Creeping Fascism in the USA. Ray McGovern lays it out.

[autorank]

Patriot Act; lies leading to war; corporate usurpation of government for it’s own ends; tepid opposition; thought control legislation; non stop propaganda from corporate media; more lies, all the time, every day; “nationalism” masquerading for patriotism; etc. etc. It’s all part of ….

Creeping Fascism: History's Lessons

ConsortiumNews.Com

By Ray McGovern

December 27, 2007

“There are few things as odd as the calm, superior indifference with which I and those like me watched the beginnings of the Nazi revolution in Germany, as if from a box at the theater. ... Perhaps the only comparably odd thing is the way that now, years later....”

These are the words of Sebastian Haffner (pen name for Raimund Pretzel), who as a young lawyer in Berlin during the 1930s experienced the Nazi takeover and wrote a first-hand account. His children found the manuscript when he died in 1999 and published it the following year as “Geschichte eines Deutschen” (The Story of a German).

The book became an immediate bestseller and has been translated into 20 languages—in English as “Defying Hitler."

Snip

It Started Seven Months Before 9/11.

How many times have you heard it? The mantra “after 9/11 everything changed” has given absolution to all manner of sin.

We are understandably reluctant to believe the worst of our leaders, and this tends to make us negligent. After all, we learned from former Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill that drastic changes were made in U.S. foreign policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian issue and toward Iraq at the first National Security Council meeting on Jan. 30, 2001.

Should we not have anticipated far-reaching changes at home as well?


Ray McGovern

[BridgeTheGap]

1. The movement toward fascism in this country predates Bush (and he's one too)

The corporate "globalization" movement is intended, in part, to render democratic societies powerless and to undercut individual rights.

[autorank]

3. Maybe in Guatemala

...by the beloved Eisenhower, invading in behalf of United Fruit. Wunnaful... guess he hadn't talked
to himself about the dangers of the "military industrial complex" at that time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_Guatemalan_coup_d'%C3%A9tat

[truedelphi]

7. The Chiappas revolt started on January 1st 1994 - Because that

Was the initial date of the NAFTA reforms that hit Mexico's poor the hardest.

Towards mid January '94, every large TV network had people stationed inside the Chiappas region.

The reporters even gave ten and fifteen minute reports -that were fed back to the local networks. I had not seen anything like this level of reporting since the days of Edward Murrow. The actual living conditions were covered -reporters entering the below poverty level huts and examining the bare dirt floor, the two spoons in the cupboard, the three bowls and one mug. We are talking dire poverty.

Then as the week of exposure came to a conclusion, the networks were curiously silent on the issue. SUddenly that Friday morning, there was an emergency feed. Talk about a non sequitar -ice skater Nancy Kerrigan had been slammed by one of Tonya Harding's people so that her knee was injured and Nancy would not be able to be in upcoming skating tournaments.

WTF??

It took many years to resolve what happened. For me to get some clue as to why the sudden news black out. one day, maybe two or three years ago, a Rolling Stone article mentioned that CitiBank had become concerned about the exposure of living conditions of people in the CHiappas and had given the word that the networks go mum.

So, under Citibanks direction, we had Kerrigan-Harding TV for the next few weeks to replace the story of the Chiappas revolt. And thus no questioning of NAFTA.

As the beast wormed its slippery way once more to Bethlehem. Blinders on the networks, blinders on the viewpoints of those who watch the networks. And approval of NAFTA, because there ain't ever been any real coverage of what it has done. (And NAFTA is only one small part of the overall plan.)

A few steps closer to bringing a fascist state to the USA.

[autorank]

17. What cover our most important neighbor and the struggle of her people?

Thousands Rebel Against Neoliberalism in Chiapas
Almost 13 Years After the Armed Uprising, Achievements of the Autonomous Governments Are Illustrated
http://www.narconews.com/Issue44/article2480.html
By Hermann Bellinghausen
La Jornada

January 12, 2007

Oventic, Chiapas, MX. December 30, 2006: One day before the 13th anniversary of its armed uprising, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) welcomed followers from 30 countries, all adherents to the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle, which Lt. Colonel Moisés, in name of the “Zezta Internazional,” called “an encounter of resistances and rebellions against global capitalism and neoliberalism, which has prepared for and planned the death and destruction of humanity and the natural environment.” Or, how to prepare ourselves and continue organizing to resist and combat the “common enemy” of humanity.

“This meeting is necessary and urgent,” he added before more than 1,000 international visitors, and at least as many supporters coming from all the Zapatista autonomous regions, as well as the five good government juntas (JBG) and another 200 authorities from the autonomous municipalities in Chiapas.

