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Posted by Joshua Scheer
As the United States hurtles deeper into political, economic, and imperial crisis, the word “fascism” is no longer rhetorical—it’s descriptive. On this week’s Clearing the FOG, Margaret Flowers speaks with attorney, longtime movement organizer, and Law and Disorder co‑host Michael Steven Smith about his new book, From the Flag to the Cross: Fascism American Style. Co‑edited with Zachary Sklar, the book gathers leading socialist thinkers—including Chris Hedges, Richard Wolff, Henry Giroux, Margaret Kimberley, and Shama Sawant—to examine how the United States is sliding toward authoritarianism and what it will take to resist it.
Smith traces how decades of neoliberal austerity, endless war, corporate consolidation, and bipartisan attacks on civil liberties have created the conditions for a distinctly American form of fascism. He argues that capitalism and democracy are fundamentally incompatible—and that the only path out of the current crisis requires a mass movement capable of confronting both. Flowers and Smith also discuss the rapidly escalating U.S.–Israeli attack on Iran, the global backlash it has triggered, and how militarism abroad is inseparable from repression at home.
This is a moment when events are moving fast, institutions are failing, and the stakes for ordinary people are rising. Smith’s analysis—and the book’s collective call for organized, strategic resistance—offers a crucial framework for understanding where we are and what comes next.
The Guest Michael Steven Smith is an attorney, a former board member at the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the cohost of the nationally broadcast radio show Law and Disorder. He is the author, editor, and co-editor of many books, mostly recently Imagine: Living In A Socialist U.S.A. and “The Emerging Police State,” by William M. Kunstler. He has testified before committees of the United States Congress and the United Nations on human rights issues. Mr. Smith lives and practiced law in New York City with his wife Debby, where on behalf of seriously injured persons he sues insurance companies and occasionally the New York City Police Department.
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The United States Is On The Path To Fascism; How To Change Course By Margaret Flowers, Clearing the FOG.
• What the Book Argues
- From the Flag to the Cross examines how U.S. capitalism has produced the conditions for a uniquely American strain of fascism.
- Contributors include Chris Hedges, Richard Wolff, Diane Feely, Henry Giroux, Bill Mullen, Margaret Kimberley, and Shama Sawant.
- The book draws inspiration from Leon Trotsky’s Fascism: What It Is and How to Fight It and Bertolt Brecht’s insistence that fascism must be understood as a product of capitalism.
• Smith’s Definition of Fascism
- Ultra‑nationalism, authoritarian leadership, militarism, suppression of dissent, racism, misogyny, homophobia, and rejection of democratic norms.
- Smith argues the U.S. is exhibiting all of these traits—from executive overreach to mass detention infrastructure to escalating militarism abroad.
• Capitalism vs. Democracy
- Smith: “Capitalism and democracy are incompatible. Capitalism and fascism are compatible.”
- Extreme wealth concentration—three billionaires holding as much wealth as half the country—makes democratic governance impossible.
• The Iran War Context
- Flowers outlines the U.S.–Israeli attack on Iran, the collapse of negotiations, and the rapid regional escalation.
- Iran’s response, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and global economic fallout underscore the dangers of U.S. militarism.
- International legal experts call the attack a violation of the UN Charter and an act of aggression.
• Domestic Repression Rising
- ICE expansion, new detention centers, and increased militarization reflect the internal side of U.S. authoritarian drift.
- Smith warns that repression at home and aggression abroad are two sides of the same political project.
• Signs of Resistance
- Union victories (Volkswagen Chattanooga), climate‑jobs coalitions, and global anti‑fascist organizing show that movements are building.
- Smith emphasizes the need for mass action—including the possibility of a general strike—to halt the slide toward authoritarianism.
War, Taxes, and the People’s Budget: Michael Stephen Smith on Building a Movement Against Endless War
As the United States pours staggering sums of money into wars abroad, many Americans feel powerless to challenge the priorities of a political system that consistently favors military spending over human needs. But longtime peace activist and musician Michael Stephen Smith argues that ordinary people have more leverage than they think — especially when they focus on how their tax dollars are used.
In a recent conversation on the radio program Clearing the Fog, Smith spoke about the deep connections between militarism, economic inequality, and the political struggle to redirect public resources toward social needs.
Smith has been active in movements for peace and justice for decades. Known both for his music and his organizing, he is currently involved with efforts to build a national campaign for what activists call a “People’s Budget” — a reimagining of federal spending priorities that would shift money away from war and toward housing, healthcare, education, and environmental protection.
At the center of his message is a simple but often overlooked fact: the United States spends more on its military than the next several nations combined. Meanwhile, basic social programs remain underfunded and millions of people struggle to afford necessities.
