Here is my take on it. American exceptionalism has turned this country into an ignorant one. We either don't want to hear the truth or are so distracted by our 600 DirecTV channels to not care about it. We have been sold a bill of goods that doesn't exist. We are pitted in the middle of a debate between two parties. One of which cares nothing about us and the other that cares even less. Yes, we in America are too stupid to stand up the way people did in Egypt or Syria. We are gutless people that prey on the weak among us. We care more about a $2000/yr benefit for a welfare recipient than a company formally CEO'd by our VP that recieved billions of dollars in contracts to support an illegal war drummed up by the former CEO and current VP costing over 4,000 American lives. We allow the other party to dictate to us what to be upset over and yet and still don't realize that we have a two party system in this country that works together to exploit the people and continue unethical practices. The real facism are the corporations that control the politicians. The all American dollar. Hey, but as long as they continue to give us the NFL and American Idol, we are satisfied.
Ya, I feel the same way about clueless foreigners , who talk out of their ass about our country. Face it, you and your fellow ilk have no clue what you're talking about.
I feel bad for kilgram. debating people that say fascism is internationalist and marxist. Ill help kilgram a bit with fascists own words: posters from fascist italy: for the fatherland fight, how internationalist some racist posters saying it might be your sister defend her. some really pro marxist poster from fascist germany
Giveusliberty: And I'm sure President Perry will keep it. What about the suppression and removal of commentators and journalists from the mainstream media? I remember watching American political commentary in 2000 on a visit and noticed how asinine and dumbed down it was even then. Foxnews is virtually unwatchable by anyone with an IQ of more than 60.
We are indeed heading into a new era of Fascism, which is really just another word for Corporatocracy. Of course, the worst of it is that so many middle class citizens are welcoming it with open arms, little realizing that most of them will be reduced to peasantry when it finally shows itself. Presently, the same upper class nabobs furtively control both parties. In other words, we are living in a plutocracy. The fascism is already here, it's just hiding in plain sight.
Agree with most of what you say Sig, although my take is slightly different. There is most definitely an Oligarchy running America and both sides of Congress do its bidding. The basis of the threat is corporate - thats is why you have this mantra about "Big Government" and that Government never does anything right and so on. It is explicit in the "get out of the way" poppycock that is talked. The reality is that corporations are amoral and that the only thing that can reign in big corporations is an equally well resourced Government regulator. Now what people don't realise is that the way this debate is being framed is lethal to Democracy and liberty because the corporations are using the tactic of attacking the system itself and not Government policy. This corrodes peoples faith in their own institutions. To put that another way; It's one thing to say "I think environmental air quality regulations are way too severe and ought to be changed." It is quite another to say "The EPA are a bunch of liberal, socialist, commie weenies who should be disbanded." Yet that is what we are hearing. The trouble with corroding the pillars of Government is that you risk bringing down the system. Paxtons paper makes the point that no country has embraced Fascism without being a Democracy first, and that frustration with ineffectual Democratic processes is a key factor in making fascism attractive, so you see the danger in the Corporate mantra that is spread. What then happens is that we get chaotic organisations like the Tea Party that are mad as hell about all sorts of issues, but are short on policy. They get whipped up by the Bachmanns, Becks and Palins of this world. ..All that is then needed is for some Goon to arise who says we know what must be done to purify America! We need to get back to the old ways! We then descend into racial violence and anti intellectualism very quickly. The corporations, like the Koch Brothers, think they can channel the Tea Party, however German big business thought that they could control Hitler. We made the same logical mistake in Australia. We introduced Rabbits here. Then we introduced Foxes to try and control the rabbits - causing an even bigger problem.
Big Govt...Big Business...Big Labor...Big Environmentalism...Big Military...are one and the same. Look at Tim Geithner...Look at Harold Koh...Look at Jeff Immelt.
Very good book. I find it really funny that in light of today's news - AttackWatch - conservatives are being called Facists. Ratting on your neighbor or on bloggers who don't hold affection for The Obama, while at the same time calling those on the right, Facists, is the height of hypocrisy by the left.
