I think this is your best essay yet, Umair. Your three reasons are the crispest and clearest explanation of why the American state should come down hard on Trump and his cohorts.

1. Fascists can only think in binary ways. They always have. You're for us, or against us. You're one of the Chosen People or you're not. You can't negotiate with them because they can't see anything between black and white.

2. Don't try to appease them. They'll think you're a pussy, they'll lie that they won't invade Poland. If you try to dodge a fight with fascists, you only make the next fight harder. And sometimes they win.

3. Give them justice but no mercy. Even if you're being merciful for the very best reasons (not cowardice), still the result will be that you'll be seen as frightened, terrorised.

And so they'll ratchet up their threats.

I'm going to add something.

There are people who say things like "Violence is never the solution" and "violence doesn't change history."

Violence clearly is a solution to some people especially when they find that a lot of people are terrified of it. The solution is a bad one but it's still a solution.

Violence is the only thing that has reliably and regularly changed history. We are rather nasty apes and even chimps wage a limited kind of intertribal war. One tribe has wiped out another (usually weaker) tribe over and over again, changing history. Take a look at the Trojan War, the Anglo-Saxon invasions, the Mongol invasions.

Violence is right down at the root of the State - which survives by monopolising violence and using it against people who use unlicensed violence.

Violence backs the rule of law in the form of the police.

Violence supports the integrity of the state in the form of the army.

These are examples of the benefits of restrained violence, violence under the law.

However violence is a weapon like fire: it can turn against you and destroy you easily.

Negotiation and diplomacy are much less fun and make less good videos - but the opposite of violence isn't peace. It's diplomacy.

However, if you want to be diplomatic with people infected with the fascism meme, you absolutely must be in a position of strength. You must have beaten them completely.

Interestingly enough, that is pretty much the only time you can cure people of fascism: when they have to look at the destruction they caused, and fear that they're going to be destroyed; then, sometimes, you can get them to consider the other colours apart from black and white.

Do you think the Nuremberg trials could have happened in a Germany which hadn't been conquered and defeated? The German people had to return to their cultured and civilized roots which would never have happened without the ignominious end (after 12 years) of the Thousand Year Reich.

So if you can, get Pence to chuck Trump out with the 25th amendment. I believe that doing that will help the Republican party arise again as a right of centre but not outright-Fascist party. That would be the best solution - because a one-party state is also a bad option.

If you can't do that, impeach Trump. In any case, get Trump out of the White House as fast as possible. If necessary, send troops in to remove him on the 21st of January.

By the way, to avoid Cornered Rat syndrome in Trump, it would be nice if his chum Putin were to offer him a refuge... but I digress.

Normally I'm an optimist but I'm sorry to say, I'm not optimistic about the essential dumping of Trump.

Personally I think Joe Biden in his gentlemanliness will listen to the siren voices of the appeasers and mess it up.