Report from Portland

 https://thecoopscoop.substack.com/p/report-from-portland?

Portland

Why Do Fascists Fear Teachers ?

Why Do Fascists Fear Teachers? :  Randi Weingarten 

Because We Want Kids to Think—and Read—for Themselves

When he was still a student at Morehouse College, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an essay in the student newspaper titled “The Purpose of Education.”⁵ He argued that education has two main purposes: “the one is utility and the other is culture.” Education helps students develop concrete skills and tools and learn how to use them to achieve their goals in life. But that second purpose King wrote about? That purpose is really democracy. “To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education. Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.”

“The function of education,” Dr. King went on, “is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.” Critical thinking is vital to accurately understanding societal problems that need to be solved and, together with our civic peers, engaging, analyzing, and innovating as we constantly renew and reinvent our democracy. Critical thinking is the most important muscle in the exercise of democracy. No wonder fascists want to weaken it.

Democracy is being deeply, substantively engaged in the problems and solutions of our society. Which means critical thinking and education are absolutely essential to and intertwined with the practice of democracy. When we think critically, we have our own ideas and opinions, but we simultaneously scrutinize them, weighing other facts and ideas to be as rational as possible. We listen to and really wrestle with ideas and opinions that conflict with our own. And we engage earnestly with people who may think differently from us, exchanging facts and opinions, not taunts and smears.

“Democracies die more often through the ballot box than at gunpoint,” writes historian Heather Cox Richardson in her book Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America.⁶ Fascist leaders may campaign for our votes, but modern democracies more often fall because of autocratic candidates who work within the system to dismantle it, rather than because of coups or military takeovers. Prominent authoritarianism historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat explains that fascist and authoritarian leaders want to “damage or destroy democracy.”⁷ Democracy is people power. But fascists want one leader or a small group of elites to have all the power.

The problem for fascists, then, is that a public with strong critical-thinking muscles is more likely to strengthen democracy and resist authoritarianism. Scholars who study democracy worldwide are incredibly clear on this point: “On the whole, higher levels of education are associated with stronger democracies—a country with an educated populace is more likely to become or remain a democracy.”⁸ Looking at data from Latin American elections, researchers Amy Erica Smith and Mollie J. Cohen found that “The more education you have, the less likely you are to vote for an authoritarian.”⁹ In fact, some global scholars have gone as far as to suggest that “education causes democracy.”¹⁰

So is the opposite true? Yes, history has shown us that. For instance, in 2017, the Financial Times found that among Dutch voters, having attained less education was the greatest predictor of support for the country’s anti-immigrant, far-right political party.¹¹ And after winning a primary election during the 2016 election, Donald Trump bragged how well he did with certain demographics, saying, “We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated.”¹² This may or may not have been just another sloppy aside from Trump, but it does reflect a deeper truth. Donald Trump was able to rise to power, yes, because of his keen political instincts and charisma, but also because he routinely says things he thinks voters want to hear, whether he can actually do anything about them or not.

Authoritarians actively attack truth, knowledge, and critical thinking because an uninformed public is easier to control. Degrading public education and critical-thinking skills may only prime more Americans to not recognize disinformation and misinformation and take authoritarian leaders like Trump at their word. Psychologist Bob Altemeyer studied personality traits that make people more receptive to authoritarian leaders. In his 2006 book The Authoritarians, Altemeyer documented his “Right-Wing Authoritarianism” scale, writing:

The authoritarian follower makes himself vulnerable to malevolent manipulation by chucking out critical thinking and prudence as the price for maintaining his beliefs. He’s an “easy mark,” custom-built to be snookered. And the very last thing an authoritarian leader wants is for his followers to start using their heads, to start thinking critically and independently about things.¹³

In other words, those inclined to support authoritarianism exhibit a general avoidance of or allergy to critical thinking. And authoritarians like it that way.

 

 See Also;  Choosing Democracy: A Practical Guide to Multicultural Education.  4th. edition.  201o. Allyn and Bacon.  by Duane Campbell  Used copies on the web very low priced. 

https://www.aft.org/ae/fall2025/weingarten_book?

