Fast track to fascism under Bush!

ran across an article that noted the characteristics of fascism. many of which seem to already be taking shape in the United States

this article takes into acount the similarities b/t fourteen fascist regimes: Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Franco�s Spain, Salazar�s Portugal, Papadopoulos�s Greece, Pinochet�s Chile, and Suharto�s Indonesia.

these existed in defferent culteres/nations so they allow a mixed perspective of the characteristics that are common to all and were used as a means to obtain, expandm, and maintain power.

So, in light of this i decided to list those here. I thought it would be interesting to see how these relate to the U.S. as it now stands and is developing.

Enjoy!!!

Analysis of these seven regimes reveals fourteen common threads that link them in recognizable patterns of national behavior and abuse of power. These basic characteristics are more prevalent and intense in some regimes than in others, but they all share at least some level of similarity.

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism.

From the prominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regime itself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always obvious. Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia.

hmm, a recent event comes to mind, since which the ap has coined the term 'war on terror' to send the masses into a hell raising opposition to the 'radical muslims'. And you know what, i must just say that the terror alerts every week is really exciting.

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.

two words - Patriot Act - nuf said...

3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause.

The most significant common thread among these regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to (cant highlight this enough)divert the people�s attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions. The methods of choice�relentless propaganda and disinformation�were usually effective. Often the regimes would incite �spontaneous� acts against the target scapegoats, usually communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and �terrorists.� Active opponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly.

love this one, perhaps too much to even list. oh u know what they are

4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism.

Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructure that supported it. A disproportionate share of national resources was allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. The military was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite.

how long have we been in iraq... and millions for this 'war on terror'

5. Rampant sexism.

Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and the national culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably viewed women as second-class citizens. They were adamantly anti-abortion and also homophobic. These attitudes were usually codified in Draconian laws that enjoyed strong support by the orthodox religion of the country, thus lending the regime cover for its abuses.

it already says it for me, why reiterate

6. A controlled mass media.

Under some of the regimes, the mass media were under strict direct control and could be relied upon never to stray from the party line. Other regimes exercised more subtle power to ensure media orthodoxy. Methods included the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the power elite. The result was usually success in keeping the general public unaware of the regimes� excesses.

7. Obsession with national security.

Inevitably, a national security apparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting �national security,� and questioning its activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.

lmao, umm i couldnt say it better myself if directly describing U.S.

8. Religion and ruling elite tied together.

Unlike communist regimes, the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless by their opponents. In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elite�s behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the �godless.� A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion.

i give up, dont even need to make the corrilations ne-more

9. Power of corporations protected.

Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of �have-not� citizens.

10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated.

Since organized labor was seen as the one power center that could challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate allies, it was inevitably crushed or made powerless. The poor formed an underclass, viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some regimes, being poor was considered akin to a vice.

11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts.

Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them were anathema to these regimes. Intellectual and academic freedom were considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal. Universities were tightly controlled; politically unreliable faculty harassed or eliminated. Unorthodox ideas or expressions of dissent were strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed. To these regimes, art and literature should serve the national interest or they had no right to exist.

12. Obsession with crime and punishment.

Most of these regimes maintained Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prison populations. The police were often glorified and had almost unchecked power, leading to rampant abuse. �Normal� and political crime were often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used against political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of criminals or �traitors� was often promoted among the population as an excuse for more police power.

13. Rampant cronyism and corruption.

Those in business circles and close to the power elite often used their position to enrich themselves. This corruption worked both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism. Members of the power elite were in a position to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources. With the national security apparatus under control and the media muzzled, this corruption was largely unconstrained and not well understood by the general population.

14. Fraudulent elections.

Elections in the form of plebiscites or public opinion polls were usually bogus. When actual elections with candidates were held, they would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the desired result. Common methods included maintaining control of the election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite.

Does any of this ring alarm bells? Of course not. After all, this is America, officially a democracy with the rule of law, a constitution, a free press, honest elections, and a well-informed public constantly being put on guard against evils. Historical comparisons like these are just exercises in verbal gymnastics. Maybe, maybe not.



EDIT: sorry i had lost the source, here is the link thanks to loam

[edit on 8-11-2004 by Franki]

Please cite a link or reference to the article you have quoted above. Failure to cite a link for quoted material is a violation of the board T&C's.

Thanks
FredT

he makes some interesting points though.

