Is North America is on a fascist trajectory

[Orrin_73]

Has any body read this scary article, it shows many parallels between North America and Germany and Italy in the 1930s.


Consider the words of Thurman Arnold, head of the Anti-trust Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in 1939

“Germany presents the logical end of the process of cartelization. From 1923 to 1935 cartelization grew in Germany until finally that nation was so organized that everyone had to belong either to a squad, a regiment or a brigade in order to survive. The names given to these squads, regiments or brigades were cartels, trade associations, unions and trusts. Such a distribution system could not adjust its prices. It needed a general with quasi-military authority who could order the workers to work and the mills to produce. Hitler named himself that general. Had it not been Hitler it would have been someone else.”


Before the rise of fascism, Germany and Italy were liberal democracies. Fascism did not swoop down on these nations as if from another planet. To the contrary, fascist dictatorship was the end result of political and economic processes which these nations underwent while they were still democratic. In both these countries, economic power became so utterly concentrated that the bulk of all economic activity fell under the control of a handful of men. Economic power, when sufficiently vast, becomes by its very nature political power. The political power of big business supported fascism in Italy and Germany.

The same is happening now in North America and Europe very fast


Neo-liberal intellectuals often recognize the need for violence to protect what they regard as freedom. Thomas Freidman of the New York Times has written enthusiastically that “the hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist”, and that “McDonald’s cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas, the designer of the U.S. Air Force F-15…”. As in pre-fascist Germany and Italy, the laissez-faire businessmen call for the state to do their bidding even as they insist that the state should stay out of the marketplace.

The Real Threat of Fascism

[benburch]

1. We're already there.

But, like a mortally-wounded dinosaur, the bleeding out may take some time.

[Boomer]

2. Agreed

Too often, history does not prevent us from repeating mistakes, it just insures that we'll recognize our mistakes after we've made them.

Btw, nominated!

[PowerToThePeople]

27. Yup, too late for us.. n/t

[Mr_Spock]

77. No hope for a band-aid?

At what point do we lose so much blood that no surgeon in the world can save us?

[cassiepriam]

84. Bingo..... nt

[ronatchig]

3. Yes and Yes.

Bush et.al. , are the scion of the fascists of an earlier era. I believe that tho the Nazis lost WWII the fascists behind the scenes of that war are winning the long range goal of elite domination of the world.
It was Mussolini who said that fascism can be more accurately described as the union of the state and the corporations. This has come to pass in our country. It is only a matter of time til a final solution becomes necessary again I fear.

[theHandpuppet]

4. A Must Read!

Recommended.

[smirkymonkey]

5. Kick & Recommended!

I have been saying this for years, although most people have though I was out of my mind.

[pelsar]

6. simplistic article...

well maybe the democrates should get themselves elected to the congress if not the presidency?....

perhaps the democrates should get rid of the "looney left" and start acting responsable?....perhaps the this "hatred of the bush admin" is turning off much of america...the "blame bush" for everything is getting a bit old?

how about some responsability here....if the democrates cant take the whitehouse becuase of whatever conspiracy you like...try the house of reps or congress......

thats what america is all about, the division of power...thats what keeps its democracy solid

and all the BS about this being a facist govt....the inability to use words properly is part of the problem...try using a dictionary...i doubt any of you here are "hiding out" scared of the black helicopters coming and taking you away....

[bpilgrim]

7. simplistic post

yeah, i'm sure it's just all in our collective 'looney left' heads...


more...
http://GlobalFreePress.com

psst... pass the word ;->

peace

[pelsar]

9. prime example.....perfect

perhaps you should compare katrina to the 100 of worst natural disasters (you do believe that katrin was a hurricane...right?)

http://www.disastercenter.com/disaster/TOP100K.html

dont forget to cross reference countries, type of govt, response teams etc....

