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American Fascism Is on the Rise

By Stan Goff, Truthdig. Posted October 14, 2006.


The precursors of fascism -- militarization of culture, vigilantism, masculine fear of female power, xenophobia and economic destabilization -- are ascendant in America today.
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American Fascism Is on the Rise
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When I was 18, before student tracking in the public schools had been formalized, an informal tracking system was nevertheless in place: the university track, the craft track, the poultry worker track, and the prison track. I was somewhere between the last two. Both my parents were working in a defense contractor factory, and I was left adrift in the factory-worker 'burbs to be trained by television and alcohol. Raised on a curriculum of McCarthyism, I did the most logical thing I could think of to avoid both the factory and eventual incarceration with the ne'er-do-wells with whom I was keeping company. I joined the Army, and volunteered to fight communists in Vietnam.

I tried to get out of the Army once, and it lasted for four years, whereupon I ended up doing piecework in a sweatshop outside Wilmar, Ark. Back on that public school track, I suppose, but given that the U.S. was no longer invading anyone's country, and that I was responsible for an infant now, I went back into the Army. One thing led to another, and as it turned out I was good at something called special operations, and I ended up making a career of it. By the time I signed out on terminal leave in December 1995, I had worked in eight places designated "armed conflict areas," where people who were brown and poor seemed to be the principle targets of these "special" operations. At some point toward the end, I had decided that plenty of people could look back and say they wished they'd lived differently; and I was just one of them; and that I might salvage something worthwhile from the whole experience by telling the people who had paid me -- people who pay taxes -- what their money was really being spent to do.

Among other activities, I started writing books.

The bad apple

There was nothing more inflammatory in my first book, about the 1994 invasion and occupation of Haiti, than my assertion that Special Operations was a hotbed of racism and reaction. "Hideous Dream - A Soldier's Memoir of the US Invasion of Haiti" was my personal account of that operation, and I was explicit not only about the significant number of white supremacists in Special Operations but how the attitudes of these extremists connected with the less explicit white male supremacy of white patriarchal American society and defined, in some respects, the attitude taken by U.S. occupation forces in Haiti toward the Haitian population.

The resistance to this allegation was particularly fierce, and not merely from those inside the Special Operations "community," whose outrage was more public-relations stagecraft than anything else. There was outrage from people who hadn't a moment of actual experience in the military at all. This is an affront to something sacred in the public imaginary of a thoroughly militarized United States: that we are an international beacon of civilized virtue, and that our military is the masculine epitome of that virtue standing between our suburban security and the dark chaos of the Outside. Questioning the mystique of the armed forces is tantamount to lunacy at best and treason at worst.

This is the reason bad-apple-ism has been the predominant meme of the media and the Pentagon when they are compelled to discuss the stories of torture, rape and murder in Iraq and Afghanistan. "A few bad apples" committed torture. "A few bad apples" raped prisoners, fellow female soldiers, and civilians in their homes. The massacre was not descriptive of the Marine Corps, but the work of "a few bad apples." Anyone who wants to be the skunk at this prevarication party need only ask, "How do these bad apples all seem to aggregate into the same units?"

One bad apple was dispensed with on June 11, 2001. That's when Timothy McVeigh was given a lethal injection at 7 a.m. in the death chamber of the U.S. federal penitentiary at Terre Haute, Ind.

Frugivorous analogies aside, McVeigh was not the product of a tree or poor storage, but of a culture. Raised in western New York by a devoutly Catholic father -- an autoworker -- after his parents divorced when he was 10, Tim McVeigh, like many other white youths who are socially awkward and living in times of economic insecurity, was already reading survivalist and white nationalist literature in his teens. The mythic-patriarchal absolutism of racial ideology mapped perfectly onto the consciousness of someone raised by a religiously devout male, and the fact that this ideology responded directly to the insecurities of economic and gender destabilization secured McVeigh as an early devotee.

Gore Vidal said that McVeigh "needed a self-consuming cause to define him[self]." Vidal's account, "The Meaning of Timothy McVeigh," ominously printed in Vanity Fair just days before the 9/11 attacks expressed another "self-consuming cause," noted that McVeigh took his cues from the very government he had worked for as a soldier. Before McVeigh's attack in Oklahoma City, the most recent attack by Americans against Americans outside of warfare was the FBI-BATF massacre of an obscure religious commune that was demonized for destruction at Waco, Texas -- which McVeigh memorialized by blowing up the Murrah Building on the Waco massacre's second anniversary.