Acts of Violence Targeting Teachers

Sept.22, 2025 

WASHINGTON—AFT President Randi Weingarten released the following statement in response to the targeting of educators in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk:

“Acts of violence and hate must be condemned, always. They are antithetical to democracy and the values we try to instill as teachers.

“Last week, anyone with a social media feed—including children—witnessed a devastating tragedy, a horrific act of political violence, that has traumatized the nation. Since then, teachers and many others we represent across the country have tried to deal with the effects of that trauma as it is playing out in classrooms, campuses, caregiving sites and other settings.

“Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and former presidents rightly recognized this moment as an inflection point, a time not just to denounce the Kirk killing as the political violence that it was, but to find a way to come together and to de-escalate.

“The current administration, unfortunately, has not. And some are weaponizing this moment.

“Of course, no one should celebrate another person’s murder. But using this tragedy to encourage the doxxing, censorship and firing of people for their opinions—including educators’ private opinions shared during their personal time—is wrong.

“Conservatives, too, are warning against going down this dangerous road. They know this sends the absolute wrong message to chill speech—one of the most important freedoms in our country.

“Americans must be able to exercise their First Amendment rights in their personal lives, regardless of whether we agree or disagree with them. None of us who values freedom should ever want to relinquish that right.

“We once again are calling for an end to the hate and the smears. We must find ways to tone down the rhetoric and disagree civilly.

“As the framers envisioned, education is the path to civil debate and open inquiry—and teachers promote these founding principles of our nation every day in their classrooms.

“Let’s recognize the hard work they do, particularly in the wake of this tragedy and so many others we’ve faced as a nation, to assuage students’ trauma and create safe and welcoming environments where every student can succeed.

“Let’s denounce political violence, find that exit ramp, find ways to de-escalate—and let’s do it without eroding constitutional rights.”

# # # #

The AFT represents 1.8 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.

See Also;  Choosing Democracy: A Practical Guide to Multicultural Education.  4th. edition.  201o. Allyn and Bacon.  by Duane Campbell  Used copies on the web very low priced. 

Freedom of Speech

Timothy Snyder,  On Target.

https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/speak-truth-to-power?

 

Jon Stewart's Post-Kimmel Primer on Free Speech in the Glorious Trump Er...

Trump Tightens His Control of the Media

 https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-disastrous-defamations?

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-disastrous-defamations?

Immigrant Defense and the Fight Against Fascism.

 Excellent article.

I am unable to repost for unknown reasons.  

https://open.substack.com/pub/liberationroad/p/immigrant-defense-is-the-frontline?\

: Trump Uses State Power Against Comedians

RS Seminar- Economic Crisis: Trump Uses State Power Against Comedians:   Trump and the Project 2025 plan is to rapidly shock the system and invoke a state of paralysis so they can take permanent control of the c...

New Poll. Americans Prefer Democratic Socialism

 

New Poll: Democratic Socialism Is Now Mainstream The Editors of Jacobin September 15, 2025 Jacobin A national poll from Jacobin, DSA Fund, and Data for Progress finds broad support for democratic socialist leaders and left-wing policies. Politicians like Zohran Mamdani and Bernie Sanders may be “outsiders” among the political class, but the numbers show that their policy positions reflect mainstream American opinion., Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images   A new national survey commissioned by DSA Fund and Jacobin, with support from the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, and fielded by Data for Progress (N=1,257 likely voters; MOE ±3) takes stock of where democratic socialism stands with the electorate — and what it would take to build stable, working-class majorities beyond deep-blue districts. Among Democrats, democratic socialists enjoy significant popularity. The poll’s findings include: Democrats prefer democratic socialism to capitalism by a 58 point margin. Socialism wins overall with likely voters under forty-five years old. Democrats prefer left-wing political figures similar to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, and Zohran Mamdani over establishment politicians similar to Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and Nancy Pelosi by a 20 point margin. This was also true across party lines in critical voting blocs: noncollege (+9), Latinos (+30). Candidates who identify as democratic socialists are viewed just as favorably (+69) among registered Democrats as candidates who identify only as Democrats (+67). “These results tell a clear story: democratic socialism is now mainstream,” said DSA Fund executive director Gabe Tobias. “Far from a liability, the ‘democratic socialist’ label is now how voters recognize a leader who they can trust to fight for them. And far from fringe, DSA [Democratic Socialists of America] actually represents the majority political views of Democratic voters.” The poll also found support for egalitarian policy positions among Republicans and independents: 70% of all respondents say that our economic system is “rigged in favor of corporations and the wealthy” and needs to be replaced; this includes 67% of independents and 58% of Republicans. 59% of respondents (and 58% of Republicans) blame landlords and banks more than government regulation for the high cost of housing. 83% of respondents agree that social work and mental health are necessary parts of a public safety budget; this includes 81% of independents and 80% of Republicans. This was true across all partisan, racial/ethnic, geographic, and class groups. 15% of Donald Trump voters prefer democratic socialism to capitalism. These voters tended to be younger and non-white. “This poll underscores that the term ‘democratic socialism’ now communicates something very practical to American voters: the kind of economic security and fairness once associated with the New Deal tradition,” said Bhaskar Sunkara, president of the Nation magazine and founding editor of Jacobin.   The poll was conducted from August 22 to 24, 2025. It surveyed 1,257 likely voters nationwide using web panel respondents. It was conducted by Data for Progress for the DSA Fund, Jacobin magazine, and the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung. Read the survey here. Full crosstabs here. Political Polling; Bernie Sanders; Zohran Mamdani; Democratic Socialism;