Hmmm, without a link to the article its hard to put this in context.

The one glaring omission so far is the propensity for gun control and/or confiscation shared by communist and facist dictators as a method to prevent the population from rising up.

Without the article I'm having to assume this omission was something that may have been in conflict with the ideology the author espoused.

Ie: Gun control is a leftwing goal not a rightwing goal in the U.S. and elsewhere today so it was omitted standing in conflict of the message as it were.

Looks like this has been printed multiple places. Once source below attributes the list to the novelist, Laurence W Britt...

educate-yourself.org...

I too find these points interesting...

There are no interesting points here. We are at war......We were attacked. I am angry we are not turning the middle east into glass. Bush is TOO kind and Liberal.

Wow, we're 14 for 14....practice your goose-stepping now folks...

As for:

The one glaring omission so far is the propensity for gun control and/or confiscation shared by communist and facist dictators as a method to prevent the population from rising up.

This is no longer a factor. In the days when an army of private citizens with arms could revolt, sure, it was a factor then, but if your entire neighborhood is armed with M16s, you aren't going to do squat against even one chopper of the US military...hence the factor has been taken out of the equation in modern fascism. You and your neighbors would be a pile of charred corpses, while the chopper just has some small arms fire blemishes to fix.

Originally posted by Gazrok
This is no longer a factor. In the days when an army of private citizens with arms could revolt, sure, it was a factor then, but if your entire neighborhood is armed with M16s, you aren't going to do squat against even one chopper of the US military...hence the factor has been taken out of the equation in modern fascism. You and your neighbors would be a pile of charred corpses, while the chopper just has some small arms fire blemishes to fix.

wow, thats wxactly what ive been thinking when people keep talking about a revolution. honestly i dont believe we pose any threat toward a modern fascist government. for example the need of large military, if one disregarts humaine measures to dispose of an enimy, is totally negated with the use of biological warfare, the guided missles/smart-bombs and a global diffence system. unless that gov just totally exhausts itself and has few military resources left to resist a large revolt.

You can bringa chopper down pretty effectively with a tater gun and a dogchain, so I hear. Jets, the same thing, but with bb's. Also you can make wire guided rocket launcher with a model rocket kit, a spool of fishing wire, and a cardboard tube with some really easy modifications to the nose cone. Also, with an all volunteer army, how many of those soldiers are really going to be willing to march into a town and start shooting americans if if came to widespread conflict? The citizenry of this country is armed to the teeth, don't be fooled into thinking it would be a clean sweep. Look at Iraqi resistance, and their citizenry was no where near as armed. I hope it never comes to that point, but if it did, my money would be on the american people.

You can take a helicopter down with a .22 if you're a good enough shot


Saying that we ought to surrender our guns, and then running off to a dozen other threads to talk about how Bush is a fascist dictator, seems pretty silly to me. Of course, what do I know, I'm conservative

and about those camps...

There over 600 prison camps in the United States, all fully operational and ready to receive prisoners. They are all staffed and even surrounded by full-time guards, but they are all empty. These camps are to be operated by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) should Martial Law need to be implemented in the United States.

The Rex 84 Program was established on the reasoning that if a mass exodus of illegal aliens crossed the Mexican/US border, they would be quickly rounded up and detained in detention centers by FEMA. Rex 84 allowed many military bases to be closed down and to be turned into prisons.

Operation Cable Splicer and Garden Plot are the two sub programs which will be implemented once the Rex 84 program is initiated for its proper purpose. Garden Plot is the program to control the population. Cable Splicer is the program for an orderly takeover of the state and local governments by the federal government. FEMA is the executive arm of the coming police state and thus will head up all operations. The Presidential Executive Orders already listed on the Federal Register also are part of the legal framework for this operation.

these camps could be used on any and everyone considered a terrerist threat, which is basically anyone who commits "any action that endangers human life that is a violation of any Federal or State law."

so once all of these 'terrorists', which would well be anyone even considerong the idea of revolt, would be put away along with anyone they associate with

how much of a threat would they pose then

Name me ONE country that doesn't have any, if not all, of those fourteen points. With power comes corruption, and there is no way countries can stop corruption. Be glad that some countries are trying to passively curb corruption. I honestly cannot see a government working, in a non-utopian society, that does not contain those points.

As to a revolution in this day and age, there's no way this can happen against a competent military- this is definitely not what the US lacks. Have you looked at the civil wars in China? Citizens managed to take some tanks and guns but they were slaughtered. The sheer amount of military force against a revolutionary force is too much...