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See more stories tagged with: fascism, racism, militarism, sexism, xenophobia, masculinity, economics

Stan Goff is a retired veteran of the U.S. Army Special Forces. During an active-duty career that spanned 1970 to 1996, he served with the elite Delta Force and Rangers, and in Vietnam, Guatemala, Grenada, El Salvador, Colombia, Peru, Somalia and Haiti.

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Much needed brilliance from Stan Goff
Posted by: LeftWright on Oct 14, 2006 1:14 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I would encourage everyone to send links to this article to everyone they know.

American democracy is in the balance, we have to act now.

For more of Goff and other very important articles, go to:

From The Wilderness

The truth shall set us free. Love is the only way forward.

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» RE: Much needed brilliance from Stan Goff Posted by: ladybug1@carrollsweb.com
» RE: Michael Ruppert Posted by: reverendg
So Much For Public Speech.
Posted by: anambrose on Oct 14, 2006 1:33 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I'm a combat veteran Vietnam. I've had hunches and pieces of what you're written floating around in my brain without having put it together the way you have. I got out in '70 you stayed in.So I'd guess it's more of an inside vs outside education though you seem to have had both.Some guy was arrested for assault.He had the temerity to say he did'nt agree with the VP's policies:to his face.Next he'll be declared an Unlawful Enemy Combatant and disappeared into an American Gulag yet to be built...or maybe Gitmo.So I'm feeling like we're already here. Along with the myth that it was a Free Press that lost the War in Vietnam the same men and their grown up protege's have said we could've won That war if we'd just stayed the course.Post WW1 Germans soldiers felt betrayed by those back home who gave up.That rage was the soil that enabled an Adolf to grow in.I think the true believers of long ago Vietnam have decided to create an alternative history.Using the same fatal flaws and the same misdirection they've succeeded beyond their wildest wet dreams in destabilizing a sizeable portion of the world. We'll all pay for it passing it down several generations and the price just might be our republic.Why? Because too many
people here believe militarism is justifiable even desirable.

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» Pick and choose Posted by: derfb1
» all you are saying Posted by: sln70
» RE: Pick and choose Posted by: Jayzer
» RE: Pick and choose Posted by: robmikejas
» RE: Pick and choose Posted by: Jayzer
» RE: Pick and choose Posted by: StrayCat
» RE: So Much For Public Speech. Posted by: markie1024
truths
Posted by: rsaxto on Oct 14, 2006 1:58 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
What an excellent set of truths we have here. Fascism is more advanced in America than I had thought. We desperately need to get the Bushies out of power and insert decent people into power else the future becomes an appalling nightmare where indecency decays democracy into non-existance. The recent rushed demolition of the Constitution is the beginning of the end unless we vigorously fight it.

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» Fascism - fun to say..hard to define! Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: truths Posted by: lastbedouin
» RE: truths+police state Posted by: rsaxto
Goff is correct.
Posted by: yellow on Oct 14, 2006 2:05 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Stan Goff is correct to note the tendencies within US society leading to fascism. For many years we have seen the growth of fascist groups, the social and economic polarization of US society with the loss of the stable middle and lower middle class and the growth of the working poor, and now the dramatic rise of political authoritarianism.

The core of the issue for me is contained in many of the ideas of David Harvey. The shift from Keynesian welfare state capitalism which was democratic, inclusive, and required nation-building for its success was replaced by a new form neo-liberalism (Harvey elsewhere calls it flexible accumulation) which consolidates the relevant decision-making bodies of existing states into international venue such as the WTO and the World Economic Forum while breaking down the nation building structures that once brought people together as a nation such as free universal public education, universal health care, union rights, and regulatory protections. Such things fostered an expanded concept of citizenship and a flexible sense of rights as part of a national community. Such was ultimately viewed as a fetter on the concentration and centralization of capital on a global basis. It further impinged on the profits of the rich which were accumulated during the intermediate good input intensive consumer durables phase of national capitalism which created middle classes in integrated national societies and growing national economies. Interestingly, the 1960s saw the highest rate of average annual wage, productivity, GNP, and profits growth simultaniously. With the sudden overproduction of consumer durables in the early 1970s capitalist realized a global restructuring of capital was needed. Capitalism has been subject to overall stagnation tendencies ever since. Globalization has coincided with lower average annual rates of GDP growth. Militarism and military spending has been one strategy for maintaining the stability of the average rate of profit with very mixed success.

