I am sorry, but we are NOT a fascist nation.

[Deja Q]

Not yet.

We ARE, however, a oligarchic plutocracy.

[Imagine My Surprise]

1. Is that Charles Nelson Reilly?

[rqstnnlitnmnt]

8. just one of the drunken duo

that made match game such a joy to watch

[WhereThereIsFire]

2. Yes, we only have a Fascist top CEO.

[HereSince1628]

3. It's a plan: return to the world order Europe's circa 1000 ybp

:tinfoilhat:

[Junkdrawer]

6. Myself, I think it's a return to America's Gilded Age circa 1880...

Robber Barons Unite! You have nothing to lose but the New Deal!

[HereSince1628]

7. Well, the robber barons I agree with...but also international feudalism

With international corporations functioning as the great families of feudal europe.
If it was 1890 we could at least look forward to better labor laws, the civil rights movement, social programs...I fear our current trajectory does not promise many intersections with those domains.

[Junkdrawer]

10. Yeah, but last go around, there was that pesky democracy thing...

to deal with.

Got that fixed now.

[thefool_wa]

4. Shadow Oligarchy

I think that if we could shift our nation towards an Oligarchic DEMOCRACY, maybe we could get things back on track.

I actually have some well developed ideas in this regard, anyone interested in hearing them? I have some following in the Northwest and, in the next couple years, we plan to try and make a break into local/state politics as a test bed for the ideas.

An no, we are not Fascist yet. I don't think we ever will be only because, once the final step is eminent, we will rise up to stop it.

[mmonk]

21. By what means?

"An no, we are not Fascist yet. I don't think we ever will be only because, once the final step is eminent, we will rise up to stop it."

[thecai]

5. I'm Not A Bit Sorry

We are NOT a fascist nation, nor will we ever be. B@sh will never achieve that goal as long as the righteous oppose, rebuke, and resist his evil.
UNITE 2 FIGHT Against Injustice, Corruption, and FASCISM.
(edit for sp)

[No Exit]

9. A friend of mine told me he had created the perfect the fascist nation

I wrote back and told him he had NOT created the perfect fascist nation because he hadn't done anything about liberalism, or communism, or train schedules, or Helen Thomas, or The Jewish Problem, or gettin' drunk.

So he added a few things to his fascist nation:

"I was drunk the day Helen Thomas got outa prison,
And I went to pick her up from the train!
But the train was late because Jewish people owned the station,
And liberals all said I had no brain!
And I will hang around as long as you will let me..."

(Okay, okay, I'm gone, already!!:dunce: )

(This is not intended to insult Jewish people. Quite the opposite. The reference to train schedules refers to Mussolini and the reference to the "Jewish Problem" refers to Hitler.)

[EuroObserver]

13. The Swiss have wonderful railways.

No problem here, No Exit. The Swiss have the most ubiquitous, punctual railway system I have ever experienced. And it's also about the most grassroots democratic confederacy I know. <Grin>.

I'm told I'm one quarter Jewish, though the grandparents kept that a secret. And half a Celt. What's most important is freedom of expression and telling/knowing the truth.

[No Exit]

18. Punctual railway system... why, you.... FASCIST!!!

Freedom of expression?? Telling and knowing the truth?? Hey, look, pal, this is America! We don't need your strange foreign customs here!:)

[Birthmark]

11. We will be...

...as soon as we can figure out the proper tie to go with fascism.

[many a good man]

12. Uniquely American form of fascism

Most people have a stereotypical idea of fascism, namely that of the jack-booted mass murderers of Nazi Germany. However, there have been several less virulent strains of this political disease. Think of Italy under Mussolini and Spain under Franco.

We are not a totalitarian police state, but lets take a look at some characteristics of our nation that have developed since 911.

* International pariah, illegally invading another sovereign country
* infiltration of non-violent political opposition groups
* domestic spying on political opponents
* blatant disregard for the rule of law and due process
* exploitation of fear

Fascism creeps slowly and its a matter of degree. Of course, our govt has been shown to be guilty of all the items in my list above since gaining super power status. There has long been a fascist element in American politics. It has been a struggle back and forth for generations but democracy has always prevailed.

The fascist movement may have overreached and is only now facing a public backlash. It is high time for the sons and daughters of liberty to awaken from their long slumber and defend and perfect our glorious experiment in self-rule. Once it is lost, its much harder to win back.

[omega minimo]

15. Making a list, checkin' it twice

"The fascist movement may have overreached and is only now facing a public backlash. It is high time for the sons and daughters of liberty to awaken from their long slumber and defend and perfect our glorious experiment in self-rule. Once it is lost, its much harder to win back."