[FogerRox]

20. Bunch-A-gangsters

[DaLittle Kitty]

29. Read Naomi Klein "Shock Doctrine" Details on this to WIN ANY Debate!

Ray McGovern is a patriot in a sea of neo-fascists who'd rather keep the "truth" unknown. It is our job to explore, elevate and distribute the truth to the masses so as to maybe mitigate or prevent the destruction to come if this form of government contionues unchecked. We must do the CHECKING if we are to stave off infamy. :nuke:

[L0oniX]

44. V

[seemslikeadream]

2. It Started Seven Months Before 9/11.

[autorank]

4. Clever of them, wasn't it? That's called planning ahead. And continued in 2004

Election 2004: The Urban Legend

[seemslikeadream]

5. They're just psychic

Like Zelikow



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=125&topic_id=161464

[autorank]

8. Oh, the Condi aid who was staff director of the 911 Commission...

... most important investigative body in recent history.

Yeah, he's an objective guy (NOT!).



"Philip D. Zelikow, 52, holds the unassuming title of "counselor," but in many ways he is Rice's intellectual soul mate, and he plays a critical role in formulating policy at the State Department. In his resignation letter, he cited professional and personal obligations, including a need to return to an endowed chair that the University of Virginia has held vacant for four years and to pay "some truly riveting obligations to college bursars" for his children's education."

Snip

"Philip is a close friend and we will continue to enjoy this friendship in the years ahead," Rice said in a statement. "I appreciate Philip's dedicated service during this time of historical change."

http://tinyurl.com/sag3f

[FogerRox]

21. one of the culprits lives here

[BeHereNow]

22. Don't you mean...

SQUATS there?
We the people want him OUT.
Damn squatter.
BHN

[Me.]

6. I Wonder If Prescott *

is laughing in hell?

[autorank]

9. ;)

Wonder what he thought of this one?

[Me.]

10. Another Giggle

for the progenitor of this evil family tree

[FogerRox]

42. yup, probably

[autorank]

11. A kick for McGovern

:kick:

[Mnemosyne]

12. And another.

:kick:

:hi:

[ray of light]

23. kicking and rec. too.

[puebloknot]

13. Should we not have anticipated far-reaching changes when...

...the Supreme Court appointed the current untalented frat boy to the highest office in the land?

"Defying Hitler" is a great read, and shows clearly how the "frog in a pot" syndrome played out in Germany -- a country whose citizens were too intelligent to go for something like fascism. The educated classes looked at Hitler as an uneducated upstart, just as we look at GW. Being intellectually superior doesn't seem to be the answer. Looking down from an ivory tower doesn't work.

[autorank]

16. A little electoral manipulation, a bad choice by the Establishment and presto...

fascism. Here we had the liars on the Supreme Court. Those "states rights" advocates, so consistent in the past, reversed themselves 180 degrees to Select this failure. Then he stole it outright tin 2004 but there was a press embargo about mentioning election fraud. Instead of a brown shirt phase. they got the white collars to do their dirty work. There is no regime worse that the Bush regime, not in the entire history of the world. Why? Because they've put the entire species in danger and they won't even admit that there's a problem. In fact, the flunkies for the energy interests who are paid climate change deniers are the tools of this administration's masters, the useless elite who put Bush in and did nothing about.

Stunning bad judgment, stunning indifference to human suffering, and a total absence of any sense of proportion or decency: that's our administration, their backers, and the wholly owned media (excepting McClatchy) that is so essential to prop them up.

[Me.]

27. Here's My Question

When the hanging chads made their appearance in 2000, the Cons were ready for it. Down they swooped as if they were waiting. The dems were so disorganized they were immediately outflanked and outgunned. How is it the Cons were so ready? Are they fast on their feet or was something else going on?

[autorank]

33. Oh, you mean "the adults." Bad frat boys on 'roids.

[Usrename]

41. It's "old school" voter disenfranchisement.

Back in the day, right after the Voting Rights Act was signed, we all had to watch educational films in gradeschool about how this stuff is done.

I vividly remember some scenes from those films, scenes about "butterfly ballots" and how they are designed to trick folks who cannot read. And if that fails, all you have to is double-punch enough ballots to ensure a victory. In one county here in FL, Duvall County, it was reported that some predominantly African American precincts had a spoilage of one-in-five voters who supposed voted for two different people for president. 20 percent overvote. It's gross how they just threw the laws out the window, and they knew they could and that it would work, because that's how it was all done back in the day.

[BeHereNow]

14. K&R Don't let this sink folks!

BHN

[autorank]

15. ImHereNow...thanks. This is the straght story, the warning of a fall into

the rabbit hole...the essential truth of our situation. We are a crypto fascist state now and, depending on what happens in 2008, a full blown member of that sad club in the near future.

