Admiral Michael Franken believes we are dangerously close to becoming a fascist country under Donald Trump. The warning signs are all around us.
So, what is fascism? The key elements include authoritarianism, or concentrated power in a single leader; suppression of opposition through censorship, propaganda, and violence; and control of society through manipulation of media, education, and culture.
Sound familiar?
One antidote, in a nutshell, says Franken: VOTE.
And, I might add, vote while you still can.
Franken sees parallels between what is taking place in the United States and what happens in struggling nations where fascism takes hold, and he lists examples of what Trump and his supporters are doing leading up to this election.
Projection: accuse others of what you are guilty of.
Shut down newspapers.
Jam signals.
Be vulgar.
Attack those who are least capable of defending themselves.
Go after the strong members and get them balled up in court.
On our call were readers from around the state, including Dianne Prichard, who lives in DeWitt, north of Davenport and south of Dubuque. In response to what she is experiencing in her small, rural community, she and a friend recently published the book Raising America: Building a More Perfect Union. It is designed to help those skipping family reunions or coffee with friends to avoid fighting about politics. This book is a handbook on how to create conversations.
Another caller, Mim Hoffman, lives in St. Donatus, Iowa. She has read Project 2025, the blueprint for an incoming Trump administration, and believes we can’t underestimate what they plan to do to dismantle our democracy.
She operates a bed and breakfast and had visitors from Austria and Hong Kong last week.
“All of them are keenly tuned in this election and are extraordinarily well-versed about the precursors of fascism and how this all happens.”
The Des Moines Register’s editor, Carol Hunter, asked Franken to share his thoughts about the Middle East and Ukraine. She’s been listening to Bob Woodward’s new book, “War,” and was curious about his perspective.
Franken responded that the recent revelation that Trump has been in conversations with Putin is deeply disturbing and outlined what a Trump administration could spell for relationships with U.S. allies. Franken was involved in the denuclearization process in Ukraine in the 1990s and understands the necessity of defeating Putin there. He adds that the international community is deeply concerned about Trump's presidency.
Listen to the podcast. Unfortunately, there was a power outage in our building 48 minutes into the conversation. Although the call continued, and Chuck Offenburger wrapped up the call, the last 10 minutes are not included in this recording. Sorry.
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Raise your hand if you have voted.
Does your vote matter? You bet it does!
Early voting is taking place now! Richard and I voted at the satellite office downtown, which was easy and efficient. If you have questions, go to the I Will Vote website:
Important Dates for Iowa
October 16: First day of early voting at designated locations
November 4: Last day of early voting at designated locations
What the heck is the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative?
I’m a founding member and could not be more grateful for our work linking writers to readers interested in Iowa.
In just three years, this group of professional journalists and authors has created a network of commentators who bring insights into local and national issues that impact our state. We also offer stories about sports, dining out, travel, humor, and poetry. In other words, we reflect some of the complexity of what it is like to live in Iowa.
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roundup has had 43,000 views in the last 30 days, up over 11,000 from the previous month. Readership is growing exponentially, but paid subscribers are lagging.
Only 3% of our Roundup subscribers are paid. We need 5-10% to be sustaining.
Here is the Roundup from Sunday:
Each writer is independent. Since we do not accept advertising or grants, the only compensation received for this work is from those who choose to become paid subscribers. No one is getting rich doing this; however, we believe it is crucial work. If you agree and can afford a few bucks a month, please pick your favorite writers and show them your appreciation by becoming a paid subscriber.
To grow that number, we offer two incentives beyond knowing you are making a difference. Paid subscribers are invited to a monthly Zoom call on the last Friday of the month, and we hold an annual holiday party for them. This year, it will be held at the Harkin Institute on December 13 from 5-8 p.m.
You must be a paid subscriber to attend. Please submit this RSVP form if you would like to join us and meet other subscribers.
Here is a roster of our current membership. You only need to be a paid subscriber to one to qualify for the invitation to the holiday party:
Nicole Baart: This Stays Here, Sioux Center
Rekha Basu: Shouts and Whispers, Des Moines
Ray Young Bear: From Red Earth Drive, Meskwaki Settlement
Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
Tory Brecht: Brecht’s Beat, Quad Cities
Dartanyan L. Brown: My Integrated Life, Des Moines
Douglas Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Jane Burns: The Crossover, Des Moines
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Rachelle Chase: Reading with Rachelle, Ottumwa
Iowa Writers Collaborative: Roundup
Steph C: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Taylor Decker: Taylor’s Millennial Mindset, Sioux City
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Randy Evans: Stray Thoughts, Des Moines via Bloomfield
Daniel P. Finney: Paragraph Stacker, Des Moines
Marianne Fons: Reporting From Quiltropolis, Winterset
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji and Sioux Falls
Chris Gloninger: Weathering Climate Change, US
Dennis Goldford: Let’s Talk Politics, Clive
Avery Gregurich: The Five and Dime, Marengo
Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Rob Gray's Area: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny
Nik Heftman: The Seven Times, Iowa
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilia
Phoebe Wall Howard: Shifting Gears, Detroit
Iowa Capital Dispatch, an alliance with IWC
Iowa Podcasters' Collaborative
Iowa Writers Collaborative Roundup Sunday Roundup
Black Iowa News: Dana James, Iowa
Chris Jones: The Swine Republic, Iowa City
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Letters From Iowans
Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Calhoun County
Hola Iowa: Iowa
Kurtis Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Vicki Minor: Relatively Minor, Winterset
Wini Moranville: Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines
Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids
Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Jane Nguyen: The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines
John Naughton: My Life in Color, Des Moines
Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines
Ty Rushing: Ty’s Take, Iowa City
Steve Semken: Ice Cube Press, LLC, North Liberty
Sarah Scull: The Piecemaker, Creston
Macey Shofroth: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander's Emerging Voices: Emerging Voices, Kalona
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Jason Walsmith: The Racontourist, Earlham
Kali White VanBaale: 988: Mental Healthcare in Iowa, Bondurant
Franken referred to this show on NPR - How We Vote.
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