I keep asking "are we there yet"?

[pattmarty]

Fascism. When you hear that word it conjures up jack boots, swastikas, and "Nazi's". But has it come to America yet? With any historical event you never can tell EXACTLY when it began or ended. For instance, in Chile you can definitely tell it began the day Allende was overthrown and Pinochet took power. But in Germany and Italy when did it begin? I think a lot about this nowadays and even read "History of the Third Reich" again to get maybe a little more info on when it started in Germany. But alas, like anything in life there is always more than one reason for an event and there is more than one "why".

I am going to be 61 years old in another month and am not a big student on American Presidential history. But in my lifetime there have been eleven Presidents starting with Truman and up to the present Nitwit who by far in my opinion is the worst (yeah, even worse than Nixon). I actually think they have been getting progressively worse since Nixon. As an aside here I'll state that my favorite of the eleven was Johnson and with the HUGE mistake of continuing and escalating the Viet Nam war, was in my opinion the greatest since FDR.

Ok, when did it start? I'm starting on the premise that we already are in the beginning stages of Fascism. We have corporations actually writing legislation, paramilitaries (can you say Blackwater?), the coming of what I like to call a new Feudalism. Corporations are now not just controlling the United States but the whole world. The United States has the most people in jails than every other country in the world, with the exception of MAYBE China. We have the largest gap in income in the industrialized world. I won't go as far to say Bush is like a Hitler, but I will say it about the real "Fueher" Dick Cheney. The union membership is the lowest ever, all we need now is a "National emergency" to pretty much seal it.

What can we do about it? I really don't know, I'm just a little cog (good German?) in the big fucking wheel. But I think we all know a few of the major roadblocks in our way to stop it. First, where the fuck is the Media? Yeah, the good ole "Liberal Media"? We need you guys now more than ever in my lifetime and nobody's fucking home. Talk about apathy, nobody wants to do shit it seems. And look at the fucking clowns (I'm talking both parties here) that are running for President. We actually have a couple of serious candidates but who in the Media gives a fuck about them. The media actually wants to stir up shit between them all to keep the ratings up and going until the primaries are over and they can start their process all over again between the Democratic & Republican candidates. Hey, the Democrats look to be in a position to take the Presidency and pick up big gains in both houses of Congress, but what will that mean to all of us?

I'm retired now and living on a small pension (that's the thing that you "used" to get from a company when you retired) not getting Social Security yet (I'll probably get mine if I live another few years, but what about the younger crowd) and I'll tell ya, If I had more of a cash stash, I would move to another country in a fucking heartbeat. I don't know where I would go because I don't have the money to go, but if it gets much worse my wife and myself might decide to flee just like a refugee.

I really, really, hope to hell that this next election halts this 30+ year trend in this country, but the way I see it is if Hillary gets the nod of the Dems it will just slow and cloud the process down. I'm assuming at least as of now, that Hillary will be the next President and with that we will have the same policies that we had under Bill, which I call the old moderate Republican policies. Definitely not good for poor and middle class people.

Welcome to the new improved version of Fascism, V2.0.


Marty

[MisterHowdy]

1. Recommended

and well done.

[Blashyrkh]

"Welcome to the new improved version of Fascism, V2.0."

Excellent line. When people hear "fascism" they think 1930s fascism and assume that is the only kind of fascism that exists or works. 60 years of design improvements, including a completely controlled but publically "independant" propaganda wing makes the fascism of 1930s Germany inherently different to America today.

Germany 1930s used fear to control.
America 2000s uses apathy to control.

[pattmarty]

3. Thanks. America 2000 uses fear big time too.

[Blashyrkh]

7. Of course.

The increased focus on distraction (paradox?) makes fear more effective, which makes apathy towards certain things easier, which makes fear more effective. Lather. Repeat. "Be apathetic to all the things you're not afraid of" type mentality.

[LakeSamish706]

2. I would seriously suggest the book by Naomi Wolf....

The End of America... Its a great read by a person that understands where we are at this moment in America. She has done her research well on this one in my opinion... It is very disturbing.

[pattmarty]

4. I know. I'm waiting for my Library to get it in, but may have to buy it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. It is not that pricey as far as books are concerned

and i is not only a keeper but one to share with family and friends

Hell, been considering taking my copy to my Congresscritter

Lets see if that wakes HER up

[treestar]

5. No, looking at what is happening in Pakistan gave me perspective

We are no where near it. But I do think it a good thing we look out for it from afar. If it just creeps up on the horizon, we have at least somebody worrying about it. Which is the vigilance needed, and not a bad thing.

If we were in danger, * would have a high approval rating. So I think we have a lot of reason to hope and should be far, far, far from giving up.

[pattmarty]

6. I don't quite agree, what happens if we have another "event" here?

[Blashyrkh]

8. "If we were in danger, * would have a high approval rating."

That is the most spurious logic I have read in quite some time. You have a specific idea of what fascism looks like (Germany 1930s) and until you see that, you won't acknowledge there's a problem. Well, the problem is you are gonna get the America 2000 version of fascism which looks, and works, differently.

"We are no where near it" is denial in the face of the Military Commission Act 2006.

[Warren Stupidity]

9. Yes we are in serious fucking trouble.

By the way, start your SS at the earliest possible year - in your case 62. The reduction in benefits is more than compensated by the increased total income.

Consider South America if you decide exile makes sense. Personally, if I could retire now I would spend my old age standing in the street with signs warning commuters driving by that we have lost our republic and that the Corporate Kleptocracy and War Party has taken over.

I think we boomers will be called on one more time to get out in the streets and stir some shit up. That stuff in the 60's and early 70's was just training. This will be the real deal. Who knows, we might still save the world.

[143tbone]

12. Everybody should be out in the streets now.

Every vigil, every march. Everybody that knows what's going on should attend it all. Each one will get bigger and bigger. Especially now. Critical mass. The 100th monkey.
THEY are happy as long as we stay at our keyboards. THEY do not want us to hit the streets.

[zeemike]

10. Fascism in Germany was incremental

and at no time did Hitler have more than 35% of the vote. But the tipping point, that is the point at which it could not be reversed was when the military was made to take an oath to the leader.
We are dangerously close to that point right now. Generals that will not go along with bush are being retired and the military privatized so that there loyalty is no longer to defend and protect the constitution and the people but to corporate and political interest.
But those of us over 60 should not run away but be on the front lines and be willing to take a bullet or go to jail because after all it is our fault we let it go this long and get this far.

[pattmarty]

13. Yeah, amen to that, brother/sister........