To All Who Care About Humanity: STOP Trying to Win a “Patriotism” Contest with Donald Trump!

August 20, 2018 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

One of the most disgusting aspects of the “Brennan affair” is the way that it has turned so many liberals and progressives—many of whom are well aware of the long and ugly history of the CIA and the FBI—into slavish and slobbering admirers of these very agencies. Watch MSNBC, or for that matter, Bill Maher, for even an hour, read the comments section of articles in the New York Times, and you will see anchors, pundits, and ordinary people alike talking about these so-called “heroes” who “dedicate their whole lives” to “protecting our country.” And along with this is the frequent refrain that it is the opponents of Donald Trump who are “the true patriots,” standing up for the values of “our great country,” the values that, supposedly, “really make America great.”

These are completely wrong terms for taking on the Trump/Pence fascist regime, much less for moving beyond that and bringing about a radically different, truly liberating world. Some progressive people may think that by promoting Brennan and the like, and by wrapping themselves in American patriotism, they are doing what is necessary to stop the existential threat to humanity represented by Trump. But the reality is that this means standing with the imperialist rulers—who are all monstrous oppressors and exploiters—and against the people of the world, including the oppressed in this country.

Nor is this a contest we can win. Trump is right to drape himself in the American flag: his cruel attacks on refugees and immigrants, his brutal misogyny, and his super-nationalist hostility towards other nations and peoples are entirely consistent with the whole history of the U.S.—the slavery, the genocide, the imperialist invasions, the lynchings, the savage exploitation of immigrant workers, the persecution of LGBTQ people, and so much more. These are the things that made America “great”—that is, the greatest imperialist power in history. Trump can have that flag, that history, and that outlook.

Those who truly want to put an end to the needless suffering, the wars, and the environmental devastation that Trump’s America has wrought need to cast off the disgusting and deadly chains of American patriotism and chauvinism—and think and act based on the real interests of humanity!