[bpilgrim]

19. that was from the washington post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2005/09/23/GR2005092300689.html

as i said i am sure it is just all in our heads, DON'T PANIC!

peace

[pelsar]

24. so?....

when you have a comparison of other natural disasters, the response teams, political make up..perhaps you can some kind of conclusion...other than both local and the fed govt fuked up...

btw you'll find political organizations with little experience in handling major disasters usually do so poorly....usually only the armed forces with experience in moving large forces with the means to do so know how to do it.....

[bpilgrim]

30. it means that even in the M$M folks are recognizing what we have become

FASCIST who only care about the elite and corporations.

those who refuse to see that got their heads in the sand in NOTHING will help them see the truth just like the germans of the Wiemar republic.


more...
http://news.globalfreepress.com/gallery/index.php?cat=19

psst... pass the word ;->

peace

[pelsar]

33. define facism...

maybe the problem is in the definition.....how are you defining it?..and your accusing most of america to be facist?...

so why arent we cowering in the streets when the police pass by?....where are those patrols of the militias..arent those characteristics of fascist regimes?..(real ones not figmants of your imagination)

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

53. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[stepnw1f]

72. That's Your Definition of Fascism?

"people cowering in the streets when the police pass"

Damn you are ignorant! Have you witnessed a fascist state where people are "cowering in the streets when the police pass"? Or was that from some movie you saw in the theatre of WWII?

[bpilgrim]

76. first of all it is spelt FASCISM

"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it comes strong than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or any controlling private power."
Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini

peace

[agincourt]

78. One thing to add to the differences table,

The Politburo didn't try to blame the whole thing on the Chernobyl mayor.

[SammyWinstonJack]

35. Perhaps you should take your own suggestion and try using

a dictionary. :eyes:

[Name removed]

46. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rman]

60. Trying to argue we shouldn't play the blame-game...

on DU of all places. I guess the RW talking heads are correct after all...

The "hatred of the bush admin" is turning off much of America alright, that's why his approval rates are dropping in the polls. That's why half a million people went to DC last weekend to demonstrate against the Bush administration and its policies (specifically the war in Iraq of course).

[MisterP]

79. yes, we must love our God-King!

[i_c_a_White_Ghost]

8. Please change your headline

Don't mean to pick but it should read "Is North America on a fascist trajectory?" The Answer is Yes. We already are deeper into it then we think.

[Orrin_73]

48. Sorry for the mistake in the headline

it should have been "Is North America on a fascist trajectory?" just like you wrote. Again Sorry

[kitten29]

10. Yup

for some time now...

[i_c_a_White_Ghost]

11. Welcome kitten29

:hi: hope you enjoy it here

[kitten29]

28. thanks

i will :bounce:

[justabob]

12. They Thought They Were Free

I have studied the fascism for years, Nazism especially. There is no doubt in my mind we are a fascist state. If anyone here doubts that what we are experiencing is fascism, I highly recommend the book They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer. I recently read it and found that about 85% of what is written there applies directly to what we are experiencing. There are plenty of other relevant books I could list, but that one stands out.

[pelsar]

14. and the brown shirts?

where are they?

[justabob]

22. 'they' do learn from history....

... just not the lessons we would like them to learn. You don't need armed thugs on the streets when you have thugs like Tom DeLay, Dick Cheney and sociopathic religious thugs bashing people's heads in in more subtle ways.

[pelsar]

25. oh...

so the us is not like nazi germany...and people dont have to hide and watch what the say in public?
thats not part of the 85%?

[justabob]

29. what is your point?

For one thing Fascism is not necessarily Nazism, I just happen to know more about the Nazis than other regimes.

But to answer your question there are quite a few people who are watching what they say.... see the Democratic Party, and there are a great many people who are scared shitless on this board alone. No, citizens aren't yet being rounded up en masse(unless you happen to be muslim), but there have been plenty of stories of folks being visited by FBI and Secret Service, and other police agencies.

