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@gleick "ICE agents wearing brown uniforms" is very on the nose

@MichaelWest @gleick Gestapo ("Secret state police") actually generally did not wear an uniform in the classical sense.

@yacc143 @MichaelWest @gleick The cliche Gestapo officers were depicted very well in the British comedy series 'Allo Allo':

@midgephoto @MichaelWest @gleick The party uniform of the NSDAP was brown.

Even after they come into power.

As the party colours of the right-extremist/fascist parties in Austria are blue, they are sometimes called "blaun" an artificial combination of "blau" (blue) and "braun" (brown), to "subtly" point out their fascist tendencies.

@yacc143 @midgephoto @MichaelWest @gleick The origin of the brown shirts worn by the SA was an accident of history. Not long after the end of WWI, some uniform maker got stuck wirh a huge run of unsold brown uniform shirts. The early Nazi Party (NSDAP) scooped them up on the cheap, and adopted them as part of the SA's uniform.

The SA were full of shit wirh the Stormtroopers name BTW: the name originaly referred to elite "push-men," shock troops kept out of battle until it was time to attempt to storm an opposing trench under a rain of artillery as suppressive fire. Most WWI armies had them under various names, the Italian Arditi were probably the most capable. Germany's stormtroopers managed more than once to force a breach in the stalemated front, only to find the regular army could not exploit the breakthroughs.

This was due to reliance on horse-drawn transport, and meant the war continued until all sides were utterly exhausted. Germany's WWI stormtroopers had a casualty rate of about 25%, not sure if that was total or per battle but the latter seems lilely. On the front they were often treated as rock stars. Imagine Manowar or Sabaton on a front line in Ukraine, that's the kind of attention they got.

Years later the Nazis appropriated the name for street-fighting hooigans who never had to storm anything tougher than a beer hall. Beer halls defended by Communists could put up a good fight, and were nearly a match for the Naziss but not quite. The Beer Hall Putsch proved these so-called "stormtroopers" could not even handle armed police much less fight a serious military unit. A tough antifa-held beer hall was their absolute limit.

Yet when you say "stormtrooper" today people think either of the SA or the white-armored regular troops of the Empire in Star Wars. The "push-men" of all the WWI armies who tried ro break the stalemate and thus stop the meat grinder are all but forgotten.

The second and third meanings both fit ICE, they'd shit their pants trying to take a trench defended by an army wirh cannon and machine guns, say in Ukraine today.

Today's version of the SA would be the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and 3%'ers. Next to even regular troops they look like out of shape reservists or maybe just cosplayers. I've faced them in battle myself several times. They are best compared to fake US Navy SEALs wirh store-bought tridents.

@LukefromDC @yacc143 @MichaelWest @gleick
And Mussolini and Mosley's lot, the latter satirised by P G Wodehouse as Spode's Black Shorts.
An unrelievedly vile collection.

@UlrikNyman @midgephoto @MichaelWest @gleick As I said, they deny it when it's convenient, while basking in the "glory" of it at other times.

@musevg
Yes, but the SA were simple bullies.
Used to terrorise political opponents. To own the streets.
@MichaelWest @gleick

What I'm trying to postulate here is, the new fascists are literally not interested in being 100% replicas of the historical ones, a) the historical ones failed, and b) the differences can be used to claim one isn't a fascist when it's convenient to do so. 2/2

@maddad @gleick Sadistic, not Sovjet, though by impact easy to confuse

@BLTpizza @gleick

American democracy has always been controlled by the rich.
Back in the 60's - 80's an idiotic clown like #tRump would of never gotten elected.
Now that circus in DC is making it look normal. They have to go.

@maddad @gleick If the Know Nothing party existed at that time trump would have been their candidate

@pdiff1 @gleick clearly an example of FAFO

@MarkNay @gleick Not completely. The representative in question has repeatedly stood against right wing policies as a R and is not entirely a rubber stamp. They even tried to have her excommunicated from the party (they failed). The case simply demonstrates how even people within the party face pressure and threats to conform.

@admin Ooh, the leopards licked her face. @pdiff1 @gleick

@Jem_of_Oz You know that a French politician wants Lady Liberty back? https://www.france24.com/en/france/20250316-french-mp-demands-the-us-give-us-back-the-statue-of-liberty @gleick

@itzme2 Wait when France has installed it's tariffs on wine and champagne. @gleick

@yuhasz01 Golly, thanks for explaining! I had no idea.

@gleick Just pointing out the obvious(that gets lost some times). NYT plays both sides of an issue for corporate self interests, not so much journalistic integrity...... a lot.

@vlindervriendje @gleick Not all white men, only healthy straight white man are safe.

@gunstick

That is what I was trying to say. Thank you

@gleick

@edithmair1 @gleick What about Mussolini's Brown Shirted, Jackbooted Thugs?