[BeHereNow]

18. Sad to see this thread getting so few responses....

I think people are just plain exhausted by it all perhaps?
I know I've been needing a break.
I'm tired, just plain dog-tired by all the evil
unfolding with NO intervention by those sworn to
protect and defend.

I think the ONLY way it will end is through the
refusal of the military to continue submitting to
the abuse by these fucks...
and I aint holding my breath for that either.
Now that they have a population of cannon fodder
with no prospects for employment or college.

By design, by design.

BHN

[autorank]

34. ...but not by "intelligent" design.

People are wrapped up in the side show, the primary season.

I watched an entire Anderson ("is that a dead body") Cooper's 360 Wed night. The only mention of
campaign issues was a guy hunting with Huck saying he thought that Huck's immigration policies
sucked. THAT WAS IT FOR THE WHOLE TIME. I was fighting with a software program so I just let
it run. NOTHING at all aboutissues.

This IS the issue. Fascism.

But, hey, it's a bit weighty;)

:hi:

[FogerRox]

19. Auto, I bumped into Ray McGovern in DC last Sept

Then I saw him speak about a yr ago..

[autorank]

30. Dog!

I'm impressed! What an honor!!!

[balantz]

24. K & R

[marmar]

25. A big K&R!!!

:kick:

[gowexler]

26. K&R

[defendandprotect]

28. Ray McGovern and many others are doing all they can to warn us ---

we certainly can't say we weren't warned ---

And 9/11, of course, is certainly not something that some "terrorists" did to America ---
it's something that Bushco did to America ---

The weapons available now and the secrecy that Cheney has brought about, plus privatized intelligence and military arms -- puts us in the craziest and most dangerous times this planet
has ever seen!

Without all of this going on ... and I'm sure they are connected ... we would have quite a bit
to do to deal with the pollution of the planet, and trying to respond to Global Warming while it
may already be too late!

This is, naturally, well understood by the criminals ---

[malaise]

31. Kick for

Ray McGovern

[OneBlueSky]

32. creeping? . . . what creeping?? . . .

it's not creeping, it's running full speed ahead under the direction of Bush, Cheney, and the BushCo enterprise . . .

[autorank]

35. Maybe he meant "creeps" or "creepy";)

[FogerRox]

36. Kickety kick

[autorank]

37. Thanks Admiral

:kick:

[spanone]

38. it's way beyond the creeping stage...imho

[wildbilln864]

39. * k&r! n/t

[tomp]

40. it is so ironic that an ex-cia person is saying this

although american fascism probably has historical roots in the emergence of u.s. imperialism at the turn of the century (if not before),in my opinion it was the creation of the cia that signalled the origin of the full push toward fascism. it is also noteworthy that the bushes were in the same cabal at the time, associating with hitler and the fascist regime at least financially, but then, so was averell harriman, democratic party scion.

the cia is arguably the most criminal organization in human history. mcgovern is a renegade. expect nothing but more of the same from the cia.

[puebloknot]

43. Kicking again. *The* most important topic of our political/social lives.

[Nay]

45. Creeping? It's galloping -- not creeping. And full speed ahead, too. nt

[santamargarita]

46. The Words of Sebastian Haffner

Ray McGovern's article is excellent! And thanks to "autorank" for starting this thread.

It always puzzled me why the German people and much less the Jews of that time went along these right wing extremists with little or no resistance. It wasn't until I saw the fall of our media and the rise of Bush I understood why...

You don't have to be a Nazi. You can just be, well, a sheep.

...Sebastian Haffner decries what he calls the "sheepish submissiveness" with which the German people reacted to a 9/11-like event, the burning of the German Parliament (Reichstag) on Feb. 27, 1933. Haffner finds it quite telling that none of his acquaintances "saw anything out of the ordinary in the fact that, from then on, one's telephone would be tapped, one's letters opened, and one's desk might be broken into."

But it is for the cowardly politicians that Haffner reserves his most vehement condemnation. Do you see any contemporary parallels here?

The Social Democratic leaders betrayed their followers -- "for the most part decent, unimportant individuals." In May they sang the Nazi anthem; in June the Social Democratic party was dissolved.

It has been proven, time after time, when American voters are suckered into electing (or just ignoring the theft of an election) these Constitution hating fascists the results are always the same and each time more devastating.

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.... The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home."
James Madison:

Ray McGovern is correct, "We cannot say we weren't warned."

[mdmc]

47. kick

for the goose steps

[bobthedrummer]

48. and the Weimar Republic, for which it stands...kick