[pelsar]

31. long long way....

facism is a long long way from the US govt thats my point....part of the "scare" is precisly what your writing...that adds to the scare.

as far as visits by the FBI, etc...well probably something to do with 9/11. In fact if they werent doing something different...that would be worrysome.

check in to the congress, the media...last i looked they were all screaming at each other accusing everyone else of everything...democracy in action....when that stops you can get worried

in the meantime...screaming facism is just around the corner is just scaring those that scare easy.

[bpilgrim]

34. no one expects the spanish inquisition

the track record of these past 4 1/2 years only confirm our worst fears, if you are pay'n attention.



more...
http://GlobalFreePress.com

peace

[justabob]

38. Not around the corner... here, now

Our government is currently run for by and of the corporation. That is NOT democracy. Corporatism is just a nicer name for fascism. Our democratic republic requires the will of the people, and the consent of the governed. At this time, it runs by the will of Big Business.

Our leaders aren't arguing about policy that I have seen, just who can run bad policy better.

Look. You don't agree, fine. You are obviously not going to be persuaded by anything I can present here. I have to go to work anyway, and don't have time to continue.

[theHandpuppet]

67. Please stop using the word fascism...

... until you learn to spell it properly. Thank you.

[bpilgrim]

32. ever hear of the minutemen?

source...
http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2005/08/minutemen-home-for-extremists_08.html

psst... pass the word ;->

peace

[pelsar]

36. now im confused

dont democracies have free speach as a cornerstone of the society?

if it didnt...then i might agree with you....but just the fact that the minuteman exist, the nazi party and the ACLU..means that its not a facist country....

but wait a minute...are you saying those guys SHOULDNT be allowed free speach?...hmmm

[justabob]

39. Newsflash: our Constitution has been shredded nt

[bpilgrim]

40. you asked where they were and i showed them to you...

now you are arguing that they are just expressing the right to express themselves :eyes:

the POINT is that FASCISM arose in liberal democracies in the past and there are clear signs they are doing so HERE and NOW though many refuse to see it.


more...
http://GlobalFreePress.com

peace

[pelsar]

42. showing me a bunch of fanatics...

is hardly a sign that the us govt is going facist...in fact if those guys werent there I would be worried....you too. part and parcel of a free govt is for the fanatics to have their say

[bpilgrim]

45. that the RUSH clones DOMINATE the AIRWAYS and that our FUHRER calls into

their shows and racist acts and words are on our streets and airwaves does NOT make me less worried :eyes:

since in your world when you see the signs you interpret them as all part of a healthy democracy NOTHING will get your head out of the sand but perhaps others will wake up.


more...
http://GlobalFreePress.com

peace

[ncrainbowgrrl]

65. Great book.

It was hard to get my hands on a copy though.

Borders had to back order it for me, and were unsuccessful at getting a copy for 3 months. Not sure why...

[Media_Lies_Daily]

13. Where were the vast majority of Americans in December 2000?

[emanymton]

15. Absurd Argument. That Which We Live In Today Is...

the next era AFTER simple fascism. The corporation bought the leaders (both Dem and GOP) of the government a long time ago. Gwent Ningrich was bought my Murdock for a $4 million bribe (I mean book deal).

Why are we even asking if the system is corrupt?

[pelsar]

17. corrupt?

almost all systems that involve people after a certain period have some corruption....so?...doesnt mean the US is suddenly facist..its just means theres work to do, adjustments to make

[emanymton]

51. You Do Seem To Be Having Fun Today With This Thread.

Enjoy.

Bush Lied. People Died. Media Cheered.

[Warren Stupidity]

62. The evolution of fascism.

You are retreating into a definitional argument. Basically your current main point appears to be 'it is not fascism because we still can speak without being arrested'. This is a form of the standard: its not fascism because it is not identical to or as bad as or as totalitarian as Germany or Italy ir Spain in the 30's/40's. This is a bullshit argument. First: fascism has evolved. The prototype fascist regimes of Italy and Germany were version 1.0, our corporate masters have moved to a more sophisticated system of control.

Yes, for the most part we can speak freely without fear of being arrested. However even that has to be qualified, as many activist groups can testify, if your free speech extends to active organized opposition to the regime you stand a very could chance of experiencing the current limits of freedom of political expression.

