How America can have the best fascist government the world has ever seen!

[UberLutheran]

In a nutshell: America is ripe and ready for the picking, e.g., a fascist takeover. Indeed: it's probably happening right now, right before our eyes.

Question: Who's going to be voted off "Survivor"?


http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10710.htm

Living in a Fascist State

By Lewis H. Lapham

Eco, who takes pains in the essay "Ur-Fascism," published in The New York Review of Books in 1995, to suggest that it's a mistake to translate fascism into a figure of literary speech. By retrieving from our historical memory only the vivid and familiar images of fascist tyranny (Gestapo firing squads, Soviet labor camps, the chimneys at Treblinka), we lose sight of the faith-based initiatives that sustained the tyrant's rise to glory. The several experiments with fascist government, in Russia and Spain as well as in Italy and Germany, didn't depend on a single portfolio of dogma, and so Eco, in search of their common ground, doesn't look for a unifying principle or a standard text. He attempts to describe a way of thinking and a habit of mind, and on sifting through the assortment of fantastic and often contradictory notions -- Nazi paganism, Franco's National Catholicism, Mussolini's corporatism, etc. -- he finds a set of axioms on which all the fascisms agree. Among the most notable:

The truth is revealed once and only once.

Parliamentary democracy is by definition rotten because it doesn't represent the voice of the people, which is that of the sublime leader.

Doctrine outpoints reason, and science is always suspect.

Critical thought is the province of degenerate intellectuals, who betray the culture and subvert traditional values.

The national identity is provided by the nation's enemies.

Argument is tantamount to treason.

Perpetually at war, the state must govern with the instruments of fear. Citizens do not act; they play the supporting role of "the people" in the grand opera that is the state.

Eco published his essay ten years ago, when it wasn't as easy as it has since become to see the hallmarks of fascist sentiment in the character of an American government. Roosevelt probably wouldn't have been surprised.

 

[Smoke Screen]

One sign of Fascism in the U.S.:

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.

"Shock and Awe" "Bring Them On"

EDIT: Links added:

Headstones of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are inscribed with the Pentagons war-marketing slogans

September 11 = Party time with country superstar Clint Black! Bring your coolers and sparklers! All lovingly sponsored by the Department of Defense, Lockheed Martin, and Subway restaurant

 

[Borealis]

One sign of Fascism in the U.S.:

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.

"Shock and Awe" "Bring Them On"

Are you dragging this retarded argument out of mothballs yet again? Come on, people. By your own supposed definition, then, America during both World Wars was fascist. For that matter, America during the Revolutionary War was a burgeoning fascist state in the making, and both sides in the Civil War were fascist. I suppose 'Over There' was no different than 'Deutscheland Uber Alles?' How about 'La Marseilles' and the French Resistance in World War II? What about the British? How about Canada? We've got lots of patriotic slogans and symbols in our history as well. 'No truck or trade with the Yankees' is one I recall from our nations first discussion about free trade a century ago. And whenever the separatists come out to play and threaten a referendum, the country gets plastered with Canadian flags that are bought with taxpayers' money. So are we fascist as well?

How about American universities, with their school fight songs and cheerleaders? I see Michigan Wolverines gear all over the place; is the University of Michigan secretly creating a fascist regime? How about USC? What about Notre Dame?

For that matter, what about the Catholic Church, with its symbols and songs? Is that fascist as well?

If you like, I can increase the absurdity level even further. Or will you drop this idiotic 'proof' of fascism once and for all?

 

[Smoke Screen]

Increased "Nationalism" is only one warning sign of Fascism. It's not the only reason why one would believe the U.S. to be fascist. There are several other warning signs. I guess I shouldn't have posted the bit on nationalism because it tends to confuse people.

 

[Inconel]

One sign of Fascism in the U.S.:

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.

"Shock and Awe" "Bring Them On"

If I read a statement like this and question someone's patriotism, does that make me a fascist?

 

[BrownCoat]

Just a little more power to the federal government, and they'll take care of you.

 

[Borealis]

Increased "Nationalism" is only one warning sign of Fascism. It's not the only reason why one would believe the U.S. to be fascist. There are several other warning signs. I guess I shouldn't have posted the bit on nationalism because it tends to confuse people and send them further into denial.

No, it tends to irritate them and make them point out how idiotic that 'definition' is.

 

[Crusader05]

Here are some interesting quotes I found.

Gilbert: "There is one difference. In a democracy, the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars."
Herman Göring: "Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
In an interview with Gilbert in Göring's jail cell during the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials (18 April 1946)

Now, compair that with some prominent conservative "thinkers" of today.

Micheal Weiner (aka Micheal Savage)
To fight only the al-Qaida scum is to miss the terrorist network operating within our own borders... Who are these traitors? Every rotten radical left-winger in this country, that's who." From his book, Savage Nation, January, 2003.

