The Oath Keepers are a military fascist group that is set on invading Wyoming. Is Wyoming headed toward fascism?
Here are four concerning signs to watch for.
Is History Repeating Itself?
Out of curiosity, I googled the ages of three of the most horrendous rulers of the 20th Century Western World: Joseph Stalin, Adolph Hitler, and Benito Mussolini. What raised this curiosity is the direction Wyoming politics are headed because of the man behind the scenes: Frank Eathorne. He was born in 1968, which makes him 54, a little bit older than the others, but potentially as dangerous.
Besides their young ages, these men had another thing in common: Charisma. They won the people over with their smiles and wily ways, but when it came down to it, they were some of the worst human beings, brutal and certainly not charming once in power! Eathorne has also been described as charismatic. A nice guy to be around.
The other thing that brought these men into power was a government that was in chaos and ruins, and the people were looking for a savior.
Joseph Stalin was 46 years old when he became leader of the USSR (Union of Socialist Republics). He had complete control over the people and would force dissenters into labor camps. Hundreds of thousands of Russians died under his rule from 1929-1953, when he died of a stroke.
Adolph Hitler was 43 when he was elected Chancellor to the Germans in 1933. Nothing further needs to be said about the destruction he caused. His terror ended in 1945 when he died a defeated and crazed man.
Benito Mussolini was 39 in 1922 when he formed the Nationalist Fascist Party. A soldier in World War I, he came home with the idea that the government needed changing. He developed the idea of fascism while in Milan, Italy, and by 1922, he encouraged thousands of Italians to march on Rome to take over the government. He advocated that the common will of the people was the law of the state.
In the 1924 parliamentary election for Prime Minister, he used intimidation and fraud to win 66% of the vote. He immediately closed opposition newspapers, banned public protest gatherings, and made all political parties illegal except for Fascism. He also formed a political police force that terrorized the citizens with their militia-like ways.
He partnered with Hitler to assist in fighting the war, but neither the German nor Italian armies were a match to the brutal fighting methods of the Russians. Mussolini also launched an attack on Greece and was severely defeated. By then the Italians had had enough of him and ordered him arrested, but Mussolini escaped back to Milan, which was under German control.
On April 28, 1943, an anti-fascist group shot him and the next day the people of Milan hung him up by his heels, cheering that he was dead.
Is Fascism Threatening Wyoming?
The Wyoming Republican Party is broken. Frank Eathorne is the Chairman of the Central Committee, is a confirmed Oath Keeper, and was present at the January 6 debacle on the capital. The Oath Keepers are heavy in the news these days with many being found guilty of seditious conspiracy – in other words, marching on Washington with the idea of taking over the government. Many Oath Keepers are losing their freedom because they believed the great lie. They thought they were doing something good for the country, when actually, it was just a scam.
This militia-type thinking has invaded the essence of Wyoming politics. Let us take a look at exactly how this fascist mentality is taking over Wyoming. There are several kinds of fascism, Hitler’s Nazi party was one – there are others established in the United States, but the one threatening Wyoming is the Oath Keepers.
The five elements of fascism that pertain to what is happening in Wyoming are these:
- Absolute Power of the State. This means total control over all major parts of society. Already this has happened with the elections that overthrew Liz Cheney. Fraud and intimidation are written all over the elections of 2022. The Secretary of State, Chuck Grey, is second in command. If anything happens to the governor, he is first in command. Chuck is in tight with Frank Eathorne. Does the implication need to be clearer. Censoring candidates and legislators that do not agree with Eathorne’s “agenda” is implicitly expressing absolute power.
2. Rule by dictator. Wouldn’t Frank love to have complete control over the people of Wyoming? If he continues on this trajectory, and the people don’t stop him, he will become a dictator. He has already expressed interest in Wyoming seceding from the nation.
3. Extreme Nationalism. The use of outside threats to build a new society based on the “common will” of the people. How often have you heard, “It’s what the people of Wyoming want.” Well, I am a person of Wyoming, and I don’t want what they want, so I guess my will isn’t “common.” Fascism does not rely on science and reason and uses national myths for guidance.
Myths such as the “big lie of the stolen election.” These are used against us to stir us up. We know the election wasn’t stolen, but if it is repeated enough, it must be so. Stir up the people so they don’t know what to believe, and they will believe the leader that speaks the loudest. The Oath Keeper.
4. Superiority of the people. Hitler demonstrated this quiet well with his treatment of the Jews, but Mussolini wasn’t any better. Jews fought alongside Mussolini and supported his fascism, but he turned on them and sent them to the concentration camps.
In Wyoming, we have the good-old-boys and their cronies – dark-red conservatives – they like to be called. If you do not agree with them, then it is the ax for you. Discrimination, invalidation, ostracism, censorship. We all have to think like Frank, or we are toast.
5. Militarism and Imperialism. We aren’t there yet, but we do incarcerate more people than we should. 1:58 are under some kind of correctional control (prison, jail, probation, parole). That’s ten percent of our population! If Wyoming were a country, we would be 2nd in the world for incarcerating women! There is no public disclosure if an officer gets reprimanded or dismissed. The police hide behind their “blue wall” to keep the public at bay.
Corruption or Conservatism?
Corruption means not following the law and doing as you please, not having ethics, and no moral compass. If conservatism means corruption, then this is it. I’m probably jaded, I admit, but I’ve seen things in the last ten years that never should happen to anyone and all because of people not doing their jobs. We disrupted and maybe ended a woman’s political career because we believe the lies. How many other Republicans have stepped down from their posts because they do not like the way things are going?
Stepping down is not the answer.
It is true. People like Eathorne and Stalin and Mussolini and Hitler are bullies. They are not easy to deal with. At first it seems better to just give in. After all, they are being so NICE!!! Beware of Mr. Nice Guy. He would just as soon have you for lunch, but all you see is his charismatic smile.
Bullies want you to step down. That’s why they are successful at bullying. When it comes down to it, all that’s left are little men who have issues of power and control. They take those issues out on whoever will let them, but once confronted, their machismo disappears, and they slink away in shame.
Bullies prey on the weak. The dictators of the 20th century preyed on the weak and unsuspecting. They talked a great walk, but in the end, the only walk for the citizens was death and destruction.
History only repeats itself if the people do not learn from it. We do not have to repeat the travesties of the 20th century. We know now what we did not know then. The people were hungry and desperate and were looking for anything to relieve them of their destitution. Sad but true, the leaders they looked to were not honest and certainly did not have the people’s best interests in mind.
Confronting a bully does not always bring honor. Standing up for what is right does not always work out the way we want it to. Look what happened to Liz Cheney. But what do you do, just quit? Let them take over and rule the world? There were wars in the 20th Century to stop the bullies, but wars do not have to be fought with guns.
Stepping down is not the answer. Standing up and being counted is.
People are speaking out, but it takes more than just words to stop what’s going on in Wyoming today. It will take action to defragment the current members of the Republican Party who are privy to this mayhem. Instead of letting Eathorne get away with his ways, the Real Republicans need to take control over their party and quit pandering to a little man who will not exist without power and control.
I mean this figuratively, of course, but let’s do what the Italians did and hang Eathorne by his heels! Maybe others would get the hint if we stood united against the small group of Republicans that want to take over our state.
Mussolini and Trump
Thanks for reading.