The regime controls the mass media. You can of course deny this assertion, but you would have a hard time justifying your position. The level of sophisticated mass media propaganda used to support the regime, to frame the debate, to control the opposition party is BEYOND anything implemented by the classic 20th century totalitarian regimes.

Fascism, as Mussolini pointed out, is more correctly defined as 'corporatism', and that is exactly what we have here. America has become an authoritarian kleptocracy, through the use of fraud and corruption, through the sophisticated manipulation of the population via the mass media, through the despicable leverage of events that were either MIHOP or LIHOP, a cabal has taken control of the federal government and implemented a modern fascist state within the facade of our 200 year old republic. Deal with it.

[Warren Stupidity]

63. The evolution of fascism.

You are retreating into a definitional argument. Basically your current main point appears to be 'it is not fascism because we still can speak without being arrested'. This is a form of the standard: its not fascism because it is not identical to or as bad as or as totalitarian as Germany or Italy ir Spain in the 30's/40's. This is a bullshit argument. First: fascism has evolved. The prototype fascist regimes of Italy and Germany were version 1.0, our corporate masters have moved to a more sophisticated system of control.

Yes, for the most part we can speak freely without fear of being arrested. However even that has to be qualified, as many activist groups can testify, if your free speech extends to active organized opposition to the regime you stand a very could chance of experiencing the current limits of freedom of political expression.

The regime controls the mass media. You can of course deny this assertion, but you would have a hard time justifying your position. The level of sophisticated mass media propaganda used to support the regime, to frame the debate, to control the opposition party is BEYOND anything implemented by the classic 20th century totalitarian regimes.

Fascism, as Mussolini pointed out, is more correctly defined as 'corporatism', and that is exactly what we have here. America has become an authoritarian kleptocracy, through the use of fraud and corruption, through the sophisticated manipulation of the population via the mass media, through the despicable leverage of events that were either MIHOP or LIHOP, a cabal has taken control of the federal government and implemented a modern fascist state within the facade of our 200 year old republic. Deal with it.

[Englander]

16. "Fascism, anyone?" - from the POAC

'In "Fascism Anyone?," Laurence Britt identifies 14 characteristics common to fascist regimes. His comparisons of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet yielded this list of 14 "identifying characteristics of fascism."

http://www.oldamericancentury.org/14pts.htm

[pelsar]

18. well that explains it....

and fits many of the US presidencys over the years.....

[Englander]

23. Damn! You read that list in three minutes!

Considering that each of the 14 points has about 1/2 dozen
examples of news articles to support the claim of Chimp=fascist,
that's certainly impressive!

Nice to see you out of the basement, btw. Don't forget the :popcorn:

[pelsar]

26. old list..

nothing new about it...read it before....generalized back then...generalizes now

[rman]

20. If nothing else, it's most peculiar

that when fascism does rear its head, it does so in several places at the same time.


How can it be that conditions are "just right" for fascism to rise in several nations at the same time? Are there conditions at play that cross national borders? Which are those conditions?
It's not the 'spirit of the people'; Germany was in shambles (economically) after WW1, but Spain and Italy weren't. Yet there to fascist regimes came to power more or less at the same time it did in Germany.

And now again, there's this neo-liberalism that is on the move virtually everywhere, benefiting corporations at the expense of the workers. Is it like a force of nature, much like neo-liberals claim Globalization to be?


Or is it carefully crafted, as Globalization is crafted be means of Trade Agreements etc, created and enacted by transnational organizations (WTO, IMF..) founded by those same neo-liberals, to the benefit of transnational corporations owned by those same neo-liberals?

[MADem]

50. It seems to be accompanied by a rise in virulent nationalism

Thus you get pearls like "With us or agin' us" masquerading as national strategy. And the economic conditions (they're trying to take OUR JOBS) have to be right as well.

A lot of swinging away at shadowy enemies, hyper vigilance....eh!