Originally posted by FourOceans
Name me ONE country that doesn't have any, if not all, of those fourteen points

Switzerland

Fast track to fascism under Bush ???

* fascism has been rising, constricting for more than 3 decades already !!
...........

alt. title: Fast track to Fundamentalism/Evangelical via Bush doctrines

`

Originally posted by Phoenix

The one glaring omission so far is the propensity for gun control and/or confiscation shared by communist and facist dictators as a method to prevent the population from rising up.


Ie: Gun control is a leftwing goal not a rightwing goal in the U.S. and elsewhere today so it was omitted standing in conflict of the message as it were.

I agree Hilter,Stalin,Mao and the like didnt wait long to get rid of guns from the population. This is often the first step to all the rest. There are 100 million gun owners in the US right now, look what a few insurgents in Iraq can do now imagine 100 million of them.

The steps are clear I think for taking away guns.

1-First register all guns
2-Ban military stlye weapons
3-Ban semi-auto shotguns
4-Ban handguns

You say It cant happen? Ask our friends in the UK and Australia

With the sunset of the AWB (created under Clinton) we have reversed step 2

When Guns are Outlawed, only the Goverment will have guns.

Originally posted by St Udio

Fast track to fascism under Bush ???

* fascism has been rising, constricting for more than 3 decades already !!
...........

alt. title: Fast track to Fundamentalism/Evangelical via Bush doctrines

`

maybe that is so, but i havent seen anything simular to the patriot act in the past. if it has been developing over the past decades well bush definately crytalizes on the opportunity to establish it.

btw: i chose the title for a reason: to provoke interest

[edit on 8-11-2004 by Franki]

Originally posted by DrHoracid
There are no interesting points here. We are at war......We were attacked. I am angry we are not turning the middle east into glass. Bush is TOO kind and Liberal.

yeah we were attacked... over three years ago! you still justifying this war with the attack that happened on 9-11? and has this war producd any good result... we have saddam but who cares, we still recieve video threats from usama, hundreds of thusands are dead, and the middle east is in total disorder.

turn it into glass eh? then who would be there to get our oil for us? lol. do you really think that would accually decreas the amount of terror threats on the u.s.; besides infuriating the terrorist, it would give them a reason to nuke us. oh but we should do it b/c were big bad america and no one can stand in our way right? oh its unimaginable that anyone would take great america, were above it all b/c were a democracy. --- dont be irrational man

and your comment about bush, wow im just in disbelief that one could think that.

Originally posted by FourOceans
Name me ONE country that doesn't have any, if not all, of those fourteen points.

Canada.

...Franki - thanks! Excellent reference and comments.

...As far as armed revolt - why use a nuke when a leash will do? Laws exist to remove presidents - ie. impeachment. No need to rip the US apart like we do other places.



.

Originally posted by twitchy
You can bringa chopper down pretty effectively with a tater gun and a dogchain, so I hear. Jets, the same thing, but with bb's. Also you can make wire guided rocket launcher with a model rocket kit, a spool of fishing wire, and a cardboard tube with some really easy modifications to the nose cone. Also, with an all volunteer army, how many of those soldiers are really going to be willing to march into a town and start shooting americans if if came to widespread conflict? The citizenry of this country is armed to the teeth, don't be fooled into thinking it would be a clean sweep. Look at Iraqi resistance, and their citizenry was no where near as armed. I hope it never comes to that point, but if it did, my money would be on the american people.

As sad as it may be, the proverbial ingenuity of the american people has been bred out and otherwised discouraged for a long time. The closest most come to a weapon is via video games, and the thought of getting off the couch or out of the drive through line to defend that jerky neighbor or homo couple down the street, is just too much work.

All those improvised weapons you mention may well be within reach of many households, but methinks most households are going to submit to keep the food and utilities coming. Most american revolution iconography has been hijacked for postage stamps and recruiting posters. I don't think most citizens really believe they can or should do anything more than go to work and gripe about taxes.

Originally posted by Saerlaith


As sad as it may be, the proverbial ingenuity of the american people has been bred out and otherwised discouraged for a long time. The closest most come to a weapon is via video games

There is a 100 million gun owners in America I think your getting us confused with another country perhaps the UK their the ones without the guns.

I am a target shooter and work with a gun everyday and I have to say your confused about America and weapons.