Calling someone a "Fascist" is an insult to all Italians? Oh. My. God.

[elehhhhna]

(Rove must be VERY distracted, because whoever's making this shit up is very lame, like their pet duck, Prezzydent Bush.)

Liberals Will Call Alito 'Fascist'

...Snow went so far as to predict that Democrats – in desperation – will use cultural slurs in a fight against Alito.

"Reid – or someone like him – will call Alito a ‘fascist’ because that links he and Antonin Scalia’s heritage to Mussolini,” Snow said. "When the Italian-Americans complain, Reid will say, ‘No, that’s not at all what I meant …”


http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/10/31/93629.shtml

[Cassandra]

1. That was Al D'Amato's old line.

[Nikki Stone 1]

2. And we also call Bush a fascist because he is Italian American?

:wtf:

[wtmusic]

3. Fascism is equal-opportunity

and NewsMax should know.

[chat_noir]

21. The 14 Characteristics of Fascism - a primer

The 14 characteristics are:

Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.


Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.


Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.


Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.


Rampant Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.


Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.


Obsession with National Security
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.


Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.


Corporate Power is Protected
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.


Labor Power is Suppressed
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .


Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.


Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.


Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.


Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

[tabasco]

I they call him an asshole, it will be an insult to all assholes too.

Another Scalia?!? Even my most conservative law professors thought Scalia was an idiot and a kook.

[Democrats_win]

4. Fact: Rove is a traitor.

Rove has no right to say anything until he comes clean in his role in outing a CIA spy and in getting America into the murderous war in Iraq.

[elehhhhna]

6. FIne but it's his BOSS who is ultimately responsible.

[Inland]

5. So I'll never call Mussolini a fascist, huh?

If the shoe fits, I'll make them wear it.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. That's one of the dumbest things they've come up with yet.

Yeah, I see a lot of that talk among liberals. :sarcasm: We also say all Germans are Nazis, all Russians are Communists, or maybe czarists; all British are monarchists. We engage in ethno-political stereotyping!

What a knuckleheaded remark. But, I guess to avoid being accused of ethno-political stereotyping, we'll have to call Alito a Nazi instead of a fascist...

[applegrove]

8. Wasn't it the Roman who came up with the term "fascism" meaning

a "tightly bound bundle of wood" in Latin? Perhaps that is what they mean.

Since the word "fascist" is Roman in origin, perhaps it is an insult to them to have any neocon labelled with an archaic italian word. It debases anyone to be associated with neocon and their ilk.

I agree... if that is what they meant!:rofl:

[Nikki Stone 1]

12. It debases tightly bound bundles of wood, too

:wtf:

[applegrove]

19. And the binding!! ROTF

[von Staufenberg]

33. Very close

Fascism takes its name from the fascine which was the (a?) symbol of the Roman Imperium. A fascine is, as you describe, a bundle of wood with an axblade extending out the side (well, actually, I guess it is just the bundle of wood, but the Roman symbol also featured the axblade). Three fascines arranged side-by-side inside a circle was a symbol of Mussolini's fascist regime.

[applegrove]

34. Thanks.

[ComerPerro]

9. No, no. Its not the fact that he is Italian that makes us call him fascist

Its his fascist views.

[Chi-Town Exile]

10. OMG! Rove better rein in all their minions ...

Sure looks like KKKarl hasn't been spending enough time spinning for President Asshat since he's too busy spinning to keep his own fat ass out of jail! LOL

Guess they've been so emboldened by KKKarl all these years they think they can do the spinning all by themselves now. They should really leave this shit to him since they really suck at it!

[LostinVA]

11. I'm Sicilian-American, and that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard

Most Italians HATED the Fascists.... God.

[nonconformist]

30. Ditto. nt

[ProfessorGAC]

13. Well, Then I'll Do It

I've got an italian surname. So, i can call them fascists without it being ethnic stereotyping. Because i know I'M NOT A FASCIST! So, IT CAN'T APPLY TO ALL ITALIAN-AMERICANS.
The Professor

[Up2Late]

14. This is BAD, VERY VERY BAD! This Tony Snow must be destroyed!

This is a Extreme RW Echo Chamber Talking point in the making, and must be stopped NOW!

In 2 or 3 days, this will have morphed into "...calls Alito a Fascist!"

Not a Quote, fascist, unquote. This is VERY Bad!

Obviously, Tony Snow is a Fascist! No quotes needed.

[feistydem]

15. Fascista! Fascista! Say it with me...

and I suppose calling a skinhead a neo-Nazi is an insult to all Germans.

[Up2Late]

17. Good point, he's a Neo-Faschist...,

...the RW seems to think that if you put the prefix "neo" in front of the words Nazi or Fascist makes it all O.K.

[RoBear]

16. Asshole doesn't know the language rules either...

It should be "his and Antonin Scalia's heritage..." not "he and..."

When newscasters don't know the language my interest in listening to them drops to zero. Unfortunately the problem is pervasive, even at NPR, where one would expect to hear correct usage, wouldn't one???

On edit: Maybe I should change my user name to Grammar Grouch or something...

[Nikki Stone 1]

18. You're not the only one who notices these things.

:)

Go ahead and grouch. Parallelism is dead, methinks.

[RoBear]

20. Sigh.

eom

[feistydem]

22. You mean "he heritage" ain't right?

I'm a grammar curmudgeon, too. Although, I mangle it from time-to-time (sometimes with intent).

:evilgrin:

[KamaAina]

23. Actually, it's an insult to all Spaniards. (sarcasm)

Spain suffered under Fascism far longer than Italy did. So how on Earth is "fascist" a slur against Italians? What was Franco, chopped liver?

In other news, Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead...

[Tsiyu]

24. Many Italians were Fascists but not all Fascists are Italian

My daddy is Italian, and he and his brother hate Fascists.

As a person of Italian heritage, I promise you I will not be offended if you call Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rumsfield, Frist, Dobson, Robertson, Rice, Powell, Gonzalez, Ashcroft, Delay, Brown or any of the rest of that evil bunch Fascists.

( Actually, I would be deeply ashamed if any of the bunch were Italian. I'd start claiming to be Irish or Mexican or Creole.)

[July]

25. What is this, preemptive outrage?

Nailing Dems for politically incorrect remarks they haven't made?

Or are they just trying to play "telephone" and get people to think that Reid said such a thing?

[renie408]

26. Tony Snow is an arrogant, pseudo-intellectual ass who confuses

sophistry with real intelligent discourse.

[Cats Against Frist]

27. The pig fuckers are really reaching, with this one

They've tried to play every group, so far, and no one is fooled, except the evangelicals (who are even turning against him) -- so they're going for that all-important voting bloc of...Italian-Americans!! Holy Rigatone!!

[Ganja Ninja]

28. I love the way these guys are always putting words in ...

the Democrats mouths. Don Quixote has nothing on the GOP.

[rockymountaindem]

29. And Germans, Slovakians, Spaniards, Romanians, Hungarians, Argentines...

the list goes on and on.

Hmmm... maybe being a fascist has nothing to do with ethnicity, genius?

[Cleita]

31. So where does Germany fit in with these racial slurs?

I wish I had the money, I would send all of them a "Grammar for Dummies Book", so that they learn how to form sentences that make sense, and a Webster's dictionary so that they can learn the true meaning of the words they use. This would be for a Christmas present.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

32. This Italian citizen calls Alito, Scalia et al

fascists!

There! I said it...

:woohoo: