There's a New Fascism on the Rise, and the NSA Leaks Show Us What It Looks Like

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/media/understanding-latest-leaks-understanding-rise-new-fascism

In his book, Propaganda, published in 1928, Edward Bernays wrote: "The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country."

The American nephew of Sigmund Freud, Bernays invented the term "public relations" as a euphemism for state propaganda. He warned that an enduring threat to the invisible government was the truth-teller and an enlightened public.

In 1971, whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg leaked US government files known as The Pentagon Papers, revealing that the invasion of Vietnam was based on systematic lying. Four years later, Frank Church conducted sensational hearings in the US Senate: one of the last flickers of American democracy. These laid bare the full extent of the invisible government: the domestic spying and subversion and warmongering by intelligence and "security" agencies and the backing they received from big business and the media, both conservative and liberal.

Speaking about the National Security Agency (NSA), Senator Church said: "I know that the capacity that there is to make tyranny in America, and we must see to it that this agency and all agencies that possess this technology operate within the law … so that we never cross over that abyss. That is the abyss from which there is no return."

[Berlum]

1. .

[newfie11]

2. K&R

[Art_from_Ark]

3. In his next Senate election following the Church Committee,

Church was narrowly defeated by Steve Symms. His defeat was a loss for the entire country.

[sulphurdunn]

15. By less than a percentage point,

and most likely facilitated by NCPAC (a rouges gallery of neo-fascist rat bastards) and their Any Body But Church (ABC) committee that were largely responsible for the election of Ronald Reagan and bankrolling Church's opponent. Having the corporate media announce Reagan as the winner in Idaho long before the polls closed was probably the final blow to his reelection bid. The unseating of a senior senator sent a strong message to other progressive politicians to ignore the man behind the curtain. It's been like that ever since.

[Art_from_Ark]

30. The Election of 1980 was an unmitigated disaster

Between the beating that progressives took at the polls, and the so-called "boll weevil Democrats" (now called "blue dogs&quot who more often sided with Reagan than not, the progressive days of the '60s and '70s were given a swift boot in the butt.

And as you noted, "the unseating of a senior senator (several, actually) sent a strong message to other progressive politicians to ignore the man behind the curtain. It's been like that ever since."

[IDemo]

16. Symms was a hideous embarrassment for Idaho

His election marked the beginning of the downslide into repub insanity and inanity in this state (see: Helen "black HEE-licopters" Chenoweth, Bryan Fischer (yeah, THAT Bryan Fischer).

[Art_from_Ark]

31. Wow. I hadn't known about Chenoweth and Fischer,

but after reading up on them, I've got to agree that they fit the bill for "insanity and inanity".

[cantbeserious]

4. The Oligarchs Own The Politicians - Which Control The Levers Of Power - Which Control Us

eom

[socialist_n_TN]

11. In an nutshell......

That's the way that capitalism is set up.

[cantbeserious]

14. Simplicity Keeps Things Clear In Understanding Who The Antagonists Of Main Street Truly Are

eom

[NightWatcher]

5. "New"? I love how people think this is a new thing

I worked for one of the contractors in this story in the '90s. The Patriot Act in 01 only codified what had been going on for years. Total Information Awareness was a wet dream for DARPA a long time ago. Key words Carnivore and Eschelon and others that I can't mention have been practiced for years. This is nothing new.

[randome]

6. What do the NSA leaks show that indicate fascism?

And I don't mean what Snowden says. Talk is cheap.

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[font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font]
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[Zorra]

9. Perfect. The fact that you sincerely ask this question validates the OP's premise. nt

[sulphurdunn]

18. Mussolin is quoted as having said that

"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate power," although it was more likely this a quote from Giovanni Gentile, Mussolini's ghost writer.

Henry Wallce (Vice President during most of the FDR years) wrote an essay during WWII trying to define or explain American fascism. It is attached.

http://archive.truthout.org/article/henry-a-wallace-the-danger-american-fascism

My own opinion is that American fascism is pretty much what Mussolini is credited with saying, while Wallace put it in the context of American capitalism.

[morningfog]

19. Privatization of spying/intel and the marriage of large corporations with the NSA

to gather data. Did you read the article? Do you understand what fascism is? When the corporate world and the government act as one body, that is fascism.

