America’s right-wing radicals - US veterans against democracy

- https://youtu.be/3W-rUY0nDxo?si=5XNV3jM7Zs_IdI3o

## 美国政治极端主义与退伍军人的参与

这部纪录片揭示了美国政治极端主义的兴起，尤其是退伍军人在其中扮演的角色，以及这种趋势对美国民主构成的威胁。

**重要事件和信息:**

**1. 2021 年 1 月 6 日国会山暴乱 (The Capitol Attack):**

- 一群暴徒冲击了美国国会大厦 (US Capitol)，其中许多人是退伍军人 (military veterans)，试图阻止乔·拜登 (Joe Biden) 成为总统。
- 这次袭击造成了一名警察和四名示威者死亡，150 名警察受伤，四名执勤警察事后自杀。
- 唐纳德·特朗普 (Donald Trump) 在推特上发布视频，称赞参与者“干得好”。
- 大量退伍军人因参与暴乱而被指控，引发了美国社会对退伍军人参与极端主义的担忧。

**2. 极端组织的崛起 (The Rise of Extremist Groups):**

- **骄傲男孩 (Proud Boys):** 极右翼组织，被加拿大政府列为恐怖组织，以支持西方价值观和拥护持枪权为名，宣扬暴力对抗“坏人”。
- **誓言守护者 (Oath Keepers):** 极端组织，主要招募执法人员、现役军人和退伍军人，试图推翻政府。其创始人斯图尔特·罗德斯 (Stuart Rhods) 是前美国陆军伞兵，拥有耶鲁大学法律学位。
- **百分之三者 (Three Percenters):** 极端组织，以美国宪法为名，反对政府，认为白人有权存在，主张用暴力夺回权力。
- 这些组织利用退伍军人的信誉和奉献精神，将他们招募到自己的队伍中，并利用他们所带来的军事技能和组织能力，使运动变得更加危险。

**3. 历史的回响 (Echoes of History):**

- 纪录片回顾了三 K 党 (Ku Klux Klan) 的历史，该组织最初是一个退伍军人社会组织，后来演变成一个使用暴力和恐吓手段压制非裔美国人投票权的恐怖组织。
- 三 K 党利用当时的社会紧张局势招募成员，并成功地阻止了非裔美国人投票长达 100 年，证明了政治极端主义的危险性。

**4. 选举颠覆与压制选民 (Election Subversion and Voter Suppression):**

- 特朗普及其支持者宣扬“选举舞弊”的谎言，试图推翻 2020 年大选结果。
- 共和党在一些州通过法律限制投票权，试图压制少数族裔的投票。
- 纪录片指出，恐吓和暴力是压制选民的一种形式，与选举颠覆密切相关。

**5. 迈克尔·弗林 (Michael Flynn) 的影响 (The Influence of Michael Flynn):**

- 前美国陆军三星级将军，曾任国防情报局局长，后成为特朗普的坚定支持者，公开呼吁逮捕希拉里·克林顿，并因涉嫌隐瞒与俄罗斯的关系被特朗普解雇后被赦免。
- 弗林利用其军衔和军事经验，宣扬激进的政治观点，煽动对政府的不信任，并试图将退伍军人卷入其运动中。

**6. 新一代极端主义 (A New Generation of Extremism):**

- Z 世代退伍军人，在相对和平的时期服役，没有经历过实战，更容易受到网络上的极端主义宣传的影响。
- 他们渴望战斗，寻求目标感和归属感，容易被极端组织所利用。

**7. 解决方案与希望 (Solutions and Hope):**

- 纪录片呼吁社会关注退伍军人参与极端主义的问题，并采取措施预防和干预。
- 强调教育和批判性思维的重要性，帮助人们抵制虚假信息和阴谋论。
- 呼吁政治领袖承担责任，停止传播谎言和分裂言论，共同维护民主制度。

**8. 个人责任与行动 (Individual Responsibility and Action):**

- 鼓励公民积极参与社区事务，监督政府，抵制极端主义。
- 强调真相和正义的重要性，追究那些试图伤害美国和美国人民的人的责任。
- 纪录片以一个充满希望的结尾，呼吁人们团结起来，共同维护民主和自由。

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## American Political Extremism and the Involvement of Veterans

This documentary unveils the rise of political extremism in the United States, particularly the role veterans play in it, and the threat this trend poses to American democracy.

**Key events and information:**

**1. The Capitol Attack on January 6, 2021:**

- A mob stormed the US Capitol, many of whom were military veterans, attempting to prevent Joe Biden from becoming president.
- The attack resulted in the death of one police officer and four demonstrators, injuries to 150 police officers, and the subsequent suicides of four officers on duty that day.
- Donald Trump tweeted a video praising the participants for doing a "good job."
- A significant number of veterans were charged for their involvement in the riot, raising concerns in American society about veteran participation in extremism.

**2. The Rise of Extremist Groups:**

- **Proud Boys:** A far-right organization classified as a terrorist group by the Canadian government, using the guise of supporting Western values and gun rights to advocate violence against "bad guys."
- **Oath Keepers:** An extremist organization primarily recruiting law enforcement officials, active-duty soldiers, and veterans, seeking to overthrow the government. Its founder, Stuart Rhods, is a former US Army paratrooper with a law degree from Yale.
- **Three Percenters:** An extremist organization, invoking the US Constitution to oppose the government, claiming that white people have the right to exist and advocating violence to reclaim power.
- These organizations exploit the credibility and commitment of veterans, recruiting them into their ranks and leveraging their military skills and organizational capabilities to make the movement more dangerous.

**3. Echoes of History:**

- The documentary revisits the history of the Ku Klux Klan, initially a veteran social organization that evolved into a terrorist organization using violence and intimidation to suppress African American voting rights.
- The KKK utilized prevailing social tensions to recruit members and successfully prevented African Americans from voting for 100 years, demonstrating the dangers of political extremism.

**4. Election Subversion and Voter Suppression:**

- Trump and his supporters propagated the "election fraud" lie to attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.
- The Republican Party passed laws in some states restricting voting access to suppress minority votes.
- The documentary highlights that intimidation and violence are a form of voter suppression closely intertwined with election subversion, both in American history and today.

**5. The Influence of Michael Flynn:**

- A former three-star general in the US Army and director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Flynn became a staunch Trump supporter, openly calling for Hillary Clinton's arrest and receiving a pardon from Trump after being fired for allegedly concealing his ties to Russia.
- Flynn utilizes his rank and military experience to promote radical political views, incite distrust in the government, and attempt to draw veterans into his movement.

**6. A New Generation of Extremism:**

- Generation Z veterans, who served during a time of relative peace and lack combat experience, are more susceptible to extremist propaganda online.
- They yearn for combat, seeking purpose and belonging, making them vulnerable to exploitation by extremist organizations.

**7. Solutions and Hope:**

- The documentary calls for societal attention to the issue of veteran involvement in extremism and urges preventive and intervention measures.
- It emphasizes the importance of education and critical thinking to help people resist misinformation and conspiracy theories.
- It appeals to political leaders to take responsibility, stop spreading lies and divisive rhetoric, and work together to uphold democracy.

**8. Individual Responsibility and Action:**

- It encourages citizens to actively participate in community affairs, hold the government accountable, and resist extremism.
- It stresses the importance of truth and justice, holding accountable those who attempt to harm America and Americans.
- The documentary concludes with a hopeful note, calling for unity and collective efforts to preserve democracy and freedom.