The contradiction of the global consolidation of the means of production, concetration of wealth and profits, and geographic centralization of production has gone hand in hand with the de-nationalization of individual societies, the re-emergence of big cities as "global" in nature, and the "tribalization" of national peoples who are now atomized and whose welfare the nation-state is now abandoning to privatization and local private initiatives. Many people have suffered living standard declines as a consequence. Gross maldistributions of wealth prevail on a global basis.

The political consequences have been dramatic. Fascism, militarism, theocracy, and authoritarianism of all kinds have replaced the democratic thrust of popular movements and aspirations in the recent past. This is to protect corporate globalization and the profits accrued from its advance. Popular mass struggles for democracy are the only way to reverse this dangerous political trend.

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America Uber Alles
Posted by: Tom Degan on Oct 14, 2006 2:34 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Our national icon is the bald eagle. The great radio comedian, Fred Allen, once remarked that "since the eagle is a bird of prey, I think we'd all better start praying". The context to which he was speaking was a live eagle that got loose in the studio during a radio broadcast way back in March of 1940 - but the quote resonates today for highly different reasons.

There is no question that we are turning into a facist state. Whenever I say this, people look at me as if I've lost my mind but look at the evidence! This is probably the fifth time I've used this quote this year (nor am I the first to use it) and you're probably sick of it by now but here is is:

"Facism should more properly be called 'corporatism' because it is the total merging of corporate and state power"
Benito Mussolini

Well, hello there! Just who the hell does that remind you of? I'll tell you who it reminds me of! It reminds me of you and I, my fellow Americans! Jello Biafra once made the excellent point that the facist system has been creeping up on us at such a snail's pace for the past generation that we haven't even noticed it. Well, shit, I've sure as hell have noticed it. Part of the reason the American people are so numbed as to what's going on is the fact that twenty-five years ago, the administration of a feeble-minded old dingbat named Ronald Reagan de-regulated the FCC to such an extant that today the airwaves - the people's airwaves - have been turned into a virtual electronic garbage dump which keeps the masses distracted with MTV, E! and FOX News. This is not a good trend. Trust me.

The election is only twenty-four days away. Vote as if your life depends on it - because it really does.

Pray for peace.

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
"The Rant" by Tom Degan

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» Voting Posted by: vangogh69
» RE: Voting Posted by: kww355
» To VanGogh Posted by: Tom Degan
» RE: To VanGogh...I agree with VanGogh Posted by: sterlingdave54
» RE: Voting Posted by: YinRising
» RE: Voting Posted by: AdamG
» RE: AdamG Posted by: Tom Degan
» RE: AdamG Posted by: AdamG
» RE: AdamG Posted by: Tom Degan
» RE: AdamG Posted by: YinRising
» "Corporate" Posted by: Monitor523
» RE: The covert war in the media Posted by: reverendg
» RE: America Uber Alles Posted by: Edward George
Losers!
Posted by: Temporary on Oct 14, 2006 2:50 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Only LOSERS are facists!!!

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» RE: Losers! Posted by: YinRising
Goff is WRONG! American fascism does not come from the middleclass
Posted by: DougScott on Oct 14, 2006 2:53 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Although Stan Goff is obviously well intentioned, he is dead wrong by saying American fascism is a "middle class" phenomenon.

In the United States, fascism is a product of the greedy upper class. For financial gain and political power, they promote an authoritarian federal government with a monopolistic military-industrial complex (i.e., Pentagon/Halliburton) led by a unitary executive (Bush) who repays his elitist supporters with war profiteering opportunities and tax cuts weighted in their favor. Unless the dynamics change, soon there won't be a middleclass.

Surprisingly, Goff never mentioned the greatest threat to our liberty -- the New Nazis -- more correctly, neoconservatives, and their fascist front organization, the Project for a New American Century (PNAC).

For bloggers unfamiliar with PNAC, you can learn all about the treasonous cabal by visiting the progressive website -- www.FreedomCentralUSA.com

Another website well worth visiting is -- www.King-George.biz

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» Comes from the top but Posted by: fifthworld
The new master-race
Posted by: globalgypsy on Oct 14, 2006 3:24 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I would agree with Tom Deagan, that one of the defining features of fascism/nazism is the merging of the state with corporate power.

This, is common feature in all “western” “democracies” but it reaches its pinnacle in the USA. Where both the political parties have been openly bought by corporate power and individuals freely move from government to corporations and back again.

Another similarity with fascism is that American’s frequently appear to regard themselves as the MasterRace. Not perhaps in Hitler’s sense of racial purity (though, the white supremacists probably sympathise), but in the absolute conviction frequently observed, that America and Americans are totally superior to everyone and everything. And especially superior to poor or powerless countries and people. An American life is thousands of times more valuable than any dead gook, red or raghead.