There is more, but I hope that helps with your confusion. Go back and read the article as treatment of your knee-jerk reaction.

[randome]

21. The OP is about the NSA leaks so I repeat my question.

What do the leaks have to do with fascism?

[hr]
[font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font]
[hr]

[morningfog]

22. I repeat, read the article. It will help your confusion.

[morningfog]

23. I going to help you by giving you the key quote as a starting point:

"Snowden’s revelation that Washington has used Google, Facebook, Apple and other giants of consumer technology to spy on almost everyone, is further evidence of modern form of fascism – that is the "abyss". Having nurtured old-fashioned fascists around the world – from Latin America to Africa and Indonesia – the genie has risen at home. Understanding this is as important as understanding the criminal abuse of technology."

Click links, it helps prevent embarrassment.

[WillyT]

29. Here's A List You Can Choose From...

[marions ghost]

32. thanks for that

RIP US Democracy 1776-2000 that is how it feels

[nashville_brook]

24. if this is an honest question, i recommend you take some time to research and think

about it. it is indeed a very large question. one that many here and across the country are very worried about.

aaaaand...it's only partisan if you make it so. or if the president makes it so. it's not carved in stone that the White House has to defend and deploy these programs.

[rhett o rick]

33. If you honestly want to discuss this issue, stop injecting Snowden. nm

[Arctic Dave]

7. Fascism never went away, it merely got a makeover.

Authoritarianism is like a drug for some, they can never get enough.

[markiv]

36. it became WAY more subtle, sophisticated, invisible, pragmatic and effective

it doesnt put a jack boot on every street, it puts a button pusher on every button that needs pushing

and is invisible everywhere else

[WatermelonRat]

8. I'm starting to get a Tea Partier vibe from people around here.

It's one thing to say that the government is overreaching and establishing systems that can be abused. It's another to claim that it is actively malevolent and plotting a fascist transformation of the country. I can understand someone opposing the surveillance measures on principle, but claiming that they constitute tyranny (or prove a secret plan to impose tyranny) is simply absurd. I'm reminded of the NRA nuts who think that background checks are the first step to a fascist dystopia.

[G_j]

10. well it's your problem

if you don't know the difference, because it's as stark as night and day.

[Zorra]

12. After 8 fucking miserable years of blatant fascism under Bush/Cheney, & the PNAC, you can spew that?

[socialist_n_TN]

13. Sounds like you might need to be a little bit better informed then...

WAY too much coordinated actions by the capitalists, their toadies in the political class and the media, and the courts for this to be coincidental.

Remember, Mussolini (THE first fascist to actually rise to power) described fascism as government and corporations as one entity. THAT'S what all of this amounts to.

[Harmony Blue]

20. True

This is why people need to wake up and smell the coffee.

[RetroLounge]

17. Really, you're just starting to get a vibe after 3 posts?

Maybe you should try educating yourself first.

RL

[nashville_brook]

25. in what sense could "Insider Threat Program" not be seen as malevolent?

I'll let Charlie Pierce take it from here:

You want "Nixonian"? This, right here, this is Nixonian, if Nixon had grown up in East Germany. You've got the entire federal bureaucracy looking for signs of "high-risk persons or behaviors" the way Nixon sent Fred Malek out to count the Jews. You've got created within the entire federal bureaucracy a culture of spies and informers, which will inevitably breed fear and deceit and countless acts of interoffice treachery. (Don't like your boss at the Bureau Of Land Management? Hmm, he looks like a high-risk person. Tell someone.) And this is the clincher.

Hammer this fact home . . . leaking is tantamount to aiding the enemies of the United States," says a June 1, 2012, Defense Department strategy for the program that was obtained by McClatchy.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/Big_Brother_Takes_A_Government_Job

[treestar]

28. Welcome to DU

You sound measured and reasonable. You may find that to be a difficult position to take around DU.

[rhett o rick]

34. Do you have a clue as to what fascism actually is? Clue, it doesnt have to involve Hitler. nm

[snagglepuss]

26. to read later

[WillyT]

27. K & R !!!

[temmer]

35. kick