Have you been accused of being part of the Deep State? The last few years have seen many references to this alleged nefarious group. What is it? There is no doubt it really exists, but you may surprised where you will find it.
The concept of the deep state existed long before the people with the tin foil hats warned about. For them it is some sort of mysterious cabal that wants to control the world for nefarious purposes, sort of like a James Bond villain. It has historical antecedents most often tinged with anti-Semitism, anti-Catholicism. The Masons and international bankers have often been lumped into the deep state as well. We even see vestiges of this anti-Semitism today.
The notion reached its zenith in the late 1800s with the publication of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. This document purportedly was about a conference of Jewish leaders who discussed plans to enslave and kill Christians and exploit them. The document was forged by Russian security officials during tsarist to deflect attention from the government’s failure to protect its citizens. The Protocols have been debunked numerous times, but seems to have had a long shelf life as it has been passed through the ages and still has a presence on the internet today.
Henry Ford, a notorious anti-Semite, was a major advocate of this document and sponsored its publication in the United States by disseminating it in the Dearborn Independent, a newspaper he purchased and turned into an Anti-Semitic rag. Anyone who purchased a Ford drove out of the showroom had a copy of this had a copy of this anti-Semitic newspaper placed on the seat of a new car. Adolf Hitler’s thinking on Jews was greatly influenced by the Protocol. He openly admired Henry Ford’s commitment to anti-Semitism, mentioned him in Mein Kampf, and awarded a high honor for his efforts.
Hitler may not have actually used the term deep state, but his efforts to undermine the democratically elected Weimar clearly aimed at Jews, Bolshevik, labor unions, bankers, Catholics etc. It was a pretty effective propaganda technique at a time when the country suffered from depression and political polarization.
Today the people who are actually defending democratic norms and law and order are falsely labeled as the deep state. They are the true heroes. Government workers and especially those in the intelligence community take an oath to uphold the Constitution, not the President’s own vendettas. These true heroes support law and order, democratic norms, and answer to all three branches of the government–executive, legislative, and judicial. They are committed to a strong national security effort and don’t mollycoddle America’s traditional enemies, like Russia, China, and North Korea. They serve all Administrations regardless of political party even if they didn’t vote for them. They are the true nationalists in that their eyes are fixed on the United States and not individual parties. Finally, they don’t bully their fellow Americans and label them with vile terms.
If they are falsely blamed for being the deep state, who are the real members? You can find them easily. They are the ones who are yelling loudest about the deep state. They are trying to subvert democracy and the principles that made this country great for their own selfish interests. These are the Breitbarts, the Steven Millers, many (not all) of the Fox reporters, and most of all the corrupt Donald Trump and his murderous friend, Vladimir Putin.
I would like to think that this country will wake up before it is too late. That is what many thought would happen in Germany, but it didn’t. I hope Republicans and Democrats will band together, say this is not right, and argue to restore our nation’s values. They will seldom agree on anything except on the norms which make this country great.