Trump's Phase II Assault on Democracy Has Begun. Fight back.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trumps-phase-2-now-begins?

 

“These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly.”

-Thomas Paine

December 23, 1776. 

 

Driving Off a Cliff ? The U.S.Economy

 

U.S. Economy.

Driving Off a Cliff.

“They got some basic problems. They’re very expensive and they don't go far.” 
—Donald Trump at a campaign event, 2024. 

 “An unpleasant aberration that would vanish, if there was justice in heaven.”
—General Motors on the small car market, late 1960s.

Auto and auto parts production is globally the second largest manufacturing industry by employment and the highest by value of output. And with Henry Ford’s creation of the assembly line in the 1910s, the industry came to symbolize the United States as a global manufacturing power. Detroit was the “Motor City,” with a cultural impact beyond simply the number of cars produced—remember the “Motown Sound”?

There were competitors, but the U.S. auto industry was dominant well into the 1950s, when two-thirds of all globally manufactured vehicles were made in the United States. The first serious challenge to U.S. dominance came from Japan—small, convenient cars that U.S. auto executives dismissed as low quality and unreliable, insisting that U.S. car buyers really preferred the mammoth, fuel-guzzling, high-profit vehicles with new models produced each year.

By 1967 the United States moved from a net auto exporter to a net auto importer. 

Today, the global auto market produces more than 75 million new cars a year. The United States is the second largest producer but only accounts for about 11% of the total. China is the largest, accounting for one-third.

 

https://www.dollarsandsense.org/driving-off-a-cliff/

….

Bill Barclay

Bill Barclay is a member of the Chicago Political Economy Group and a member of the Ventura County, Calif. chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). He worked for more than two decades in fin

 

 

  

The Steady Work of Moral Resistance

 The Steady Work of Moral Resistance

Authoritarians want a show down, but moral movements win the long game

JONATHAN WILSON-HARTGROVE

 AND 

WILLIAM J. BARBER, II

SEP 08, 2025

•  

Millions of Americans were heartened on June 14^th - No Kings Day - to meet our neighbors on the street in an historic demonstration of resistance to the authoritarian abuses of the Trump regime. The illegal firings of federal workers, the cancelation of federal grants, the shakedowns of corporations and universities, the violations of due process, and the usurpation of Congressional authority had advanced at breakneck speed since Trump returned to the Oval Office. A “flood the zone” strategy was designed to overwhelm resistance while the carefully laid plans of Project 2025 were put into place.

https://ourmoralmoment.substack.com/p/the-steady-work-of-moral-resistance?

 

 

The economics of Oligarchy

 by Heather Cox Richardson.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-3-2025?

Labor and Organizing to Resist Fascism Today

 https://ourmoralmoment.substack.com/p/labors-power-to-check-authoritarians?

The Poor People's Campaign