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» RE: The new master-race Posted by: colinmeister
» RE: The new master-race Posted by: bouyant
» RE: The new master-race Posted by: colinmeister
» RE: The new master-race Posted by: CatDad
» RE: The new master-race Posted by: THIAHB
» RE: The new master-race Posted by: Edward George
Some more modern examples of the elements of fascism:
Posted by: thoughtcriminal on Oct 14, 2006 3:35 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
- Control of education at all levels.

(K-12, college, vocational and graduate programs). This would be done by centralized unitary control of teachers, textbooks, educational films, visiting speakers and so on. Historical examples include both fascist and communist systems. At the top of the academic system you'd have the Nazi professors, or the Soviet Lysenkos. Party membership became the route to advancement.

Modern Example: David Horowitz who promotes a state-controlled fascist educational system - in his own words. How to deal with this? Focus on what you think his desired end result would be. Also find out what his funding sources are - his work doesn't come cheap.

- Financial inter-relationships between the state and big business organizations, to the point where the two are almost indistinguishable.

This is how IG Farben operated in Germany, using slave labor, exclusive government contracts, and monopolistic control of everything from pharmaceuticals to explosives. See the "Nazi scientists" link above. Again, communist systems were similar but under Party control; in contrast, "Hitler was Farben and Farben was Hitler".

Modern examples. It would take a stack of books to cover them all, but the horizontal integration is of concern. If the Carlyle Group starts buying up media and pharmaceutical concerns, which it is... and does anyone actually believe that Exxon and Chevron and Conoco are competing with each other, or with Halliburton, their services section? Then you've got the nuclear power concerns, who like the idea of centralized power sources to go along with their centralized totalitarian government.

How to deal with this? My guess is 100-year old anit-monopoly laws need to be reinstated, and limits need to be placed on the corporate-financial structures, and ownership needs to be made transparent. At the very least, you could make sure that any money you might have isn't invested in such areas, and you might reconsider buying their products!

Then you've got the media control by the state-business conglomerate. The control of religion - the spying on the domestic population - the use of fear to control the public -
the foreign wars to draw attention away from your sorry condition (as well as to keep the leaders well supplied with whiskey and prostitutes)- and on and on!

PS Stan Goff has a good book entitled "Full Spectrum Disorder".

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» Millionaires vs. billionaires Posted by: thoughtcriminal
» Dead chimps, lost tribes Posted by: eddie torres
» thanks for the book title Posted by: LeftWright
» stick to your facts Posted by: edith
» Towards a multi-polar society Posted by: thoughtcriminal
» RE: stick to your facts Posted by: yellow
The overclass funds white-hating Identity Politics of the FakeLeft cuz why?
Posted by: mah_favorite_flavor_cherry_red on Oct 14, 2006 3:43 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The overclass funds WHIP (White-Hating Identity Politics --of which this article by Goff is a good example) because it serves their purposes. By funding fakeLeft nonprofits like The Nation, SPLC, Alternet etc, the overclass keeps Leftism in a pocket where it is harmless to them and where it can be used to divide the populace, and specifically the overclass uses fakeLeft WHIP like this article, to drive the white lower middle class (which is who Goff is demonizing here) away from economic leftism. If the white lower middle class ever embraced economic leftism, America would become like Europe where the rich are heavily taxed, and where the white lower middle class enjoys a prosperous and generous welfare state. The rich do not want all that, so they created the fakeleft, which they use for their own purpose. They pay for propaganda like this article.

So the FakeLeft is paid via nonprofit donations to demonize the white lower middle class, which repels them away from Leftism and into the arms of the GOP. Divide and Rule. Same as it ever was.....

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» You. Are. Such. A. Knob. Posted by: HeroesAll
» lmao - thanks Posted by: sln70
» His point is valid Posted by: YogiBear
» But mah- Posted by: fifthworld
» RE: But mah- Posted by: ignition
Growing militarization etc. aside
Posted by: Logic's Edge on Oct 14, 2006 5:35 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
"Fear" of female power makes fascists?

Where does this crap come from?

"Men who are threatened by women’s decreased dependency and increased organization often adopt an individual strategy of ” overconformity,” compulsively acquiring “masculine” accoutrements, be they giant automobiles, guns or attack-breed dogs, and just as compulsively behave as if they are trying out for a role with the World Wrestling Foundation—affecting a kind of bright-eyed homicidal aggression as we are further socialized to equate fear with respect. "

Uh huh. Do you know how many women drive SUVs? So far as I'm aware, gun ownership hasn't increased dramatically in the past two decades. Nor ownership of attack-breed dogs for that matter.