Rush Limbaugh
I'm going to tell you, what's good for al-Qaeda is good for the Democratic Party in this country today. That's how you boil this down. And it doesn't have to be al-Qaeda. What's good for terrorists is good for John Kerry. All you got to do is check the way they react. [3/15/04]

Ann Coulter (shudder)
"Liberals hate America, they hate flag-wavers, they hate abortion opponents, they hate all religions except Islam, post 9/11. Even Islamic terrorists don't hate America like liberals do. They don't have the energy. If they had that much energy, they'd have indoor plumbing by now." - Talking Ann Coulter doll, Conservative Book Service [1] (from Slander, pp. 5-6; published June 2002)
My libertarian friends are probably getting a little upset now but I think that's because they never appreciate the benefits of local fascism." - MSNBC February 8, 1997
"I think there should be a literacy test and a poll tax for people to vote." Fox News, Hannity & Colmes, August 17, 1997.


Anyone else notice a striking similarity between these quotes?
Source for all quotes: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Main_Page

 

[Scholar in training]

Straight from the horse's mouth: fascism has everything to do with nationalism, but nothing to do with disarmament.

 

[Smoke Screen]

2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.

The Frontline program "The Torture Question" Watch it online

Republicans kill defense spending bill because McCain Amendment prohibits "cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment"

Bush threatens to veto $442b defense bill if Congress investigates detainee abuses.

"For Amnesty International to suggest that somehow the United States is a violator of human rights, I frankly just don't take them seriously.": Bush calls Amnesty International's "gulag" report absurd (three times in two sentences)

Rumsfeld to approve new guidelines that will formalize the administration's policy of imprisoning without the protections of the Geneva Conventions and enable the Pentagon to legally hold "ghost detainees,"

US has at least 9000 prisoners in secret detention


http://tinyurl.com/3lar2

 

[UberLutheran]

I think somebody's cranky.

I'll bet what you need is a triple-note etude (in octaves, with alternating thirds and sixths within each octave) for the left hand alone at quarter note = 120.

(BTW: I think I'm going to do a recital of left-hand transcriptions, since I've got a Bach Partita, a Beethoven sonata, a set of Chopin Etudes, a set of character pieces by Liszt, a Brahms intermezzo, and two Debussy Preludes I've arranged for the left hand alone. I guess I'm just not a big believer in limitations! )

 

[Scholar in training]

I think somebody's cranky.

“Property must be secured, or liberty cannot exist.” -- John Adams

So are the founders, apparently. Try to stop paying taxes and then you will see if you really own any land.

 

[UberLutheran]

“Property must be secured, or liberty cannot exist.” -- John Adams

So are the founders, apparently. Try to stop paying taxes and then you will see if you really own any land.

As for YOU -- YOU get a "playing inside the hands" piece where you're playing a piece while your hands are overlapping within each other.

 

[BrownCoat]

Mein fuhrer, I can walk!

Why do people trust the government?

 

[MoonlessNight]

Roosevelt probably wouldn't have been surprised.

Considering that he did a lot of work that would make a facist takeover easier, I agree that he probably wouldn't be.

 

[Dark_Lite]

Fascist or not... my allegiance is to God and the Church first and my country second. Maybe I should buy a plane ticket for 2015 or so.

Of course the world ends in 2012 so...

 

[Verv]

People are violently overeacting to the situation. I think that the problems that exist cannot be changed on this one, and that it is hte nature of any government responsible for taking care of large numbers of people to behave so immature and use such outstanding patritoic quotes and the likes.

It is not really right, but it is what is common practice and what is done.

I don't think that they are repressing and oppressing the people of the US -- there is no major crimes being committed.

Do not pretend it is something is isn't and make it out as if our lives are about to be put into gas chambers.

 

[nvxplorer]

We can find the US exhibiting fascist tendencies many times in history. The Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad case in 1886, which set the precedent for corporate personhood, is a good benchmark. One could perhaps argue the level of these fascist tendencies, but in actuality, it’s nothing new.

 

[Lifesaver]

Fascism is another kind of socialism. Nations are in danger of becoming fascist when Statist views (such as harming the individuals' right of property, setting prices, deciding whether or not someone should be hired by a firm, giving subsidies and making trade barriers, etc) are popular.
The only seeming difference between the two is that fascism puts more emphasis on the military power and have some different views on some moral topics.

 

[nvxplorer]

Fascism is another kind of socialism. Nations are in danger of becoming fascist when Statist views (such as harming the individuals' right of property, setting prices, deciding whether or not someone should be hired by a firm, giving subsidies and making trade barriers, etc) are popular.
The only seeming difference between the two is that fascism puts more emphasis on the military power and have some different views on some moral topics.

Fascism is not a type of socialism. Private property is not outlawed in fascist systems. Read up on Mussolini. He states that fascism is the exact opposite of Marxian socialism. You appear to be conflating the two because of totalitarianism.