Witch Hunt in the U.S. State Dept.

Trump's Fascist Team Goes After Women and Gender-Equality Programs

December 23, 2016 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us

 

Just days after the Trump team launched a witch hunt against people in the Energy Department working on limiting climate change, the fascists are now going after State Department programs relating to women and LGBT equality.

On Wednesday morning, December 21, the State Department leadership sent out memos to a long list of department offices and bureaus mandating that they respond—by 5 pm that day—to a request for information from the Trump transition team. According to Josh Rogin of the Washington Post, who broke the story, the memo ordered each office to provide information on all existing programs and activities that “promote gender equality, such as ending gender-based violence, promoting women’s participation in economic and political spheres, entrepreneurship, etc.” The memo didn’t ask for names of the officials who work on these programs but required each office to “note positions whose primary functions are to promote such issues.”

Rogin quotes an anonymous State Department official saying, “It’s not clear to us what the intent is behind this request. The Trump team could be looking to advance gender issues and make it a priority—or you could look it as a witch hunt.” Are you kidding? “Not clear what the intent is”?? This IS a witch hunt to identify, threaten, and weed out anyone and any program at this key government department that may be not in sync with the Trump-Pence agenda in any way. And it’s a preview of what’s to come.

It’s not that the State Department under Obama has meant anything good for the world—just look at the horrors created for millions of people in Libya, Syria, and elsewhere by U.S. foreign policies spearheaded by Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. But it has had some programs that in no way address the fundamental roots of the problems but promote some reforms, like protecting adolescent girls from such things as forced marriage, genital cutting, and blocked access to education.

Now here’s the cabal getting set to take over the reins of government, headed by two fascist misogynist ghouls: Trump, a walking embodiment of rape culture—of crude degradation, vindictive revenge, and sexual violence against women. And Pence, a Christian fascist who wants to impose even tighter and more blatant patriarchal rule over society, including banning abortions and promoting anti-LGBT bigotry. These are people who are not for even lip service to equality for women and LGBT people.

The Trump-Pence team will bring on horrific new leaps in repression, suffering, and death at the hands of the U.S. imperialist rulers—if they are allowed to take hold of the reins of government power. They must be stopped before they start.

 

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