In the headlines this morning I saw
U.S. Could Restrict Travel to Prevent Flu
Flu Outbreak Could Prompt U.S. to Restrict Travel to Block Pandemic, According to Federal Plan
and began to think about a comment made by my European friend, Stu Savory, about the US becoming more fascist everyday.
My first thought when he said it was, "Yes, civil liberties that we Americans take for granted have been reduced some, particularly in the areas is individual rights of privacy and rights to fair trials." These rights were weakened at the behest of former AG John Ashcroft and President Bush immediately after the 11 September tragedy.
My second thought was along the lines of "But if I live my life in a fashion where I am law-abiding, with nothing to hide, what should these weakened rights matter to me, or Joe Blow Citizen?"
Well... This my friends is a slippery slope. And the more I think about the US restricting the movement of its citizens, the more I think of Communist Russia, or Hitler's Germany. I can just imagine the National Guard be trotted out, quarantining cities, or even blocks, demanding papers at every checkpoint.
Fascism
So I began to question myself. What is fascism?
From Dictionary.com:
1. A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
2. A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.
Dictator... Not there yet, though bush has said he wouldn't mind a dictatorship, as long as he was the dictator.
Suppression of the Opposition... Yep, through making it near treason if anyone critisizes the Iraq War, or the Presidents, there has certainly bee oppression. Then if you want to look at the number of 'enemy combatants' that are being held by the US military under the Bush Administration without trial or hearing, oppression exists here, too. And how else to oppress through terror than by torturing and abusing those being held without hearing? And lastly, Bush has done all of this through "a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism." In this case, it isn't racism so much as religion.
Additionally, Fascist regimes have a tendency to whatever is necessary to stay in power (like Plamegate).
One element shared by all fascist movements, racialist or not, is the apparent lack of consistent political principle behind the ideology_political opportunism in the most basic sense. One virtually unique aspect of fascism is its ruthless drive to attain and hold state power. On that road to power, fascists are willing to abandon any principle to adopt an issue more in vogue and more likely to gain converts.[*]
Certainly this has held true here. Anyone notice how the vast majority of those serving in the U.S. armed forces are minorities or from lower socio-economic strata of the American population? How is it that those most disdained by the ruling party are those willing to defend it?
Finally I want to point out that the US under Bush is in the early stages of evolution to fascism. As Wiki points out, to be full fledged fascist, the government would have to control the economy completely, which at this time, the governement does not quite do. Close, but not there yet.
So what is the take home? Glad you asked. Again, this is a slippery slope. We as a nation are moving in that direction. We may not get there. I certainly pray we don't. But it only took Hitler 12 months to become a full dictator. Bush has another 3 years.