An Google AI Overview states:

“Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian political ideology characterized by extreme nationalism, a strong centralized government, a dictatorial leader, forcible suppression of opposition, and the subordination of individual rights to the perceived needs of the nation or state, often promoting militarism and a cult of national rebirth. It stands in stark opposition to democracy, liberalism, and communism, controlling society and the economy through total state power, as seen in regimes of Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in Germany.”

One of my son’s “Secret (Bonus-Mom) Santa” gifts was a wonderful theatrical performance of “The Sound of Music” at the Opera House in Boston on January 8th. Cayleigh Capaldi was wonderful as Maria, and Christiane Noll blew the roof off the Opera House with “Climb Every Mountain” as Mother Abbess.

Our day in Boston began around 3:30 with a 10,000+ step self-guided walking tour through Boston Common, past the outdoor skating rink, and into the Public Gardens, then down Newbury Street, and back up Boylston Street to the French Quarter on Washington, a cozy New Orleans-style eatery next to the Opera House.

The show was a brief respite from the news of the world, the most recent horror being the killing of US citizen, Renee Good, by an ICE Agent in Minneapolis. As the play moved to the Salzburg Festival, the von Trapp family performed, while using the event as cover to escape the Nazis. Five large red, white, and black Nazi flags were an ominous backdrop to the depicted festival. The images seared into my retinas, swirling in my mind with images of the parallel behaviors currently unfolding on our American streets.

Back on Boston Common, Americans peacefully demonstrated “to demand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents leave the city and halt operations nationwide.”

In a social media post attributed to Karly Kingsley, she opined:

“The Obama administration deported over 3.16 million people. Biden’s passed 4.44 million. Not once did either need troops in the streets to do it. That’s all you need to know about what’s happening.”