So how close are we? ...

[doublethink]

On a scale of 1 to 10 tonight ... to this? ... a ...'Free Nation' ? .... give me a number of 1 to 10 and then your reasons why ... or why not ... :shrug:


1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Free 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.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in Free 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

etc ... etc...


...............

Yes this is a play on words, replacing one F word with another F word in the script.

http://www.oldamericancentury.org/whitepapers/defining/identifiers_britt.htm

hope I didn't break any DU rules .... just throwing this out there for thought .... Peace. :hi:



on edit: Guess I did break DU rules ..... "the 4 paragraph rule" ... so .... in your imagination ... just replace the one F word with the other F word at the above link ... to complete the original thought ... corrected by a DU note just sent to me. Peace. :patriot:

[NYC_SKP]

1. The Right Wing has been protofascist for as long as I can remember, 40 years...

And, sadly, they've made some headway- especially with the Patriot Act and other pieces of shit that happened in the name of various wars; on terror, on drugs, etc.

All the more reason to fight.



.

.

[doublethink]

2. No it's not that F word when we do it .......

It's another F word ... Freedom ... :eyes: .... Peace. Now I gotta go look up more videos by George Carlin on his word play. hahaha.

[woo me with science]

8. [phone]

The constant attempts to excuse our own party's role in this march to fascism are tiresome beyond words.

[emilyg]

11. +10

[brewens]

3. It's kind of awkward for me now to bring that up. It would be a lot

nicer to be promoting a Presidents efforts to reverse a lot of those things.

[doublethink]

4. Well we shall see .... if our current President .....

will do that in time. What exactly makes you feel awkward in the OP? As it made you react tonight on it?

[brewens]

14. I mean bringing up the points of fascism debating right-wingers

would be a lot easier if my side was actually trying to do something about it.

[doublethink]

5. ..........

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of Free nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under Free regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. 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.

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

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in Free 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.

to continue the OP thought ....

http://www.oldamericancentury.org/whitepapers/defining/identifiers_britt.htm

[doublethink]

6. ........

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

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

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Free 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 and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under Free 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.

http://www.rense.com/general37/char.htm

[doublethink]

7. ......

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Free 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 Free regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in Free 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. Free nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

http://www.oldamericancentury.org/whitepapers/defining/identifiers_britt.htm

[woo me with science]

9. How depressing, but necessary, the summary in this thread is. nt

[doublethink]

10. I thought so ....

thanks for the agreement. Peace. :thumbsup:

[lunatica]

12. 40 years ago I had a conversation with my family about this happening here

After reading a few books on the Nazis and the Holocaust it wasn't hard to see the seeds of those things in the United States. I didn't think it would happen, because I'm a Boomer child of the 60s and we were very idealistic about humanity's higher calling and believed that what was right would prevail, but I knew it could happen easily under the right circumstances.

So I'm not surprised in the least since I've watched in growing horror as it's been happening. But I'm certainly disappointed that we keep reaching for the lowest common denominator even as our planet is in peril. Do they think God, guns and hate will save them? I think they do.

[LWolf]

13. If that lilst is accurate, we're right there. nt