[rman]

59. Fascism *creates* nationalism

Bush didn't just accidentally come to power at a time when the populace was inclined towards nationalism.
Who was the first to say "you're either with us or with the terrorists"? It wasn't the Bush supporters amongst the electorate - it's Bush's strategists who come with those things.

Because it is part of the divide-and-conquer/manufactured enemy -strategy.

That's why fascism is "accompanied by" fanatic nationalism.

[Greyhound]

54. I'm a little mystified, why do you say that the engines of globalization

(WTO IMF) are neo-liberal? They are hardly liberal organizations.

[rman]

58. Neo-liberalism IS hardly liberal...

These are the same neo-liberals mentioned in the opening post;
"Neo-liberal intellectuals often recognize the need for violence to protect what they regard as freedom. Thomas Freidman of the New York Times has written enthusiastically that “the hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist”, and that “McDonald’s cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas, the designer of the U.S. Air Force F-15…”. As in pre-fascist Germany and Italy, the laissez-faire businessmen call for the state to do their bidding even as they insist that the state should stay out of the marketplace."

Why do you think Chavez denounces neo-liberalism? It's not because neo-liberals are in any way left-leaning or progressive. They believe in the "free market" as much as traditional capitalists/republicans do.

They're called "liberal" because that term resonates well with left-leaning Americans. Bush is not the only one who tries to get his way by means of deception.

[The Magistrate]

68. Regarding Your No. 20 Above, Mr. Rman

Both Italy and Spain were in fact in desperate shape in the years after the Great War: though perhaps not quite to the level of Germany, still conditions were extraordinaty.

Italy had not only taken tremendous casualties, but taken them to no purpose, and in manners that made clear to the people the extraordinary incompetenmce and corruption of their government. The economic life of the country, already at the start of the war backwards by Western European standards, was in a shambles of starvation and barter. The strength of the Fascist movement lay in demobilized soldiers with no prospects and sever;ly disturbed and dis-illusioned by their war-time experiences.

Spain was the poorest country of Western Europe by far, and indeed, existed in an essentially feudal state at that time, in which the saying "There are two Spains: one that worls and onme that eats." summed up the situation perfectly. Spain was involved in an extraordinarily bloody war, now mostly forgotten, in Morocco, in the years immediately after the Great War. This began with the disasterous engagements known collectively as the Battle of Annual, in which tens of thousands of Spanish conscripts were slaughtered by Rifian tribesman. The general commanding was an incompetent promoted by Royal patronage, and it was quickly made public that several confidants of the King had signed agreements with the rebels for mining rights in their territory, and were paying royalries in advance, thus actively financing the rebellion. Power was seized by Gen. Primo de la Rivera, a popular army figure with a reputation as a deadly foe of corruption, and he ruled quite conciously on Mussolini's lines, suspending political parties, devoting governement and business resources to expanding the military, while bringing the war to a more or less successful conclusion. This was the real arrival of fascism in Spain; the Republic, commenced only in 1931, was a mere interegnum.

[rman]

70. Good points

And informative.
Though no other country felt humiliated by sanctions as Germany did.
But there were some common factors at play due to outside forces, war in this case. But that doesn't necessarily mean it is entirely coincidental. War can contribute to create the conditions for the rise of despotism, where one is economic inequality (*.
And war is not usually started by The People, rather it is enabled by people who have much to lose or to gain from war: politicians, industrialists, financiers.
Wrt the rise of fascism war seems to be a common theme, and war is mostly under control of the same kind of people who are likely to support some form of despotism.

*) Despotism 1946, Encyclopaedia Britannica Films
http://www.archive.org/details/Despotis1946

[The Magistrate]

71. Thank You, Sir

If your stress on the proposition that the rise of fascism in various countries might not be coincidental means you consider there to have been some broad and co-ordinated plan behind it, in my view that is an erroneous conclusion.

