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Is the USA Fascist?

Lois · 1066

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Offline Lois

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on: December 14, 2014, 08:39:59 PM
I don't know.  But it is certainly something to think about.

- Fourteen Characteristics of Fascism -

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.

http://www.fascismusa.com/



IdleBoast

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Reply #1 on: December 14, 2014, 09:43:13 PM
Speaking as an outside observer, that is a scarily accurate description of the USA today.





Offline watcher1

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Reply #2 on: December 14, 2014, 10:22:29 PM
Until our political leaders put on military uniforms and begin to control what is printed and what is reported in the news, and until there are mass book burnings in the heart of the cities, I prefer to think we still are a democracy.  Not the ideal democracy but still a democracy many from all over the world still want to be part of.

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Offline RopeFiend

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Reply #3 on: December 14, 2014, 11:48:23 PM

How could you *live* in this country and ask a silly question like that?   :roll:

Is the USA fascist?  Ummm.... FUCK NO.  Not even close.  Instead of trolling the off-the-mark political blogs, use a bit of thought.  Maybe a dictionary.  A few isolated incidents don't turn us into WW2 Italy.  Almost *none* of the REAL identifying characteristics of a fascist regime can be used to describe Amerika.  The over-generalized crap you posted initially certainly doesn't count.

Read this and then c'mon back:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism

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Offline Katiebee

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Reply #4 on: December 14, 2014, 11:51:16 PM
I have vision, and the rest of the country wears bifocals.

My apologies to Butch Cassidy.

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Offline joan1984

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Reply #5 on: December 14, 2014, 11:56:48 PM
  I disagree, as to this list being an accurate description of the USA today, however there are too many elements which ring true, not only for the current Administration, and the manner of governing since 2006 in the Congress, both House and Senate, both parties as well, but in the goals our current "leaders" seem to endorse.

  The demonstrators of supposed "civil rights", and anti Police ilk, and their cheerleaders in State and Federal government are too eager to try "Federal Takeover" of what are clearly State functions which should have NO Federal input, let alone dictation of how State and Local justice systems 'should' work, based on the dislike by some of a few local decisions by due process of the Grand Jury systems in place in most States.

  The idea of Federalizing or the threat of Federalizing of State Judicial functions indeed approaches Fascism on it's face. The imposing of "Special Prosecutors" to take over the function of a State or Local Grand Jury, and Prosecutor system is overreach, and dangerous, yet clearly where President Obama, AG Eric Holder, and those "marching" are heading.


Speaking as an outside observer, that is a scarily accurate description of the USA today.




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Offline Katiebee

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Reply #6 on: December 15, 2014, 01:56:46 AM
What a short memory you have, Joan. The Bush administration was demonstrably closer to all those points than the Obama administration EVER was.

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Offline Lois

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Reply #7 on: December 15, 2014, 04:37:40 AM
We are not fascist yet.  One very important factor is a real fear that the government might show up at your doorstep at any time and take you off to prison for speaking out.



Offline anvil

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Reply #8 on: December 15, 2014, 05:32:37 AM
first the government has to take our guns.

Deus subrisum stultusi et ferrari


Offline watcher1

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Reply #9 on: December 15, 2014, 03:31:45 PM
first the government has to take our guns.

But they can never take our minds, our thoughts....

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.


Online MissBarbara

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Reply #10 on: December 15, 2014, 03:36:14 PM

Speaking as an outside observer, that is a scarily accurate description of the USA today.



Speaking as an inside observer, that is a wildly inaccurate description of the USA today.

And that's chiefly because some of the 14 points do not describe the US at all, while others can be equally applied to political parties.

I suspect this was written by someone on the Left to indicate that those on the Right are fascists. But it could equally be used by someone on the Right to indicate that those on the Left are fascists.

Fascism is hard to define, but one of the key elements is the offering of a "third way" that is, at least as self-defined, neither left nor right, liberal nor conservative. That applies to neither of our two main political parties, perhaps chiefly because, in most key respects, are two main political parties are very similar.   

And speaking of "14 points," the closest we've ever come to having a fascist in the White House was Woodrow Wilson -- and that was a century ago.

P.S. To GB's point, our military uniforms are, comparatively speaking, aggressively unsnazzy.





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Offline Lois

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Reply #11 on: December 15, 2014, 03:36:28 PM
first the government has to take our guns.

That would be easy enough to do with existing laws, if that is what they wanted to do.

Have you ever downloaded copyrighted material?  That's a felony right there.  Felons have no right to gun ownership.

But I don't think they want to take your guns.  Otherwise they would have already done so.



Offline anvil

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Reply #12 on: December 15, 2014, 07:42:41 PM
Lois, two images filled my mind on your last post.

one was a conversation with a blacksmith in Prague in '87.

he said, only slightly tongue in cheek, that you knew your government was repressive when you woke in the morning and had already broke a number of laws.

part of what brought this up was seeing a number of cars pulled over and being searched. he said their law enforcement had the right to stop and search on suspicion of alcohol abuse.  this was before m.a.d.d. was so influential and our local police would still take you home instead of arresting you.

last week on my way to Albuquerque about every 10 miles or so was a sign with a number to call if you suspected a drunk driver.

 the amount of stopped and searched cars I've seen seem to be on the increase these last few years for some reason.

the second was a mental image of net neutrality defeated soundly and headlines similar to this.

Quote
Hundreds of thousands of all ages arrested for net copyright infringement! Homeland security camps filled to the brim! thousands of tons of guns confiscated!


my quotes.

no I don't believe the above will happen in my lifetime.  no I don't believe we are anywhere close to a fascist country.

yes I do believe our freedoms are being curtailed.

yes I do believe our Constitution has been seriously compromised.

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Reply #13 on: December 15, 2014, 07:52:43 PM

first the government has to take our guns.


...from your cold, dead fingers...





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Offline watcher1

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Reply #14 on: December 15, 2014, 08:01:38 PM

yes I do believe our freedoms are being curtailed.


Our freedoms have been slowly curtailed ever since 9/11.  If not so much our freedoms, then Big Brother has kept a closer eye on what we are doing.  All in the name of security.

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Online MissBarbara

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Reply #15 on: December 15, 2014, 08:27:55 PM

yes I do believe our freedoms are being curtailed.



Our freedoms have been slowly curtailed ever since 9/11.  If not so much our freedoms, then Big Brother has kept a closer eye on what we are doing.  All in the name of security.


You're right, since 9/11 certain freedoms have been curtailed, and in the name of security.

But they've been curtailed by people who were elected to office, and can be elected out of office.

Which is why the US isn't fascist...





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Offline Katiebee

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Reply #16 on: December 16, 2014, 12:14:18 AM
At least not yet...

There are three kinds of people in the world. Those who can count, and those who can't.


Offline Lois

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Reply #17 on: December 16, 2014, 02:09:54 AM
I got the idea for this topic in another thread.  So I Googled "Is the USA Fascist?" and posted the first article on the list provided.  I could just as easily Googled "What is Fascism?" and posted that.

If anyone would like more reading I found this:http://www.anesi.com/Fascism-TheUltimateDefinition.htm






Offline joan1984

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Reply #18 on: December 16, 2014, 02:21:09 AM
I Googled: Is the U.S. leftist?

And found some interesting items, but this is one that could help explain how some of us are talking past others of us, especially the terminology used in the United States, Europe, and by other Nations.


http://www.wikihow.com/Tell-Whether-You%27re-Right-Wing-or-Left-Wing

Enjoy!

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Offline Lois

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Reply #19 on: December 16, 2014, 02:46:13 AM
Maybe you should have Googled "Is the US Right-wing?"