The route to fascism is not marked by violence or upheaval; it is a road paved by acquiescence and silence, lies and deceit, willful ignorance and selfish complicity.

The strongest foundation of democracy, and thus the biggest impediment to totalitarianism, is built upon differing voices and ideas where the best, almost always a blend of concepts, arises from initial chaos and dissent. 

The founding document of our country, the Constitution, was not based on a single philosophy or point of view. There was a host of opinions, varying from a reconstituted American Monarchy to a completely powerless Federal Government, which contributed to the final version.

It was a model of consensus.

The result was a blend of checks and balances offering both stability, balance of powers, and guarantees of personal freedom.

An imperfect yet brilliant document.

In the 1780s slavery was ignored in the Constitution, as were women’s rights, due process for most individuals, and access to public education. Yet the authors included an innate wisdom and foresight allowing for change as the world changed.

All of this stands to be unraveled by the quest to make the Office of the President more powerful than the other branches.  The clear intent, spelled out in Project 2025 for those who bother to read it,  is to neuter Congress (which, because of its abandonment of compromise, has managed to emasculate itself) and the Supreme Court (which, through it’s smokescreen persona of strict original intent, is on track to undo almost 250 years of Judicial Progress.)

This is a familiar pattern to these marches toward totalitarianism, readily evident from history.

First, you offer a enemy posing a danger to the country. By demonizing every individual who has entered the country unlawfully they have taken the first step. 

By painting them with a wide brush as dangerous criminals (despite mounting evidence that those in the country illegally are less  likely to commit crimes than those born into citizenship) they create the phantasm of peoples biggest fears.

By promoting false stories of widespread welfare and Medicaid fraud contrary to the evidence, they enrage people struggling financially for entirely unrelated reasons, conditions caused by economic policies favoring the most wealthy put in place by these very same policy makers.

By encouraging tactics like masked officers running rampant over due process reinforces an emotionally driven frenzy to support the false narrative.

They are intentionally fueling a mob mentality devoid of rationality.

Then, you target the most vocal opposition voices, law firms, independent educational institutions, and those who work at or run these entities casting them as anti-American, and silence the necessary but inconvenient arguments against these policies.

And lastly, you target the free press. A free, independent media posting stories about unlawful or dangerous government policies and actions is an anathema to fascism.

You create false narratives. Repeat the lies over and over. Spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt. The necessary fertilizer for fascism to take root.

Evidence of the duplicitious nature of these policiy actions are right in front of us. This administration has kowtowed media agencies, law firms, and universities with threats targeting their financial well-being. Some have stood bravely in opposition, resisting such extortion. Others have cowardly surrendered.

And their purpose is to draw focus away from the real goal of this administrations policy, sole dominance of government power.

And now a new tactic emerges. If you can’t silence a media outlet, you let your FCC approve an acquisition by a more friendly entity.  The merger of Paramount (CBS News parent company) and Sky Dance Media is the latest example. (Link to story here)

On its face, it seems a smart business move. Sky Dance, founded by David Elllison, the son of Larry Ellison of Oracle, is a successful business person.  He contributed to the Biden campaign until Biden withdrew.  Lately, he has been at events with President Trump. Nothing obviously sinister here.

Our downfall will not come from outside, many Americans will walk off the cliff like lemmings of their own volition waving flags and banners of America First and MAGA that will prove to be poor parachutes.

Joe Broadmeadow

But as always, the devil is in the details and the obscure language those in power know most people don’t bother to read. The major financial partner of Sky Dance Media is RedBird Capital. One of the principal officers is Gerry Cardinale.  Again, on its face, a successful  American businessperson.

Cardinale has donated to Republican and conservative causes. All perfectly legal. But it’s the language in the FCC announcement, coupled with this political affiliation background of the companies and individuals involved in the merger, that should give one pause. Particularly in light of the Citizens United decision which allows corporations with deep pockets a limitless ability to use their wealth to influence (control) government. (https://campaignlegal.org/document/citizens-united-v-fec-supreme-court-opinion)

CBS has been one of the most effective free media organizations in American history. Not perfect, they’ve made mistakes, but the news coverage and investigative journalism is legendary and often a thorn in the side of politicians.

The announcement by the FCC about the approval of the merger contained information on a concerning aspect of the approval. The head of th FCC said, 

“It’s time for a change.” Carr emphasized that the newly formed media giant would prioritize “unbiased journalism” and confirmed it would not pursue programs tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Does this mean it will pursue programs of homogeneity, inequity, and exclusivity? You know, like the good ole days when America was great.

“The approval came after Skydance and its investment partner, RedBird Capital, assured the FCC of their commitment to unbiased journalism that represents diverse viewpoints. Skydance said it would appoint an ombudsman to evaluate complaints of editorial bias or other concerns about CBS in an effort to promote transparency and increased accountability.” (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/07/24/fcc-8-billion-paramount-skydance-merger/85366104007/)

CBS will now, in all likelihood, became a shell of its former self. And there will be a chorus of voices celebrating the event, until they realize, too late, what they have allowed to happen. They stood by as their chosen government created the mechanism for Newspeak right before their eyes.

Is this just another wild conspiracy theory? I hope it is. But at least here we can be forearmed and observant. Unlike the idiotic contention of President Obama being guilty of conspiracy, something the administration and its minions created from whole cloth without even a shred of evidence, this potential silencing of CBS News if fraught with real consequences.

Did anyone even bother to read their so-called bomb shell documents? There is better evidence for the existence of Big Foot than the nonsense they offered for treason. Sadly, this is not joking matter. There is a real threat to our freedom.

Our downfall will not come from outside, many Americans will walk off the cliff like lemmings of their own volition waving flags and banners of America First and MAGA that will prove to be poor parachutes.