From:
http://orlandosentinel.com/automagic/columnists/2000-07-18/OPEDreese18071800.html
Not all fascists sport military uniforms and funny
mustaches
By Charley Reese
Commentary
Have you ever thought about whether you
are a socialist, a capitalist or a fascist?
It's an interesting mental exercise.
Don't decide on the basis of your current
situation. You can be a capitalist and still
suck on the government teat. Most big
corporations do. You can be socialist and
yet make a lot of money. "Hanoi Jane"
Fonda is a good example of that.
Just to keep it simple, a capitalist believes
that the means of production should be
privately owned; a socialist believes that
the means of production should be owned
by the government; and a fascist believes
that the means of production should be
controlled by the government.
It seems to me that folks who favor heavy
government regulation are fascists, and
most of them don't even know it.
Americans have been brainwashed by
Hollywood into thinking fascists wear
military uniforms and have funny
mustaches. In fact, fascists can look
exactly like Bill Clinton or Alan
Greenspan.
I count myself a capitalist -- even though
for most of my life I didn't even need to
take my shoes off to count my money.
Capitalism, however, is the only economic
system compatible with individual
freedom.
You can't separate freedom from
economics on account of the fact that we
are flesh and need sustenance. In a
capitalist society it is up to us to earn our
own sustenance as best we can. If someone
else controls our ability to earn our
sustenance, then we aren't really free even
if the controller chooses to leave us alone
most of the time.
In the Soviet Union and other communist
countries, the first level of punishment for
dissidents was to take away their housing
(there was no privately owned housing)
and their job (there were no private
businesses either). Thus, a dissident soon
found himself homeless and hungry and
soon thereafter discovered that being
homeless and hungry was a crime.
In a society in which there is no private
property, the individual is at the mercy of
the government. On the other hand a person
in a capitalist society can voluntarily
become a slave, simply by going deeply
into debt. When all the money you earn is
owed to somebody else, you don't have a
lot of freedom left.
You may ask how is a safety net provided
in a free society?
Well, by family and church. The large,
tight-knit families that characterized
America of the 18th and 19th centuries
were based on a strong element of
economics. The family worked together to
raise the standard of living of the whole
family; when old age or sickness came, the
family took care of them. Before Medicaid
and Medicare came along, there were
charity hospitals operated by churches and
sometimes the local community.
Although native-born Americans have
largely abandoned that for extreme
individualism, you still see it working
among Asians and other immigrants. That's
why so many of them prosper despite the
difficulties of adjusting to a new country
and new language.
The most common characteristic of human
beings is their adaptability. They can adapt
to taking care of themselves and their kin if
the environment forces them to do so. They
can also adapt to dependency if the
government forces that system on them.
People often complain that Americans are
irresponsible. That attitude has been
fostered on the people by the government:
Don't worry. The government will feed
you; the government will provide you with
health care; the government will take care
of the old folks; the government will
protect you from the bad guys. You just
enjoy your self-indulgence and be nothing
but a mindless consumer.
The hidden price, of course, is freedom.
Published in The Orlando Sentinel on July 18, 2000
=================================================================
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
*Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
=================================================================
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are
sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis-
directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with
major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and
always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no
credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html
<A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</A>
http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
<A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A>
========================================================================
To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email:
SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Om
