Guest Blogged by Alan Breslauer
If it sounds like fascism and looks like fascism, it probably is fascism. This harrowing six plus minute clip is cut from a recent Chris Hedges talk for American Fascists, his newly released book about the totalitarian Christian Nationalist Movement. Hedges believes that the movement has grown to the stage whereby comparisons to Germany in the early 1930s are not unjust. And he reminds Americans that even with the Nazis, the process was a “slow, gradual, almost imperceptible” erosion of society which went unnoticed until it was too late.
Particularly worrisome is that very few leaders, especially within the Democratic party, are “standing up and ringing the alarm bells.” One leader who “gets it” is newly elected Senator Jim Webb, who understands the threat that economic dislocation and the creation of an American oligarchy pose to our democracy. It is hardly a new idea, Hedges points out, that the “disparity between the rich and the poor is the worst ailment that can beset any republic.”
Another truism dating back to Athenian Democracy is “that the tyranny we impose on others we will one day impose on ourselves.” And today we are a country only capable of speaking in the language of violence. That this violence has already begun to show up locally, whether in our prison system or Blackwater mercenaries patrolling the streets of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, should scare everyone.
Finally, Hedges worries that in the event of a crisis we will not have the organized power to stand up against them. In an unrelated story, the New York Times and most news outlets are printing bogus articles about Iran in what former administration officials believe is an attempt to spark a conflict.
Alan: You are very perceptive at media and video propoganda. What is your take on the video in this link below? These stories were “rushed” onto TV in an amount of time (half an hour after the planes hit), and couldn’t possibly have been in such short time, without being previously prepared. How did these “guests” “happen” to be on TV on 9/11? Isn’t that first guy too scripted, clean, and unemotional, after he appears to have been grabbed “ad hoc” running away from the collapses of the Twin Towers? When it happened, I don’t think that people were thinking of this, due to the emotions at the time. But when you look back at this…NOW…after time has gone by, well……just look for yourself, and I’d enjoy reading your opinion on this video (9 minutes long only…). Or, do you think this video is propoganda?
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/80.html
What Bradblog, Chris Hedges, readers like YOU, and myself aren’t doing, is attempting to reach the NON internet disconnected angst frustrated average person that is seeking answers.
A bond with the activity of BLOGGING outside its barrier; to generate interest in blogging, information, and connection.
We need a virtual bloggerspace “peace sign” type symbol for our time.
A physical/visual representation that will enable associations of like minds.
I call on all artists, find a way. Find the words, the sights, the sounds. Feel the concern, the fear. Speak of how “now” is a change from the America we feel we’re losing.
After he talked about his book on this C-Span book TV segment, Mr Hedges said something that brought some real comic relief to this worse then grim subject.
He said he saw a display put up by a Christian group which explained that Dinosaurs used to use their teeth to crack open coconuts, but after Adam and Eve sinned, they started to eat mammals.
Lets hope the scientists were right about a comet causing the demise of the dinosaurs, because if it was their small brains instead, I think we could be in trouble.
The one definition of Fascism that continually gets lost is that Fascism is a form of totalitarian government that supports the interests of the corporation. Mussolini said that it should be renamed ‘corporatism.
This is pretty clear at the moment as we prepare to invade another country full of resources our corporations covet. There are ‘fascists’ of all kinds, so why should the Christian right be more dangerous than ‘La Raza’ or the Aryan Brotherhood? Self righteous bigotry with God on your side is a bit more dangerous than lower chakra nationalism, but when all is said and done it makes little difference to the puppet masters.
One of the best studies of Fascism is ‘The Mass psychology of Fascism’ by Wilhelm Reich
Yes, Jack, (comment #4)fascism is, indeed, corporatism, as accurately described by Mussolini; however, there is one CRITICAL aspect of fascism that is nearly never discussed–and that is the reality that the “government” that supports fascistic corporatism is **ITSELF** a corporation.
I repeat: the “governments” as we know them–the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, the STATE OF…WHATEVER STATE, the COUNTY OF…WHATEVER COUNTY, the incorporated CITY OF…WHATEVER CITY are ***all*** themselves CORPORATIONS that are masquerading as de jure “governments” when, in reality and in fact, they are legal-fiction CORPORATIONS that exist as de facto “governments” to take resources away from persons (who were once People, but no more) and to the wealthy bankster elites who own and control the central banks in every single country in the world, save for five remaining countries that do not have usury connected with their monetary system, one of which is Iran, arguably the wealthiest and most-successful usury-free country in the world. This is the MAIN reason why the USA, INC wants to destroy Iran–not the oft-stated nuclear issue.
I have used the ALL CAPS not to shout, but to denote the true nature of these entities and how they present themselves–go ahead and take a look at legal documents, your driver licence, your SS #, mail stationary and see the extensive ALL-CAP use as one little indicator as to the true nature of these entities.