I don't call the right fascist. Because I don't believe that Obama although being of the right is not fascist. Only I am saying that the self-called conservative in reality are fascist. That is different. I am saying that the extreme right of America, it is, conservatism is fascist. And the proofs are long, how I've said in this all post. The ideology in the end is the same that the fascists. And the first thing that a fascist will do is never admit openly that he is. The negation is done forever. Even in Europe for militant people in fascist parties they will say that they aren't fascist
Parse the words however you want. You know exactly what I meant and I know exactly what you mean. Right/conservative: Left/Liberal. It's all the same thing and you know who you are. I'm done engaging with you and your name calling. Good night.
Pure Socialism and Pure Capitalism are dreams that have never been realised. Pure Socialism takes away human creativity and saps the will to achieve. Why would someone want to achieve when there is no reward. Pure Capitalism if let run wild ends up in one person having all the money at the end of the game but the game never gets that far. As pure capitalism progresses the piece of the pie controled by fewer and fewer rich folks gets larger and larger. The piece of the pie that the raging masses have to survive on shrinks to a point where it becomes so unbearable that folks revolt. The best system is Capitalism with certain restraints anti monopoly laws and some taxation and regulation but with as limited intervention than is absolutely necessary.
If in your sig you suggest that religion plays an important or the specific role in fascism, then you're totally wrong. A fascist nation stands for a centralized autocratic often militaristic government. Tell me where religion has any semblance to the creation of a fascist takeover.
Religion has a very important role in fascism, if not look the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, or Franco in SPain. Both fascists.
Ok, then you're talking about people that are in the rights, and later in that people that are in the sector of the rights/authoritarian then you subdivides that in the ones that are a bit more to the center, that is the ones that you call left/liberal and the others that are more authoritarian and more to the right, conservative. Ok. Then in that definition, you're right, the right is fascist Reward in socialism? Which greater reward that help to the people, improve the society, give advancements for the good of the people. Sorry, but there isn't higher personal achievement that contribute to improve the society. The money is something necessary now, and for that we work for this. But it is something artificial, an artificial necessity, because without it you can't live in this system. So socialism/communism in his true form, that means the abolition of the state, too. THen in this society the people achieves with different ways, not only for the sake of the money. If I work, or when I work better is when there isn't money involved, if not other benefits. There are many studies that show that. That people even earning less but with other benefits will work better than people that earn more.
(*)(*)(*)(*), Kilgram, I thought you'd be polishing your jackboots for the great demonstration on Sept. 17th.
Try telling that to the people in Haiti, charitable organizations were called in as first responders, they had been very successful at helping the citizens prior to the Tsami. That fact is well known throughout the world!!! Only progressives deny the facts, based only on thier need to count on government for their needs. (please excuse my spelling, mind is still refocusing)
More so true would be politicians and their buddies not paying those taxes. How did GE and Buffet get out of their taxes? Geithner didn't go to jail. Hell if all those in Government were audited we possible pay a large down pymt on our debt
JAJA. Deny the facts? LOL. And for that Haiti is one of the poorest regions of the world. Please don't say nonsense. Charity can acceptably work in punctual situations, but not forever. If charity worked there wouldn't had been any person starving to death. There would be enough medic attenttion, hospitals... And no. It doesn't work. Ah, and the ones that helped more is the Communist Cuba . And about Haiti I could talk a lot about the activities of the military there. And how it not helped to Haiti. But it would be a waste.
Obviously you'll never convince someone determined not to see, even when presented with facts. Government gives but also takes away. Charitable people, organizations continue and are utilized in many instances in lieu of governmnents because of their success
Big corporations and big government go hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. Fascism is defined as authoritarian nationalism. The tea party movement is the exact opposite of authoritarian. To call them fascist is simply mind boggling, you should really pick up a dictionary before using a word you don't know what means. The only reason those shoving big government down our throats aren't fascist is because they usually aren't nationalists. You have it ass-hat backwards.