The wake of the Great War left Europe in a shambles of economic ruin and, in the east of the place, bitter revolutionary civil war. It would not be possible to sustain the argument that this was what the crowned heads of Europe sought or anticipated in 1914. It was the undoing of many of them, after all. Nor is it possible to sustain the arguement that the Great War, at its outset, was not a popuilar expression, thoroughly supported by the people of most countries participating. There is far too much evidence to the contrary in contemporary accounts, that can be butressed by other materials. The cultural view of war common at that time was much different than it is now: prevailing sociological thought viewed it as both a necessary and good thing, in line with the predominant "Social Darwinist" paradigm. In a spectacular acid test of popularity, the various European Socialist parties overwhelmingly chose to to back their governments ij the war.

The nearest relation of the various dictatorial movements of rightist that arose in the chaos afterwards seems to me to be more one of following apparantly successful example/ all these movements sought an economic rehabilitation or modernization of a backward state, and each achieved some success along that line, thus commending the model to others seeking the same goal. Some folowers of Communism at the time worked on precisely the same principal, viewing the Soviet Union as having achieved a greater measure of industrial and military modernization than Italy had managed. This applied particularly in Spain, and in China.

[applegrove]

21. Leave Canada out.

[jim3775]

41. Yeah, we are doing just fine. Unless Harper gets elected; then we...

will be on a stupid trajectory.

[applegrove]

43. He will not get elected. He has no policies that he can "talk about".

All he will do is try and run the Liberals & the NDP down for their policies.

[Spazito]

44. I would suggest the writer look up the countries that comprise

North America. It might shock some that North America is comprised of THREE countries, not just the United States. Canada is not in danger of becoming a fascist state. I am not aware of Mexico in immediate danger as well. The United States, on the other hand, is well on it's way, imo.

[BobBoudelangFan69]

55. FYI - North America Is More Than Canada, USA, Mexico. 8 Countries I Think

[Spazito]

66. I don't think so, one might include Greenland, owned by Denmark

and make it four countries as a technical aspect. Are you including Central America in your count?

http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/na.htm

[Telly Savalas]

83. The writer is from Markham, Ontario

which makes the article all the more stupid.

[achtung_circus]

47. Add me to the list

of Canadians who say "thanks but no thanks". Our harper is fun to make fun of but not a serious threat.

[Kerri_S]

49. America is *already* fascist

Canada and Mexico aren't and I don't think either of those countries would descend to the point that America is at now.

[newyawker99]

56. Hi Kerri_S!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Greyhound]

69. I'm pretty sure most Mexicans would disagree.

Not the ones we get to deal with while visiting the various tourist destinations, nor the tiny ruling class that owns everything in the country, but the overwhelming majority of Mexicans that are denied all the usual stuff, education, liberty, living wage, etc.
Canada is great, but lives in fear of us. They usually stay independent, but there is a point which their government will not cross.

[Greyhound]

52. Absolutely. Although it's not called fascism anymore.

By some definitions we already have.
http://fcit.coedu.usf.edu/holocaust/resource/glossary.htm#f
http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/browse/glossary.html
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/jchristi/econ100/glossary.htm

There are differences, after all they are not stupid, just short sighted magical thinkers. I'm sure those that are dragging us into the hell on earth we are creating, are completely convinced that they are going to avoid the inevitable consequences of fascism.
We have one party rule.
Rampant nationalism.
Economic servitude.
Pervasive religious fundamentalism.
Severely weakened national defense.
Lack of popular representation.
I have a question for those "it's not that bad" and "it can't happen here" people. Where do think this is going? :banghead:

[tom_paine]

57. Imperial Amerika has evolved a new kinder and gentler form under Busheviks

Totalitarianism ALWAYS must be chimeric, for with each new incarnation, it is defeated and discredited.

Therefore, Bush Neo-Fascism is (particularly since we are still in the middle transitional stages) much closer to Imperial Rome in structure and the need to keep democratic pretexts alive to serve the Central National Myth (that we will never bow to a King, that was the Romans' myth, too).

Canada is in dasnger because Totalitarian States like Amerika is morhping into do not tolerate Free States on their borders for very long.