Not that I see the connection between this, facism and feminism anyhow.

I would attribute any growing opposition to feminism to the increasingly absurd and hateful statements emerging from its institutions these days and the weary perception that no matter how much you give women what they want, they won't be satisfied. Any rise of facism in the U.S. is coincidental.

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» RE: Growing militarization etc. aside Posted by: MartianBachelor
» RE: Growing militarization etc. aside Posted by: Minutemen= Modern day KKK
Carpe diem!
Posted by: edenilno on Oct 14, 2006 6:45 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Being German I maybe shouldn't shout too loud - beware!
Being young enough I cannot should loud enough - beware!
Don't believe what you are able to know!
Use your own judgement!
Never let go of a question 'till you're fully satisfied!
Your safety and welfare are just as important as the safety and welfare of everybody else on this wonderful planet!
Take your place amongst nations - as one of us!

America above all? »
14 Points of fascism »

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Fascism anyone?
Posted by: The Butcher on Oct 14, 2006 7:58 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Just a thought!
Here in the small space outside AMERICA, ie the rest of the world,we often joke about " not bothering about the News", we'll watch the movie!
Cause oliwood produces the movie sometimes before, during and after whatever sensational juicy voyeuristic piece-event to make a buck.
It is a tradition to get the war movies: Bad Germans,Japs, Vietnamese etc.. and how America won over these Monsters... So now the whole world knows Germans are robots, Japanese are sadistic, Americans chew gum and are cool and good looking if Steve Mc Queen is your type!
We also get the occasional mea culpa a la vietnamese. dadadadada...Beating our chest at the horror of "apocalypse now". 'cept that the script had been written one hundred years before or whatever...about barbaric people... Americans?
To me the greatest anti war movie ever was the "Killing Fields".
Anyway not the point.
How do you guys account for the fact we have not had a single movie about Iraq/ Afghanistan/ Machinations in the past 3 years. What is wrong with John Le Carre?
What is wrong with the Champagne Set in oliwood?
There's plenty of materials there? Conspiracies,Lies, say the Plame Story? wouldn't that beat " China Syndrome"?
Does olishit only make films when it is safe?
Just a thought!
Seems to me that to move the plebe, a good ole war movie does the job....
Just talkin' propaganda here....
What about a film about the wounded in Iraq fighting the Fob off system to ignore them?
What about a film about a Resistance Fighter joining the Terrorists because his /her family was killed, raped by Marines?
What about a film about a 19 year old Marine, a kid really brainwashed into horrendous behaviours and then made guilty... That is a winnnnnnnnnnner.

Is the White House now Versailles and noone will shout the truth? Is USA so palatial there will not be a Voltaire amongst 300 Million People?
Is it so cacophonic over there that noone is interested in but her/his own voice?
You guys are truly scary>
Has anyone read a short story on this site called the
" Loaded Gun?"
About a door to door salesman giving a gun to an Idiot for a try.
Guess what happened?

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» RE: Fascism anyone? Posted by: wolfdaughter
» add Munich to your list of movies Posted by: LeftWright
I find this article very convincing.
Posted by: Sojourner on Oct 14, 2006 8:03 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
While I expect the author is writing in search of repentance, his complicity adds authenticity to his protest.

Americans have not learned from Alcohol Prohibition that denial never works. Americans have not learned from Vietnam that invasions never work. When will we learn that war never works?

The tie between fascism and war is what I find most convincing. The novel "1984" told us that a long time ago, fresh out of the experience of WWII fascism.

If we can't learn from the Spain, Germany, Italy, Japan experiences of the 1930s, when will we ever learn?

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Survival of the fittest?
Posted by: shangrilalad on Oct 14, 2006 8:04 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
What we have in America today is unfettered capitalism evolving into fascism.

"Fascism should more properly be called 'corporatism' because it is the total merging of corporate and state power"
Benito Mussolini

A healthy dose of Socialism is the only way to tame unfettered capitalism, but realistically considering what they have to lose, the plutocracy backed up by the rabid right will no doubt feel the need to wipeout half the population to prevent that happening.

Those who insist on playing survival of the fittest according to THEIR OWN RULES ought to be reminded, that game has no rules.

