Fox News and its paid puppets promote ProtoFascist sentiments by fomenting fear and hatred they know will resonate and enrage their listeners who have deep seated prejudice and phobias.
We all know that behind this are powerful men with panache and piles and piles of pecuniary power, as in the Koch Brothers and multi-nationals, enriched polluters who care little for the land or the people.
We also know that many of the same multi-nationals that funded the Nazis, Franco's Spain, Salazar's Portugal, Papadopoulos' Greece, Pinochet's Chile, Argentina, and Suharto's Indonesia fund Christian conservatism worldwide.
We must ask ourselves:
If they were not averse in profiting from the horrors that were WWII, not averse in conspiring with despots and demogogues for power and profit in country after country, and not averse to the pain and death that resulted, why would we think they would be averse to harming the good people of America for profit and power?
They are not averse to causing pain here. Look around. We are witnessing the rise of ProtoFascism as the profiteers fund their necessary tool: The Angry Mob/Haters
And this is dangerous for America.
Dangerous for our children.
Dangerous for all that the so-called Christian Conservatives (secretly called Dominionists) consider "the others".
You can roll your eyes and discount the reality that this CC movement is entrenched and world wide, but only at your own peril. This time we have to be open to some lousy news that will require a relentless response.
It is now more than "just politics". It's about preventing a TheoPolitiCorporatist takeover of our country: ProtoFascism
And they are aware that we are about to rise up to counter their best laid plans.
Already, Glenn Beck is shouting to his Angry Mob, that "mark his words, Obama is about to unleash his "angry mobs" on the streets". Really, true. He said that yesterday.
Projecting Glenn?
What? Is Beck now claiming to be psychic? A Nostradamus?
So, before we are hoodwinked like many good people in pre-WWII Germany and elsewhere, perhaps it might be pertinent to know the signs of an emerging ProtoFascist state:
These are supposedly written by a Dr. Laurence W. Britt, a secular humanist, for Free Inquiry. I'd rather not debate the source. I found it in Jim Marr's book, The Rise of the Fourth Reich and this list is all over the internet.
Do any of these seem familiar?
Analysis of seven fascist or protofascist 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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
http://www.secularhumanism.org/...
We.HAVE.To.Push.Back. LOUDLY and OFTEN. In a classy way, of course. Our brilliance, cleverness, and subtle gesters are just not THAT powerful
Maybe we need a theme song we can all sing, or something....Pump up the Pagentry (which sounds pathetically like protonazism, but we will cleverly/brilliantly find a better version)......
And we are not naturally loud people. Can we be? And if not, will we win with our polite ways? I hope so. But I am practicing cheerleading in my back yard lately. So out of my comfort zone
But we don't have much time left (no pun).
I have done enough research to state that there is a world-wide effort to weaken, maybe remove, social safety nets. Poverty and Elitism destroy democracies. Just take a look at Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia for examples.
You see, in the world of fascism and The Family, you rise because of your strengths. If you are weak (poor), you sink. It's all God's will in their world. It's crazy double speak in mine and, most likely, yours.
SO
GET ON THE BUS
GET TO THE
10.2.10 March on Washington
Thereafter, please be prepared to add something to you to do list:
Join One Nation Working Together
Then help build a ONWT organization in your state/town.
More background info on the premise of this diary found here.
More information on the 10.2.10 March, read all about it on the Mother Ship
To find a bus check here and here.
And, check out Amtrak. You can travel the whole country on Amtrak as well. The seats are filling up pretty fast:
Become part of This:
And push back against this:
Is this who we want to rule our Congress? States? Towns?