Rick Scott, swanning for attention, gloms onto Trump's anti-Antifa orders. We notice that nobody called the Tea Party movement a terrorist group.
News and views for Florida's Left Coast
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida has been peacocking around the nation’s capital, desperate to seem relevant, and he’s landed on a sure-fire way to get into the headlines:
He’s joined Donald Trump in declaring war on Antifa, which Trump falsely and nonsensically described in an executive order as a domestic terrorist organization “seeking to overthrow the United States Government,” even though it is not an organization at all. It’s just an idea, an ideology.
In fact, the only person in recent memory who tried to overthrow the government was Trump himself on Jan. 6, 2021, when he urged an insurrectionist mob to storm the U.S. Capitol.
This would be laughable were it not so cynical, stupid and threatening. As the ultra-conservative Cato Institute pointed out, Trump’s order:
… is idiotic on multiple levels. The notion that an idea can be designated an organization is one. The fact that there’s no constitutional provision or statute granting any president the power to designate a domestic civil society organization a “domestic terrorist organization” is another.
The fact that it is illegal and moronic has not deterred Scott from jumping on the bandwagon. He’s introduced a bill in the Senate, the Stop ANTIFA Act, that directs the National Joint Terrorism Task Force to “investigate, prosecute, and disrupt entities and individuals engaged in acts of political violence and intimidation designed to suppress lawful political activity or obstruct the rule of law.”
So, if enacted, how would that play out?
Would Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth order his cleanly shaven army to launch a ground assault on Antifa headquarters?
That would be a neat trick since there is no Antifa headquarters.
Would the president, vice president, secretary and treasurer of Antifa be called before congressional investigative committees?
First, somebody would have to form the club, write some bylaws, maybe launch a GoFundMe, or something.
That’s because, as noted by the Cato Institute, Antifa isn’t a thing, it’s a concept, an idea. You know, like the Tea Party. But I don’t recall any Democrats trying to round them up and throw them into Alligator Alcatraz. Absolutely not. That’s the sort of thing a fascist would do.
And what is that idea that motivates people who may, indeed, attend rallies or confront MAGA bullies while calling themselves part of the Antifa movement?
The idea is that fascism is bad. Antifa is short for Anti-Fascism. You know, fascism, like Hitler and the Nazis. Bad. Very bad.
So if you consider yourself a part of the so-called Antifa movement, by definition that means you are motivated by a love of freedom and opposition to tyranny.
At the risk of diving too deep into semantics, it follows that when Rick Scott proposes a bill in opposition to an organization that opposes fascism, his double-negative could be interpreted that he’s in favor of fascism.
Surely that’s not what he intends. Not this billionaire. He’s just bloviating to get some attention for himself, glomming onto Trump’s outrageous and hallucinatory accusations.
But just to be sure the Army won’t be rolling tanks into any Antifa fortifications, I asked the never-wrong internet to confirm that Antifa has no actual HQ that could be raided. Here’s the answer:
No, Antifa does not have a national headquarters because it is a decentralized movement and not a formal, unified organization with a hierarchical structure. Instead of a single group, the term “antifa” is an umbrella term for a broad range of autonomous, left-wing anti-fascist groups and individuals who oppose far-right, racist, and fascist ideologies.
As noted earlier, the idea of anti-fascism has been around for a while. This is not a new thing. Here’s a photo of the original members of Antifa—although they didn’t call themselves that—doing their thing, shot on June 6, 1944, D-Day.
These are the same guys Trump was quoted as calling “losers and suckers.”
He’s denied saying that, of course. He calls it a “hoax.”
So many hoaxes these days. Like the hoax that Antifa is a terrorist organization that demands Florida’s senior U.S. Senator leap into action to save us.
What do you think? Share your views by clicking on the COMMENTS link at the end of this newsletter. Thanks!
Related:
Text of the official executive order signed by Trump
Cato Institute on Trump’s order
Rick Scott files Stop ANTIFA Act
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Peter Greene takes a look at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ tampering with New College in his Curmudgucation column.
ICYMI
Miss Mingo weighs in on Florida’s new No. 1 ranking in the literary world—we’re the very best at banning books in schools.
Today is …
Global James Bond Day. Your martini should be shaken, not stirred. Ever wonder where that came from? Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond novels, was a member of British Naval Intelligence during World War II. While in Portugal, a neutral country, he hung out at the Hotel Palacio Estoril next door to the city’s storied casino. Allied and Axis spies all drank at the hotel in what is now known as the Spy Bar, which famously served its martinis shaken with ice, not stirred. If you’re ever in Lisbon, it’s definitely worth a visit. A number of scenes from the Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service were shot there. BTW, Bond was Antifa, too.
Quote of the day
“Fascism says what you and I experience as facts or what reporters experience as facts are irrelevant. All that matters are impressions and emotions and myths.”
— Timothy D. Snyder
Florida factual
Florida has two major and seventeen minor political parties registered by the secretary of state’s office. None of them is called Antifa. Nor the Tea Party, for that matter.
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J.C. Bruce, journalist and author, is the founder of Tropic Press. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and his native Florida. Forward this email to your friends. They will love you for it.
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You make WAY too much sense. Honestly. I just cannot, for the life of me, understand people who believe the far rights constant baragge of propaganda.
Everytime I see him, I can't help but to think of skibitty-toilet guy or fire marshall bill! He's such a nasty creep!