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» Winner Take All Posted by: Melvin
» what is unfettered capitalism? Posted by: YinRising
I love it...
Posted by: spacemarine83 on Oct 14, 2006 8:06 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Being compaired to a racist and fascist peice of shit. Let me tell you folks, you have really made me one happy camper. Yes, I volunteered- but did so based upon conviction. I did so because of the fight, and saw that people all around the world needed our help. Well, even I will agree that it has not gone as it should have, but lets face it folks- THAT IS WAR.

To degrade many of us to the level that you have shows just how truly ignorant and blind you really are. Many of us joined not out of economic reasons, (cause hell we make more at McDonalds) but conviction to do something greater. We did not cower when the planes hit, nor did we come up with crackpoint ideas that it was all the government. We just went. We never asked for recognition and never asked for praise, but we never asked for this either.

Looking back over the course of history, American soldiers have given much to ensure your freedoms. Whether it was from tyranny (American Revolution) , slavery (Civil War), helping those oppressed (WWI) helping them again (WWII) or even just being sent to places that did not make sense (Vietnam) the soldier has always been there. The sad thing is that now we get to bleed and die for you, and you mock us and call us filth, but turn the key in your car, truck, suv, or whatever you may drive, and complain about the evironment as you drive to the gas station, and then bitch and complain over the price as you fill up you tank...not only with the fuel from Chavez's playground, but some of the most despotic regimes on the planet, and you still dont realize that you are filling it with a soldiers blood and a families sorrow and tears.

I have been called all manner of things, told that I would fail and die, and that it did not make a damn bit of difference, and here I stand looking at a world changing fast. I can say this, at least I fought for something, for you certainly did not. As I sit here, so far from home I mourn the fact that people such as yourselves do not see us for who we are, AMERICANS.

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» RE: I love it...Feel Happy Posted by: Astroboy
» RE: I love it...Feel Happy Posted by: YogiBear
» RE: I love it...Feel Happy Posted by: moflard
» three books for your reading list Posted by: LeftWright
» RE: I love it... Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: I love it... Posted by: AdamG
» RE: I love it... Posted by: Conservasaurus
» RE: I love it... Posted by: AdamG
» RE: I love it... Posted by: THIAHB
» RE: I love it... Posted by: mjabele
» Where are you, spacemarine83? Posted by: LeftWright
» RE: Where are you, spacemarine83? Posted by: spacemarine83
» RE: I love it... not Posted by: Pirate1
» Sorry, SpaceMarine Posted by: eddie torres
Gifted Writer
Posted by: The Butcher on Oct 14, 2006 8:19 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Please keep doing what you are doing.
Wish th whole world read your piece.

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Fascism is the rule and has been for some time, duh!
Posted by: hot_rad_man on Oct 14, 2006 8:20 AM   
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Where has this author been, hiding in a cave? From the Homeland Security Act to Herr Bush this nation has trashed the Constitution and instituted a Fascist Regime that rivals Hitler's Germany! There is no going back now, the Military Industrial Complex, the Federal Reserve Bank and Stock Market have what they want, a wartime economy and the bucks are flowing their way in a torrent! There is no hope for the American Way anymore, it is gone and Fascism must be replaced by Socialism and if it is not we will all find ourselves in concentration camps ready to be gassed and tortured. It is going on now and the plans are set to do it. Wake up and take some kind of action or you die!

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» What? Like.... Posted by: justaguy
Sado-Masochism is being pushed on our youth
Posted by: rwa on Oct 14, 2006 8:54 AM   
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Go to a mall, what will you find? Black leather with studs as fashion for female teens. Cammo is the least expensive option for those on a budget.

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» Sublimation Posted by: edith
» Moore Posted by: fifthworld
Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars
Posted by: mite on Oct 14, 2006 9:01 AM   
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President Woodrow Wilson said "there is a power so organized, so subtle, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it."
"Give me control over a nations currency, and I care not who makes its laws." -Mayer Amschel Rothschild- (1743-1812)
The title, and quotes come from Milton William Cooper's book `Behold A Pale Horse.'
I want to thank Mr. Stan Goff and Truthdig for writing and publishing this article about this silent war against the citizens of the United States and the World. This article is excellent for readers who still live their lives of denial.
The fact is there is a war against us and is about to come to a close if we all don't wake up. If we look at the attacks against us and our Constitution only the truth is present not the lies being feed us by the mainstream media.
I read Confessions of a Economic Hit Man by John Perkins. If one reads his book and then reads Mr. Stan Goff's article you can no longer live in denial.
I hope this article will present an opportunity for the citizens of the U.S. to research the many flag operations of this government.