Hey Canadians! Look out for than Anschluss, though i suspect that if it comes to you, it like the rest of Bushevikism will come in stealth and tie you down while leaving the hollowed-out shell of Free Canada propped up for show.

[dretceterini]

61. The first Fascism I experienced

was under democratic mayor Richard J Dailey at the 1968 national convention in Chicago. Things have not changed; they are only constantly worse.

[rbajai]

64. AGREED

and the more you try to warn the RWers, the more they think you are crazy. But it is absolutely true. Fascism is here and growing. Hopefully more people will wake up and fight against it.

[tavalon]

73. We're on the trajectory

and fairly far down the road.

I'm hoping we can turn it around. I'm really not sure, though, if we can. Diebold is a big confounding factor. The media another. The third is the dumbing down of the American populace.

[Conservativesux]

81. Problem is that most people are fat, dumb and happy as long as the corps

keep the supply of TV shows, junk food and Walmart crap coming.

Its no wonder * was selected with a populace of morons as a voting block.

[AntiFascist]

74. What about these quotes....

Fascism, which was not afraid to call itself reactionary... does not hesitate to call itself illiberal and anti-liberal Benito Mussolini.

Fascists particularly loathed the social theories of the French Revolution and its slogan: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity." ...

Fascism and nazism as ideologies involve, to varying degrees, some of the following hallmarks:

* Nationalism and superpatriotism with a sense of historic mission.
* Aggressive militarism even to the extent of glorifying war as good for the national or individual spirit.
* Use of violence or threats of violence to impose views on others ...
* Authoritarian reliance on a leader or elite not constitutionally responsible to an electorate.
* Cult of personality around a charismatic leader.
* Reaction against values of Modernism, usually with emotional attacks against both liberalism and communism.
* Exhortations for the homogeneous masses ... to join voluntarilly in a heroic mission--often metaphysical and romanticized in nature.
* Dehumanization and scapegoating of the enemy--seeing the enemy as an inrferior or subhuman force, perhaps involved in a conspiracy that justifies eradicating them.
* The self-image of being a superior form of social organization beyond socialism, capitalism, and democracy.
* Elements of national socialist ideological roots, for example, ostensible support for the industrial working class or farmers; but ultimately, the forging of an alliance with an elite sector of society.
* Abandonment of any consistent ideology in a drive for state power.
Chip Berlet, in the preface to "Old Nazis, the New Right, and the Republican Party," 1991.

Reactionary concepts plus revolutionary emotion result in Fascist mentality. Wilhem Reich

The great masses of people ... will more easily fall victims to a big lie than a small one. Adolph Hitler.

If fascism came to America, it would be on a program of Americanism. Huey P. Long.

[sweetheart]

75. "Arbeit mach frei"

It should be printed on the dollar bill.

[Spinoza]

80. Gunter Grass once said.....

The subject of this post reminds me of a speech I once heard from the post-war German novelist Gunter Grass. He was invited to speak to our anti-war (Vietnam, of course) group in Berkeley (Cal) in the early 70s. Before it was his turn to speak, we listened to several other speakers. We heard speech after speech denouncing 'Amerika' as Fascist, Nazi, the police were Gestapo, etc. Pretty much the usual stuff for that day and venue. I naturally agreed with all the speakers. Grass was and is a man firmly and completely on the left. But this was too much for him. You see, he had actually LIVED in Hitler's Germany. He said: "You know, I have recently become aware of a strange weather phenonemon. The 'dark night of fascism' is always descending on America, but it only seems to actually LAND in Europe." He went on: "The 'Gestapo' must be very slow here. Where I come from, they would have broken those doors down (he pointed to the doors of the auditorium) hours ago." I still remember his exact words.

[bpilgrim]

82. we've come a long way since then

and with 911 and the Patriot Act and the neoCONs in power something surely stinks to high heaven here and it is certainly always worth remembering as to avoid the mistakes of the past.

RESIST the beginnings, CONSIDER the end.

peace