Military vet says war on fascism isn’t over – Paul Gardner

It is Veterans Day as I write this. This morning, I was honored to attend the Veterans Day celebration at the Ephraim Elementary School. There was lots of energy, fun music, patriotism and warm thank-yous. When the program was finished, I approached a young student wearing an oversized jacket with sergeant stripes and an 82nd Airborne patch. I asked her if it was her grandfather’s. It was. I told her that she should be very proud of her grandfather and wear the jacket with pride.
My military experience never came close to what the man and millions of others went through in World War II, but the small-arms fire in the night, flares lighting the sky, and blasts of incoming rounds gave me a deeper appreciation for their experience. They gave so much in their fight against fascism. They won. They made our lives possible.
Later this morning, I was approached by someone who had worked to bring about the morning’s celebration. I mentioned the little girl and the jacket. I said that today we are in another battle against fascism. The person agreed. Evidence for this includes the military being deployed to our streets; armed, masked agents bounding out of unmarked vehicles and wrestling people to the ground; the formation of “Quick Reactionary Forces” in each state; observers from the Justice Department at polling places; prosecution of political opponents at the direction of the president; and the pardoning of those in the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. The list goes on and on.
Affordability of groceries, gas and health insurance have been in the headlines. These are of deep concern. They should be. They were addressed in this year’s elections in which Democratic victories swept the nation. In addition to affordability, there was cruelty inflicted by this administration. There was also the fact that Donald Trump and his billionaire supporters have been enjoying elaborate parties at Mar-a-Lago while he was withholding SNAP benefits, firing more federal employees, and threatening to not give back pay.
Yes, we are in the midst of a battle for our freedom. That is not hyperbole. We the people are the biggest, most important factor in this struggle. We need to make our voices heard in elections and through communication to Congress and the White House. Please join this fight. I have hosted No Kings protests in Ephraim and established an email list to keep the group informed about future events and to help with communications to our government. If you would like to join the group, please send me an email (sanpeterambler@gmail.com) with the subject “No Kings.”

Thank you,
Paul A. Gardner
Ephraim