Twardlow Loc: Arkansas

Everyone tosses around the word 'socialism,' not knowing that it refers to a form of government where the govt owns the means of production.

The quote below may describe what is going on in this country.

It is larger than Obama, and includes congress (especially House republicans) business CEOs, perhaps even some embers of this forum--that is, it may be a social movement of historic proportions:

Don't read it and shout; read it and think.


Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:

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. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, 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 and letters is openly attacked.

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 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 assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

Many of those "characteristics" are also common to other forms of Governments...

Twardlow Loc: Arkansas

Many are...but the pattern, over fourteen points, seems clear--at least to my mind.

What do you think?

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

For your reading pleasure...

http://civilliberty.about.com/b/2007/09/10/one-nation-underrated.htm

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/27/076.html see bottom of page

pounder35 Loc: "Southeast of Disorder"

There seems to be enough variety in the list where any type of government and any party will fit one. Maybe two or three. It makes the list pretty much useless.

Twardlow Loc: Arkansas

If you consider several--most, but not necessarily all--I think you have something to consider.

Fascism, in my opinion, is demonstrated by congress (especially the house, which has give up all pretense of governing), state legislatures (draconian abortion laws, passed in the dark of the night of snuck into unrelated bills, cutting food stamps--which involves a lot of military--and unemployment benefits), and business leaders who claim enormous salaries for cutting wages, hours, and benefits of workers.

We're living in an age of increasing Fascism in the this country...move over Mussolini, the U S wants a seat!

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

So what's new? There are several that fit the Liberal mold in DC as well...(3,6,13,14 for starters)

Bangee5 Loc: Louisiana

And I thought he was talking about Obama. Obama has shown himself to be more fascists by by-passing congress on many laws that only congress should make and often doing it behind the publics backs. Backroom politics. Obama fits your mold better than anyone in Congress but then, a liberal can't see that. First you give us a list of what socialism is but then call it Fascism and then you try to make us see that we are blind, Obama is great and congress is the enemy. Congress is the bad guy and Obama to the rescue. Why in the world would you want this country to become socialist? All we hear from Liberals is how bad Capitalism is and how bad the conservatives are. We never hear from Liberals why they want Socialism.

Twardlow Loc: Arkansas

Agree, but more than that. Consider it.

amyinsparta Loc: White county, TN

Yes, they are common also to Communism. The only difference between Fascism and Communism is who it is that owns the means of production. In China, it is the govt. In fascism, it is the corporations and the govt. dances to their tune. So basically, we are working our way toward fascism.

Powerful entities of any kind wish to gather, expand, and keep their power. And they will do whatever they need to in order to accomplish that. In the US, the corporations and the banks have co-opted the federal govt. to their advantage. They own the Supreme Court, the Congress, and the Presidency. They started their big push under Reagan and continuing it under Obama. They lie, they cheat, they convince the ignorant that this, this, and this group are their enemies; they promote perpetual war because it gives them opportunity to go into the bombed out countries, take them over economically, and do what they want to do with them.

In Iraq already, the farmers are prevented from using their own seed for their crops. They must buy from-you guessed it- MONSANTO. That is just one example. Vietnam is another good one. Who runs the country? The communists with a big help from the big corporations. And the country has prospered for some. But virtual slave wages are still the norm and no class of society can actually move up in the pecking order.

Their methods have always been 'divide and conquer' and so far, so good. wake up, people

Twardlow Loc: Arkansas

Hear, hear, for amyinsparta!

We sound like right-wing kooks for saying it, but we aren't.


BTW, remember The Domino Theory? It said things would go to hell in SE Asia if we lost the war.

Now we are trying to sell them cell phones.

55,000 dead soldiers for nothing.

What a waste!

KW Conch Loc: USA

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

I'm assuming the Vietnam conflict....Oh, that was a Democratic sponsored conflict if memory serves me correctly...

KW Conch Loc: USA

I think a fellow named Nixon had a little role in it too. While it is true that he didn't send the first troops, he was an enthusiastic participant.

Pepper Loc: Planet Earth Country USA

I'm not a big Nixon supporter but Nixon is the one who finally brought our boys home and put an end to the mess.