooled them into thinking trump cared, are seen for what they really were, they will be ready to return to a more democratic governance.
We, the Democrats, must be ready to follow through.
Fay:
And if the Democrats -- the ones in positions of power and influence -- are unwilling, then it will be up to the people to engage with the MAGA forces through disciplined resistance. I recommend reading Martin Luther King Jr's 1963 letter from Birmingham jail.
I also recommend taking initiative now to join or create a local affiliate of Indivisible. An opportunity is coming on Thursday, the 19th of December. Look for "Worth Fighting For!" https://weareworthfightingfor.org/
\Vince S
I am so grateful for people like you and your twin! Thank you for fighting for us, both in the service and after.
The Civil Rights and Equal Rights movements faced push-back from sections of government and society as they mobilized against systemic inequality and discrimination. It should be noted, however, that the resistance these movements encountered was different than the widespread suppression and control characteristic seen in authoritarian regimes.”
Actually, it wasn’t different at all. As an African American female who came of age in those eras, I can assure you that Blacks and women were disenfranchised by an authoritarian white male dominated system. We fought for our right to vote, to have entitlement to education, life sustaining jobs free of discrimination, freedom from physical, sexual and deadly assault, and to be treated as any other citizen who was born here under the US Constitution. We even had to fight for Black veterans who continued to suffer indignities after the desegregation of the US military. We’re still fighting today. That is why those of us who lived it, took part in it, know what’s going happen. We’ve lived it all of our lives.
Until America faces and accepts her foibles and weaknesses, admits that she has still has a long way to go and citizens own up to their responsibilities to themselves and allies, the next four years are going to be a very unpleasant learning experience for those here who’ve never known authoritarianism.
There seems to be no such thing as continuous societal improvement for the USA. Although the lofty goals set forth in the constitution are clear it seems many do not agree. It appears we still struggle with racism, misogyny and xenophobia. Hopefully over the next 4 years we can find a way forward out of the partisanship and tribalism and get back on track.
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of the situation our country is now facing, and the fact that the majority of our citizens, or their parents or grandparents have never lived under authoritarian rule, with the exception of our Native Americans. Discrimination, prejudice and bigotry, yes, we have not yet been able to live up to the promise of liberty and justice for all. But we have been able to keep the flame of Democracy burning.
I sincerely hope that there are enough of us to overcome the current GOP’s threat to dismantle our government and institutions. I have no doubt that the daily lives of people will have to get much worse before enough of the ones who blindly follow trump, and his enablers, will realize that they were just being used. Project 2025 sent chills down my spine, and I was reminded of a science fiction short story, written in 1950 by Damon Knight, titled ‘To Serve Man’. In it, aliens from outer space landed on earth and went to the United Nations to tell the world that they had come to improve the lives of everyone on earth. They had a book titled ‘To Serve Man’, which everyone thought was the blueprint for this wonderful offer……….it was a cook book.
" Americans may not fully conceptualize the consequences of losing elements of their democracy."
~~~Fortunately/ynfortunately for me I have fully conceptualized the consiquences of trump 2.0.
I majored in history in college, no I'm not a historian, my knowledge of history is not extensive except maybe a "little extensive" in WWII. I was born in 1948 so was not alive during that devastating conflict but I did grow up on a lot of WWII TV shows & movies & that developed in me quite an interest in that war.
~~~After what I assume was the 50 year cutoff for removing the "classified" determination from many of the aspects of fighting the enemies in that conflict there were an abundance of documentaries available & I bought most of them & have an extensive collection of DVDs. And then came the explosion of new interpretation & investigations into that war & new documentaries on it came flooding into Prime TV & Netflix. I've watched many of those as well so while I have not done personal research into these topics I do have a better than average understanding of pre-war & wartime Germany (My interest tends to be more in the European theater of the war.) thanks to others who have mined the depths of that conflict.
~~~What I do know & see coming, reflects what happened to Germany after Hitler took power. Within 6 months the Nazis had completely reworked the government. I took great notice of that timeline as Project 2025 delineates a multitude of changes to our system of government & then there is that ominous 180 day secret plan that they are already putting into action. 180 days is 6 months, so by July 2025 we might not recognize our country at all.
~~~For months I have been talking about the militias that backed trump in the coup. I saw the handwriting on the wall about those groups but it was only a day or 2 ago where I saw someone actually put 2 & 2 together & warn about how pardoning the J-6 "patriots' will give sustinence to these militias & quite possibly the pardoned will become commanders. Look at what is happening in Missouri, where the state government is now willing to consider setting up bounty hunting illegal immigrants, offering a $1,000 reward for individuals to turn in an illegal immigrant. And just how is that going to work out? I see these militias being deputized & given free reign. Then there's Tom Homan threatening governors & mayors who are willing to protect people from this deportation.
~~~ I see only violence unleashed & corruption on a massive scale. As a 76 year old Medicare, Social Security recipient I only see uncertainty about whether I can survive without those two backstops that I paid into during all the years I worked, so NO, THEY ARE NOT ENTITLEMENTS! They are earned benefits.
~~~So, I DO conceptualize what losing democracy means & it's very disheartening & frightening. For years I have seen the slide that the US has taken but never in all my imaginings did I think we would lose our democracy!!!!
Our country was shown two paths, one by trump and one by Harris. America chose the psychopath. Lt.Col. Vindman will go down in history as a true American hero. We need to spread his writings, protest and not forget how important our local and state governments are to the big picture. We need to stand with him, loudly, to save our Democracy.
You are a treasure. ❤️