It would take a book to cover this topic, but I just wanted to give a hint here as to the extent of the world of illusion that most of us exist in.
Out in South Sac, I’ve actually seen, and talked to a swastica wearing neo-nazi. They’re very open about it. But personally (although I don’t agree with em) I worry more about all this increased surveilance, and the militarization of the cops, the eroding of civil rights, and outsourcing of just about everything you can shake a stick at. Okay back on Thu, 2006-05-11 13:10 I said about this topic, (I toned it down and yanked the graphics out for this post)
The Executive, The Senate, The House, The Judiciary, The CIA, The NSA, and your VOTE TECHNOLOGY is owned now.
Plastic orange nets are surrounding you.
Remember everyone that wasn’t friendly to the NAZI party was exterminated!
Bush has gone too far.
Like frogs in a pot of water with the heat slowly being turned up.
It’s boiling now people!
IMPEACH AND PROSECUTE THESE PNAC PEOPLE
NSA has massive database of Americans’ phone calls
http://sacxtremetv.com/att.png
EFF.ORG (Oh so that’s where the photo came from!)
Who’s more pissed off? me or her or him? Maybe Thomas Jefferson then?
Kinda goes hand in hand with my “superglue myths” concept. 60 seconds of lie that sticks hard.
I see now that my superglue myths idea is a synonym for “perceived diligence.” Perhaps that’s a big word that someone with a big head can understand.
Obviously since then the house has changed hands. Or has it? I sure don’t think we have control of the senate. By we I mean Democrats. Not all folks reading this. I also don’t see anything happening over at Debra Bowen’s Place
Hey there was a Tornado in New Orleans today, and…..
according to AP…
The local National Weather Service could not immediately be reached. The Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness did not immediately return a phone call.
Our wonderful DHS did not return a call? Business as usual eh? What good are they? And when are they ever going to use that damned emergency alert system for something useful.
Then if that ain’t enough to piss ya off, Remember all the TRAVEL Ethics awhile back? (remember perceived diligence?)
A couple of GIANT HOLES have been punched into the new ethics rules the House passed last month. There’s a washington post story.
Looks like they’ll be flying First Class on lobbyist’s airlines after all.
Hope I didn’t get too many errors in here. ;o)
The buffers are running slow on this post.
Start by taking away lobby contributions OR servere limitation. U want to learn how to tackle? Well take down the people with the ball (money). Once you take away the ball the politician in office is NO LONGER OWNED BY A MULTI-NATIONAL CORPORATION. Read some unbelievable shT in a free music-skate publication called THE SKINNY about the new US detainment camps built around the country AND new Executive Orders Bush of the Bushit administration signed giving him powers above all to start filling them in our new military-police state. They also empowered him to do a number of bushit fascist UN- American or new amerikkkan things just by using his pen.
To John Conyers jr.:
INVESTIGATE
INVESTIGATE
INVESTIGATE
O.T. Help save a US forest from Bushit destruction right from under our noses! Sign and forward:
http://action.wilderness.org/ca...ve_tongass_taf
#7 read #5
We can investigate ’til we’re blue in the face. That’s what corporations want, wasting your time and money in their system of impossible machines. There aren’t enough resources left to save the status quo ante bellum.
Walk away, stop paying them. Small sustainable communities, barter and trade.
Corporations are cannibalizing, and if you are involved you’ll be eaten too.
Or go to work, pay taxes and vote democrat and think your doing something. I mean look at all the change since the election. Minimum wage…Shiny, look over here, bling, bling. War, we’re investigating, Impeachment…off the table.
Conyers is LAME. So is Gore. It’s not the message, it’s the suits…same old story.
off the grid comment: Perhaps your right. Mr.Conyers has been critical of the Bushit administration and conducted an inquiery into the Downing Street Memo. Now as House Majority leader of the Judiciary committee, he is investigating Bush’s executive signing orders etc. Mr. Gore in respect to addressing the human caused Global Warming Climate Change Crisis is probably the best world ambassador doggedly exposing this dangerous truth. Tell you something boy, in this world you have to learn to put your best foot forward and go with what you got. This is the best we have right now in the political arena.
Off the Grid — You have to work the angles, as GBD says. That doesn’t mean not to get off the grid. That doesn’t mean sustainability is not of primary importance.
But something to think about. You can’t walk away from corporations, unfortunately. For example, a number of counties have passed or threatened to pass “No GM crop” initiatives. The corporate response? Legislation to make it illegal for these initiatives to have any effect. Local currencies? Against the rules of the WTO and “free trade” organizations. If sustainable communities became prevalent, you can be sure the corporations would try to kill them. The corporate world is becoming plain tyrannical now that they have all the social and economic systems working to accumulate power.
