Recently our president- Joe Biden- decreed that MAGA Republicans, without explaining what he meant, are semi-fascists. This kind of declaration, that 10s of millions of heretofore fellow citizens are now despicable, is pretty much unprecedented in American history, though has been widely used in other times and places (think of Rwanda in the mid-1990s, for example). The word "fascist" is, by definition, extreme, and not really amenable to modification: something more routine can be paired with "semi," such as a "semi-pro" athlete or "I 'semi-enjoy' cooking," but a "semi-fascist" is more akin to a "semi-serial killer" or "semi-child rapist," so let us interpret these oral ejaculations from our president as simply fascist without the "semi" preface. In other words, he accused 10s of millions of fellow Americans as being among the vilest people in history.

A couple of months ago someone I cared about deeply and held in great esteem passed away. He was my age- mid-60s- and was a conservative Baptist pastor from Texas, complete with a thick redneck drawl. I first met him in Honduras in 2007 or 2008. My wife and I had recently established a tiny, non-residential charity project in a small village, a youth center where kids could be kids in a safe and nurturing environment, and get in some good eating as well. We had heard rumors of an American pastor and his wife running an orphanage several miles away and went to check it out. Note that we did not realize he was a fascist at the time, only someone committed to helping marginalized and impoverished children.