What public backlash? There seems to be no end to the gullibility, complicity and deniability of the American public. Even the televised racist genocide and governmental abandonment of Katrina NOLA did not cause "the sons and daughters of liberty to awaken from their long slumber and defend and perfect our glorious experiment in self-rule."

The news about domestic spying and impeachable offenses? Another :boring:

The reason that we ARE Whatever-You-Want-To-Call the state of the nation IS that slumber, that complicity, that lack of defense. After Reagan was elected in his bogus "landslide" some folks wondered "What is wrong with these people? When are they gonna wake up?"

Now, apparently, the answer is never.

:patriot:

Fourteen Characteristics of Fascism

Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, wrote an article about fascism which appeared in Free Inquiry magazine -- a journal of humanist thought. Dr. Britt
studied the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile). He found the regimes all had 14
things in common, and he calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The article is titled 'Fascism Anyone?', by Lawrence Britt, and appears in Free
Inquiry's Spring 2003 issue on page 20.

The 14 characteristics are:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism -- Fascist 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 fascist 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.

5. Rampant Sexism -- The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are
made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

6. Controlled Mass Media -- Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by
government regulation, or through sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in wartime, 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 fascist 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.

9. Corporate Power is Protected -- The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist 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 fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated
entirely or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts -- Fascist 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 is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the
arts.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment -- Under fascist 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.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption -- Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to
government positions, and who use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for
national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections -- Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against (or
even the assassination of) opposition candidates, the use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and the manipulation of the
media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/britt_23_2.htm for complete text of article.>

[jmatthan]

22. You just proved the point

America is a Fascist Nation!

[Individualist]

16. You bring up a good point

Many people have a stereotypical view of fascism. Anyone who doubts that our nation has become fascist should read the following: www.oldamericancentury.org/14pts.htm

[rman]

14. Exploitative minority rule requires deception, seduction, intimidation,

violence etc to stay in power.

It's different then anywhere else before, and it may not be full blown yet.
But fascistic it is.

[Jazzgirl]

17. How 'bout a....

kleptocratic, fascist, olgarchic plutocracy. :evilgrin:

[GOPBasher]

19. We're on our way to being both a fascist nation and the theocracy.

We'd better stop the trends soon.

[BooScout]

20. We are very much a fascist nation.....

Read the 14 points of fascism someone else posted on this thread and tell me that doesn't describe our country to a tee. America has been a fascist state for several years now. Deny it if you wish but saying it ain't so doesn't make the truth take a hike.

I have no faith left that America will correct itself either. Bush has gotten away for far too long with far too much.

[mmonk]

23. Fascism From the American Heritage dictionary:

"A philosophy or system of government that advocates or exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with an ideology of belligerent nationalism."


So where are we?

[Generic Other]

24. No, we are shit-eating downtrodden masses

too lazy to even lift a finger to restore real democracy to our country choosing instead to stand by as the most dishonest, corrupt assholes ever to assemble in Washington DC have taken over the buildings and filled them to the rafters with Nazi dreck. We stand in line with spoons eager for a taste.

Castro was right. We are shit-eaters. All of us.

[Karenina]

25. Classic Mo

[Solly Mack]

31. that's the gospel

damn sure is

[Generic Other]

33. Trust Mo Paul to have drawn our portrait for posterity

It's such a good likeness. LOL

[nofurylike]

28. absolutely. eom

[AgadorSparticus]

26. not openly, anyways. we still have some feel good psyche

barriers so the masses don't erupt in civil war. maybe i'm just feeling the bah humbugs of xmas, but it doesn't seem like it's going to change much anytime soon.

[nofurylike]

27. actually "feel good psyche barriers" are a feature of fascism. "resemble

the ideal," while shifting the people to the real (totalitarianism), is part of the definition.

so that they don't rebel until it's too late.


peace

[AgadorSparticus]

29. that's why i said it's not openly fascist. but fascist still the same.

we're on the same page. :)

[nofurylike]

30. yes. i apologize that i didn't say it more as the agreement i felt. thank

you!

same sad page, definitely.

:hi:


peace and solidarity!

[AgadorSparticus]

34. peace and solidarity!!! you betcha!

have a great night!! :hi:

[nofurylike]

35. thank you, AgadorSparticus!! you too!

:)

:hi:

[skygazer]

32. Why are you sorry?

Do you feel being a fascist nation would be somehow better? :evilgrin:

[Clara T]

36. Suave technocratic fascism- Pass the toys

Who is the only man smiling in this picture and why?
This picture was taken at the Sept 11 memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral
reported on by Time Magazine 24 September 2001