The Ghost of Woodrow Wilson

https://apnews.com/article/russian-interference-florida-elections-americans-charged-32324ddc67b2f32b0cdab13db6f6acb4

During World War I, the Wilson administration targeted dissenters and critics of America's war policy and in many cases jailed and deported them. Even suggesting that someone shouldn't register for the draft was enough to warrant an investigation and possible arrest. It was also a time of vigilante groups, and unofficial 'shadow' units within police and sheriff's departments. Groups like the American Legion also played a part in pursuing and harassing critics of the war.

By the 1970's, such actions and even attitudes seemed a distant memory. The country had grown both wary of McCarthyism and weary of Vietnam – no one wanted to go back down these roads.

But after 9/11, that began to change. The groundwork was re-laid for the kind of regime established by Wilson even if it was not fully implemented or enforced. In truth it didn't have to be as the anti-war movement (apart from a flash in the pan at the beginning of 2003) is effectively non-existent. The country has been a state of perpetual war for over twenty years. Over a million people have died, the government is fighting dozens of small-scale mostly hidden conflicts – and no one seems to care. The public has been so heavily propagandized that there's little chance of an anti-war movement re-emerging – unless the US starts to suffer major casualties in a war. Even Vietnam has been rehabilitated and the narrative revised. The economic decline in the country has meant that the poorest areas like the Rust Belt and Appalachia are now the most fervently pro-military as they are disproportionately represented in the US armed forces. For the many of the young people of the region, the military is the only ticket to a middle class life.

Though few seem to understand it – war abroad always means war at home. The public must be subjected to a campaign of intimidation and propaganda. Though it's rarely discussed openly, it's clear enough that the government fears resurgent labour movements or anything else that might disrupt the war machine.

The recent Pentagon leaks have fully exposed the magnitude of US lies about Ukraine and Washington's role in that conflict – though the media will scarcely cover this aspect of the story. All the attention is focused on what was revealed about Russia and on the accused Air National Guardsman. In light of these leaks, the long and lingering fear in Washington is starting to generate a response and action.

There are elements both on the Far Right and the Left that oppose the war – and neither qualify as 'Russian stooges' as the media would suggest. A recent attempt was made to bring these elements together on the basis of opposing the war (the so-called Rage Against the War Machine rally) but such is notion is farcical and self-defeating. The Right-libertarian factions remain blind to the realities of the economic system they champion and the role it has played in the US pushing for this proxy war with Russia – and the coming war with China. The event also sponsored outright fascist speakers as well. And for those on the Left who think they can ally with these forces to stop war – they are delusional to say the least.

But there is another possibility that makes some on Wall Street and within the corridors of Washington power centres look over their shoulder in alarm – and that would be the confluence of Left-wing activism and labour, movements that did coalesce just over a century ago during the time of Wilson.

US manufacturing is already deficient and struggling to keep up with demand. Labour disruptions could seriously disrupt Pentagon planning and you can be sure both Moscow and Beijing are taking this into consideration should large-scale war ever erupt. And for those on the Left, the context of a war might provide the moment to reach out to labor and incorporate them in a larger campaign of opposition.

And so we see this campaign of repression being waged by the state – it's still fairly low-key but it stands to reason that it will expand. Right now they're targeting fringe groups but we shouldn't be surprised to see this escalate especially as the situation in Ukraine evolves. We're also seeing similar efforts in Canada as Ukrainian activists (which are proportionately more numerous and influential than in the United States) are pushing for legislation to muzzle critics of the war and Ottawa's support for Kyiv.

It must be remembered that Trudeau's deputy Chrystia Freeland is the granddaughter of a Ukrainian fascist and Nazi collaborator and she has as both foreign minister (2017-2019) and Deputy PM (2019-present) pursued Right-wing and anti-Russian policies in accord with the war planners in Washington. During the Cold War, Washington and in particular the RNC retained ties with WWII-era fascists from Ukraine – individuals and movements that live on. Experiencing a literal rebirth in the wake of Ukrainian independence in 1991, these political parties exercise influence in Kyiv to this very day.

The previous charges of Russian interference and influence peddling with regard to US elections have largely been exaggerated or proven outright false. But now that Washington is all but waging open war against Moscow – such attempts to sow discord are hardly surprising or unwarranted. What does Putin have to lose at this point? It's almost a case of self-fulfilling prophecy – a case of US propaganda based on lies in the process of becoming reality.

As far as influence peddling, that's common enough and lots of countries lobby and attempt to influence elections by means of social media, advertising alliances, and the like. There's nothing new about this and as stated repeatedly, the US has no moral standing as it has manipulated politics and overthrown more governments over the past 125 years than any other country on Earth. The misnamed National Endowment for Democracy (NED) created under Reagan in 1983 is in actuality a Washington-backed organisation meant to subvert democracy. It engages in exactly the kind of conduct Russia is being accused of – but in earnest and on a massive scale. And sadly there are Evangelical groups that cooperate with this imperialist mechanism.

The story out of Florida smells funny to say the least and smacks of DeSantis and his culture war. The charges are federal but I have a feeling there's more to this story. It also strikes me as a rather cynical attempt to re-kindle the now dead Russiagate campaign. As the Ukraine War no longer captivates the public, this seems a convenient attempt to stoke the fires of public anger and angst concerning Russia. As the US moves into campaign season, aspiring politicians will make a lot of hay out of these stories. There are still deluded people that believe Moscow is going to push into NATO and EU countries – this would be the same Russian army that couldn't even get to Kyiv. It's ridiculous and the spectre of Black Socialists will gain no small degree of traction in certain circles generating more anger and fear – which is precisely the point.