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» Please clarify Posted by: edith
Ending fascism is the job of the nuclear family!
Posted by: ncg96773 on Oct 14, 2006 9:09 AM   
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Great article. There's just one aspect missing. Accepting and embracing authoritarian and abusive behavior is learned in infancy and childhood. Detrimental European childrearing practices paved the way for fear and abuse based masses to support their totalitarian, fascist leaders. Once cruelty has been wrongly integrated as just and well deserved, totalitarian leaders have an easy game.
Human dignity is something we learn and are not born with. If your human rights were violated as a child, it will become the basis for complacency as an adult while faced with blatant lies and abuse by government.
It is the dire state the average American family is in, that should be of utmost concern today.
Identifying and rejecting fascist, abusive leaders would be a natural response, if families in this Nation would have raised their children with respect, dignity, equality and justice. A people familiar with 'truth' and 'justice' will be more prone to reject lies, high crimes and hypocracy, for it does not reflect their upbringing and human moral.
These changes can happen rather quickly. But it takes a People willing to reflect upon their own upbringing, questioning their own humanity, or lack thereof.
The well oiled propaganda machine, as it cranks out lie after lie today, will not excuse the American public of their current blindness. It is a state of blindness, induced by the reverberation of past, openly abusive behavior. While some reach for their guns, ready to commit murder, most drift off into extended apathy and ultimately, depression.
I strongly believe, that governments always reflect the current state a People are in. Yes, even with stolen elections that is the case. For not doing anything about the crimes committed right in front of you, is a way of acceptance of them. And as we see so clearly in America today, not much is being done by the majority of households.
Don't look for your politicians, most of them are so steeped in their own power addictions, that dealing with real issues is hardly on the agenda. Search for solutions right at home.
Ask yourself how it is possible, that mass murdering elected officials receive statues and libraries build in their names?
Ask yourself, if the trail of spilled blood 'du jour' does not end right in your own living room.

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» Thanks Ben Spock. Posted by: edith
» RE: Thanks Ben Spock. Posted by: mjabele
» RE: Thanks Spock. Posted by: edith
The Constitution and especially the Bill of Rights except for the 2nd Amendment are being BURNED !
Posted by: maxpayne on Oct 14, 2006 9:16 AM   
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Thanks Goff for bringing this up. Unfortunately, the middle class is actually disappearing just like what happened in previous dictatorships in history especially Germany under Hitler in the 1920s and 1930s before the roundem up NAZISM took full force by the 1940s. The trick that was used was to set up the slippery slope of convincing the middle class to vote against its own economic interests one way or another. It would never matter which party or leader was in control. In a nation of gun mania and violence and economic instability, the wealthy elite are gloating at the fact that they can safely shred and burn the Constitution along with the Bill of Rights save the 2nd Amendment sort of. I think it is long overdue that people stand up and make it clear that yes there is a clear relationship between a nation that is dragged to needless and losing wars in the false name of "freedom" while at the same time aggressively making sweatshop slave labor mandatory in the false name of "free trade".

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Exploitation of America's Working Class
Posted by: sofla100 on Oct 14, 2006 9:15 AM   
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You can argue about which specific social class generates militarism, however I think even a casual analysis will show many adherents to it in the working class and especially the working poor. A few years ago, before good US manufacturing jobs virtually all went to China with "free trade," many of these same individuals enjoyed good pay and benefits and had a share of the American Dream. Today they are a disenfranchised lot, and easy pickings for the proponents of non-thinking pre-determined opinions and solutions. From miliarism to the evangelical right, the working class has been scooped up. The real truth, of course, is that they were sold down the river by a wealthy corporate elite and there bought off politicians a long time ago. But, this reality means, if accepted, that the American Dream has failed and American society has failed. Better and easier to believe that it's all "God's will" or that it's "the Muslims" at fault, and let's "rally around the flag."

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» Nope Posted by: edith
No sh_t. That's why we made our movie Freedom To Fascism
Posted by: Fog on Oct 14, 2006 9:21 AM   
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PLEASE help us spread the word!!!!!!!

