MARLBORO-"Can It Happen Here?," a conversation with longtime teacher and activist Tim Kipp, will take place on Thursday, June 5, at 7 p.m. at the Marlboro Community Center, 534 South Rd. This event is free.
Kipp taught history and political science at Brattleboro Union High School for 39 years, and has been a political activist since the 1960s.
It Can't Happen Here is the title of the 1935 Sinclair Lewis novel about a fascist takeover of the country. In the throes of the Great Depression, the U.S. economic and political system seemed vulnerable to extremist attacks.
The question of whether "it can happen here" has emerged again, and Kipp's presentation explores the current crisis confronting the political economy of the United States.
Kipp said the talk "will explore the coup fomented by President Trump and the Republican Party" and "will not examine the daily depredations of the current government, but rather will concentrate on the assaults on the structural and principle foundations of our government with a focus on the concentrations of economic and political authority, the ignoring of constitutional principles, the dysfunctional nature of the legislative and judicial branches, the executive disdain for legislative oversight and lawmaking powers, and the collapse of the already constrictive political party system."
"Today the forces of wealth and power are wielding unprecedented weapons that threaten the fundamentals of the republic," said Kipp. "It's not just policies and government departments that are under assault, but the very foundations of our democracy."
This presentation will provide opportunities for discussion. The lecture will be filmed and made available on BCTV and YouTube. This event is being organized by We Celebrate Democracy | Civil Rights For All.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.