SAN FRANCISCO
Lee Heidhues 2.23.2024
Americans are too blissfully lazy and somnolent.
Ignoring the threat of the incipient fascism in America and the real possibility its standard bearer Trump could be president, again.
It’s a sad day when the most voluble outspoken critics of Trump come from the right wing of the American political spectrum. Nikki Haley and Liz Cheney.
In any civilized country, except America, this fascist Trump would be forever banned from being allowed to even visit the White House. Let alone preside over it.
Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 2.23.2024
Catholic bishops meeting in the city of Augsburg this week strongly condemned the rise of ethnic nationalism and right-wing extremism in German society.
“Right-wing extremist parties and those that run rampant on the fringes of this ideology can therefore not be a place of political activity for Christians and are also not electable,” they said in a statement.
On this point, the bishops made an explicit reference to the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD). They said the party’s beliefs are “incompatible with the Christian image of God and humankind.”
The statement is highly unusual because for the past 25 years, the Catholic bishops have been reluctant to offer any assessments of political parties.
The head of the Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing, explained that the more than 60 bishops deliberated at length over making a statement, but agreed it was necessary. He also pointed out that the declaration had been adopted unanimously.
“After several spurts of radicalization,” the statement reads, “the AfD is now dominated by a nationalistic attitude.” It goes on to point out that the AfD oscillates between genuine right-wing extremism, which the domestic intelligence agency has documented in some regional branches and in the party’s youth organization, and less radical right-wing populism.
The statement specifically denounces hostility toward refugees, migrants and Muslims, and “to an increasing extent” Jews.
The bishops indicated that they will hold full-time church employees and volunteers to account. “Moreover, the circulation of right-wing extremist slogans — which includes racism and antisemitism in particular — is incompatible with full-time or volunteer service in the Church.”
https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-catholic-church-speaks-out-against-far-right/a-68352341
Top photo: German Christians have been speaking out against the far right using the slogan ‘our cross has no hooks’ (in reference to the swastika Nazi symbol)
Lee's Perspective 