Not saying not to relocalize (which is just another term for getting out from under the corporate heel.) I agree with you in part. Nobody should think politicians will “save” them, but you have to move things in the right direction as you are coming to practical terms with necessity of sustainable living.
Alan says — Hedges worries that in the event of a crisis we will not have the organized power to stand up against them.
We’d better start thinking what we will about it and how we will prepare. All the last few years’ work to re-start valid elections and representative democracy can’t be lost. I wouldn’t consider it an option.
Anthony, you are right. But one approach, is to get people to change their habits. If they think, “I don’t have time for all of this.” Say, “You’re watching ANBCBSNNX every night, right? Switch to LINK-TV and Free Speech TV. You read the newspapers every morning, right? Instead, read these sites, they have better, more accurate, and unsuppressed/unfiltered news. You listen to the radio, right? Well, listen to this instead.” Lots of people think they don’t have time, but they DO have time, if they switch their habits from things they’re already doing, to something better. You wouldn’t believe how many people have DISH and Directv, and don’t even know they have LINK on both, and FSTV on DISH. How about stuffing flyers in peoples’ mailboxes, who have a sattelite on their roof? Easy to spot for YOU, right? Stuff a flyer in their mailbox, “Did you know you have LINK/FSTV, and could be watching non-corporate-controlled news @ 6pm, instead of a bunch of coordinated commercials and Anna Nicole storied?” People don’t even KNOW they have LINK & FSTV, even though they have it! They’re unaware of it! Where are they going to here it from? do you think ABC is going to have a commercial for Free Speech TV on it?
ABC commercial: “We stink, and you should be watching LINK-TV or FSTV. What’s wrong with you? Now back to 15 minutes of news and 15 minutes of commercials…and the Anna Nicole Smith story.”
Just for the fact that you don’t have to watch ridiculous brainwashing commercials, it’s worth it. I cannot watch commercials anymore. I also can’t watch ANBCBSNNX anymore. Get people to “switch”, and the rest works itself out. It’s just simply better. Sometimes Democracy NOW! is as interesting as watching a movie, not like the garbage ANBCBSNNX. Once you compare, it’s an easy choice. A “no-brainer” for someone with a brain.
Ever notice when ABC, NBC, CBS nightly news is on, the first 10 minutes they all have coordinated stories, the same thing. Click back and forth as an experiment. Then, at around 6:41, they all have commercials on at the same time for 10 minutes. Then, at around 6:50, they all have about 5 more minutes of news…again coordinated at the same time. Then, another 5 minutes of commercials takes you to 7:00. That’s 15 minutes so-called “news” (Anna Nicole Smith), and 15 minutes of commercials. In those 15 minutes, they all have the same 5 or so stories. Are you telling me that’s the only 5 stories in the last 24 hours???
Democracy NOW! is 60 minutes commercial free news, better stories unsuppressed/uncensored/uncoordinated by corporations. Same with the INN Report, that’s 30 minutes commercial free. And Liberty News, same thing. Only, when you’re done watching them, you might think they told you something IMPORTANT!!! Never any sports “news”, no commercials, no Anna Nicole Smith, no missing Aruba teen, etc…DN! has 45 minutes MORE news…MORE is better, last I checked…
Big Dan — For you especially. My 91 year old mother now gets her news from Democracy Now. She said she likes it because there is “no bullshit.” You had to be there. She never talks like that.
GBD,
Why doesn’t Gore speak out on peak oil, what was done about the encroaching energy crisis while Gore was VP.
What side are you on? Are you still thinking “inside the beltway”. GBD said, speaking of Gore and Conyers, “Tell you something boy, in this world you have to learn to put your best foot forward and go with what you got. This is the best we have right now in the political arena.”
First, Fascism is a social problem, not a political one. People believing in something that isn’t real is not a political problem, and doesn’t have a political solution. The good people of Oaxaca can tell ya. What we have is a social problem, haves want more, have-nots want to live. Nothing new.
Corporate tyranny was announced loud and clear on 9/11/01. This is the signal that Fascism is in America to stay unless something revolutionary is done. Gore isn’t doing anything revolutionary, he still a talkin’ suit. Is he fighting for the environment while he’s suckin’ back all that aircraft fuel flying around pushing his agenda.
If you think and act, on a national level, as an individual your impact will be small. If you think and act, on a local level, as an individual your impact will be greater. The best people you have in your arena are the people on your street, because when the Facist war machine comes that’s all you’ll have…For the love of the UNIVERSE look at Oaxaca.
And let’s lock down the borders so you can only get in-and-out with a passport. Will increase government control so the resisters can only hide in the US (where they can be tacked down and….)
After watching Jesus Camp last weekend I know this man is telling the truth. The Dominionist movement has been working for decades, infiltrating school boards and governments on the local level and changing society from the ground up. It only takes a generation to sway public thinking and these people are succeeding.