“I am German and am waiting for the Germans to come back; they have gone to ground somewhere,” Victor Klemperer wrote in his diary. He was the son of a rabbi and a World War One veteran who chose to stay and somehow survived.
The warning signs were there then. They are here now.
Trump’s recent words, “I hate them, too. I really do. I hate them. I cannot stand them, because I really do believe they hate our country,” are more than hateful. They echo exactly what Hitler said when he rose to power. This is not just politics. This is declaring war on half the country by calling your opponents enemies of the state. When hate gets dressed up as patriotism and cruelty as strength, that is fascism plain and simple. Hitler blamed Jews, socialists, and anyone who disagreed for poisoning Germany from within. Trump is doing the exact same thing. Divide, dehumanize, dominate.
Now the tools to enforce that hate are being handed over.
Congress just gave ICE 160 billion dollars, more funding than the Marines receive. This is Trump’s personal Gestapo, built to attack the states and silence dissent. ICE is no longer about immigration. It is being turned into a weapon to watch, intimidate, and punish anyone they decide is an enemy. Like the Gestapo terrorized everyday Germans, ICE is growing into a force to crush anyone who stands in their way.
It will not stop with immigrants. These systems always spread. First it is the border, then your classroom, your newsroom, your neighborhood. LGBTQIA plus people, Black and brown communities, protestors, teachers, healthcare workers, drag performers, librarians. Anyone who does not fit their narrow idea of “real America” is a target. They have already named the enemies and written the laws. If we do not stand up and organize now, they will come for all of us.
Hope will not save us. We have seen how this story ends.
If you are already in the crosshairs, get ready. Know your rights. Build your community. Find allies who will have your back. Make noise. Document everything. Do not go quiet. This is not fearmongering. It is reality. The biggest mistake we can make is thinking it cannot happen in the United States because it can. It’s already happening.
The past is right in front of us. The only question is if we have the courage to learn from it.
Steven LaChance Blog 
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