Brad,
Not yet!
But, watch this page.
So we agree that fascism is a live possibility here in the USA in our time? Or are you saying that the liberals on this list will *say* America has gone fascist as part of their ideological discourse?
In my original "snap" retort to your reply to what I thought was a pretty "interesting" list of 14 points, I didn't really make my point clearly (emotion triumphing over salesmanship!).
What I meant was that saying that Cuba and the USSR are/were fascist is like saying Satan is evil. Nobody really doubted that, did they -- certainly not Fox TV, e.g. But if we say that the USA may possibly be going in a fascist direction, then we are saying something meaningful (whether true or false is, of course, the big next issue to address), because the USA, like God, is assumed to be good, NOT evil (fascist, etc.).
And that's why I find THe Book of Job in the Bible so interesting: Because it shows God joining with Satan to see if they can hurt a good person. Now *that* is interesting, because it shows us that we cannot trust "the good guy" -- similar to saying that the USA might be going fascist.
For people to keep running their mouths off how evil Satan
is is a great way ("red herring") to keep people from
questioning how evil God is. For people to keep
running their mouths off how evil (fascist, etc.)
the USSR and Cuba are is an equally great way ("red herring" --
or is it a white herring?) to keep people from
quesioning how really democratic the USA is.Then, of course, there is the further question of God's contribution to making Satan in the first place -- ditto the USA (and Europe's) contribution to making the USSR and Cuba.
"There is more to the surface than meets the eye" (--Aaron Beck)
\brad mccormick
Harry ---------------------------------------------
Brad wrote:
Harry Pollard wrote:
Sounds like the USSR and Cuba.
I agree! Anyplace but here! Not in our back yard! Gott mit uns! Etc.
\brad mccormick
Harry ---------------------------------------------------------- Ray wrote:
A friend sent this over. REH
'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 are almost always 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.
**************************************************** Harry Pollard Henry George School of Social Science of Los Angeles Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 Tel: (818) 352-4141 -- Fax: (818) 353-2242 http://home.attbi.com/~haledward ****************************************************
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Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works.... (Matt 5:16)Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thes 5:21)
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