“For many Americans,” Smith explained, “the question isn’t whether the country has the resources to address problems like poverty, climate change, or healthcare. The question is where the money is going.”
And a huge portion of it, he notes, is going to war.
The Cost of Permanent War
The U.S. has been engaged in continuous military conflict for decades, from Afghanistan and Iraq to more recent escalations involving Iran and the broader Middle East. While the details of each conflict vary, Smith says the underlying pattern remains the same: enormous public spending, massive profits for defense contractors, and devastating consequences for civilians.
The wars are financed largely through federal spending approved by Congress, meaning they are ultimately funded by taxpayers.
That fact has led Smith and other organizers to focus on the relationship between taxation and military policy.
“People often feel disconnected from foreign policy decisions,” he said. “But those decisions are literally being paid for with our money.”
Smith argues that this connection can become a powerful organizing tool. When people understand that their tax dollars are helping fund bombs, weapons systems, and military deployments, they may begin asking deeper questions about how public money should be used.
From Protest to Budget Politics
For much of the past half-century, anti-war activism has focused on protests, marches, and direct opposition to specific conflicts. While Smith values those traditions, he believes movements must also address the economic structures that sustain militarism.
That’s where the idea of a People’s Budget comes in.
The concept has been promoted by a coalition of progressive organizations seeking to show what federal spending might look like if human needs were prioritized over military expansion.
Instead of dedicating hundreds of billions of dollars annually to defense spending, a People’s Budget would shift those resources toward programs such as:
- Universal healthcare
- Affordable housing
- Renewable energy development
- Public education and student debt relief
- Infrastructure and public transportation
- Climate resilience
Smith says presenting these alternatives helps people see that military spending isn’t inevitable — it’s a political choice.
“When people realize that the money exists,” he explained, “they begin to understand that the real issue is political will.”
The Power of Tax Resistance
Another strategy discussed in the interview is the long tradition of war tax resistance — the refusal by some individuals to pay the portion of their taxes that goes toward military spending.
The practice has roots going back centuries and has been used by figures ranging from Henry David Thoreau to modern-day peace activists.
Smith emphasized that tax resistance is not simply a symbolic gesture. It is meant to spark public conversation about the moral and political responsibility citizens have for how government funds are used.
“Many people don’t realize that a significant share of their federal income taxes goes directly to military programs,” he said. “When that reality becomes visible, it can change how people think about their relationship to the state.”
However, Smith acknowledged that tax resistance can involve legal and financial risks, and he stressed that the broader goal is education and movement-building rather than individual acts alone.
Music, Culture, and Political Imagination
In addition to organizing, Smith has long used music as a way to communicate political ideas and bring people together.
Throughout U.S. history, songs have played a crucial role in social movements — from labor struggles to civil rights campaigns. Smith sees music as a way to reach people emotionally and help them imagine alternatives to the status quo.
“Politics can sometimes feel abstract,” he said. “But music helps people connect on a human level. It reminds us what we’re fighting for.”
Cultural work, he argues, is essential for sustaining long-term movements. While policy debates and economic statistics are important, they must be paired with stories, art, and shared experiences that inspire collective action.
Building a Movement
For Smith, the challenge facing anti-war activists today is not simply opposing a single conflict but confronting an entire system built around militarism.
That system includes powerful defense contractors, entrenched political interests, and a bipartisan consensus in Washington that often treats massive military budgets as untouchable.
Yet Smith remains optimistic about the potential for change.
He points to growing public awareness about economic inequality, climate change, and the need for major investments in social programs. As these issues gain attention, more people are beginning to question why so much public money continues to flow into the military.
The key, he believes, is connecting these struggles.
“When people fighting for healthcare, climate action, housing, and education realize that they’re all competing with the same enormous military budget, they start to see the bigger picture,” Smith said.
That realization can create the foundation for a broader movement capable of challenging the priorities of the political establishment.
A Different Vision of Security
Ultimately, Smith argues that the debate over military spending is really a debate about what security means.
For many policymakers, security is defined primarily in military terms — weapons systems, troop deployments, and geopolitical dominance.
But for millions of ordinary people, real security looks very different.
It means access to healthcare, stable housing, clean water, good schools, and a livable planet.
“If we invested in those things,” Smith said, “we would create a society that is genuinely safer and more stable than anything military power can provide.”
Redirecting national priorities on that scale will not happen overnight. But Smith believes that conversations about taxes, budgets, and public spending can help people recognize their collective power.
And once people begin to see that power, he says, the possibilities for change expand.
“The money we’re talking about belongs to the public,” Smith said. “The question is whether we’re willing to demand that it be used for life instead of war.”
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