WWW.FREEDOMTOFASCISM.COM

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Authoritarism not Fascism yet
Posted by: Glennk1949 on Oct 14, 2006 9:32 AM   
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I disagree with the writers analysis to this degree. I don't think we've reached the classical fascist state situation, yet. What's evolved is a quasi-authoritarian form of government closer to the Roman/British model of Imperial rule. Bu$hCo are royalists as far as I can see. Their contempt for populism and democracy are thinly veiled. What has troubled me of late is the rapidly developing forms of computer control and manipulation these elites are refining with each electoral turn of the wheel. If they manage to turn aside the building popular anger out here as they did in 2004 with wide spread voting fraud then I believe we will find ourselves heading down a more fascistic path. Even if they manage to hold to the senate in Nov. we will still be on this path since the right's No. 1 goal is control of the SCOTUS and with Bu$hCo safetly in power till Jan 2009 and 2 of the Justices or more probably going to die or retire before then my bet is that they will finally gain control of a 5/4 majority on the court. Then the real changes will begin. if you couple this with the phony voting system it's a pretty good bet that in 10 yrs. Amerika will be even more authoritarian/fascistic then it is today no matter who the Pres. is.

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Defeatist echo chamber fear-mongering
Posted by: Boomerang on Oct 14, 2006 9:41 AM   
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I take issue with a whole lot of this article, but I'd have to write my own article to refute some of this nonsense. Look at the sources being pushed by the author: all new-Left pieces pushing the total demonization of the Bush administration and the death of the culture of tolerance in America. There's also the poor writing which conflates White supremacy (a force which has been declining since the Oklahoma City bombing) with the current administration and the Republican party.

Republicans as the party of white supremacy? Can the author really believe that 51% of America voted on the basis of an avowed white supremacist idea? Of course not, it's nonsense, and its the same rhetorical demonization that the GOP itself practices. The GOP has been corrupted by being in total control of the government, nothing more. In the next election cycle they'll be shocked back into reality, and hopefully, in '08, they'll get a taste of being the minority again. But there remains a significant portion of the population in America which is not represented by Democrats. There are people for whom voting Republican is in their best interest, and telling them that they're stupid fascists adds nothing to the debate and isn't going to win anyone over any time soon. They're not fascists, they're conservative and wary of change, and screaming at them that they're racist/fascist/xenophobic/sexist demonizes them in a way that it totally intellectually dishonest.

The author conflates the Aryan Nations graffiti with the entire US military in much the same way. He takes a few isolated cases and generalizes it to the entire idea. The US military is not filled with white supremacists, just as the GOP is not filled with religious lunatics or the Left is not filled with baby-killing gun grabbers. The brush he's using is too broad, too general, and it turns the whole article into nothing more than a morbid piece of defeatist fear-mongering. "We can't change anything, there's a culture of fascism forming. It's a fait accompli, run for the hills!"

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Liberals will save us all from our selves!
Posted by: Cthulhu on Oct 14, 2006 9:50 AM   
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What a joke! I'm not a fan of conservatives either. As far as I can see liberals are just as capable and willing to trample our liberty as the conservatives are.

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» Agreed Posted by: fifthworld
That's why we have sued the government! Read about it and see our movie!
Posted by: Fog on Oct 14, 2006 9:54 AM   
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October 10, 2006

Dramatic Developments
For Right-To-Petition
Court of Appeals Hears Oral Arguments,
WTP Files Motion For Injunctive Protection


“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown"
- William Shakespeare, Henry IV (Act III, Scene I)

’Tis nothing truer this week following a series of dramatic events regarding the Right to Petition that are so exceptional and moving they could be experienced as a dramatic play – the drama of the making of our own history.

Unfortunately this drama is for real. It is the People who, as protagonist, act upon their divinely illuminated character. The servant of the People - their government - plays the antagonist. The conflict is sharp, prolonged and injurious, and travels to lands where the Law can only find resolution in favor of the People. Upon the stage of engagement tenaciously hangs the backdrop of the Constitution.

Freedom is the prize to be seized or lost, Liberty the fire which drives the heart. When the curtain finally falls, the outcome will, win or lose - and for better or worse, forever determine the fate of the nation and its People.

This is our unfolding drama. It is nothing less than the irrepressible conflict, the perpetual and unavoidable confrontation between men and their servant governments seeking to grasp and zealously enjoy the fruits of Sovereignty, but which (unfortunately for the Government), are the Natural, and unalienable Right of the People.

The events of the last several weeks, focusing squarely upon our exercise of the First Amendment Petition for Redress of Grievance have exposed an artful, insolent principle by which our government has acted against not only the People, but against Nature itself.


See more at www.givemeliberty.org and www.freedomtofascim.com

Act people! Read about our lawsuit against the government!

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Premature
Posted by: edith on Oct 14, 2006 9:59 AM   
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Even the author admits fascism is not here yet. He sees it coming. However his evidence is IMO a bit rambling and unorganized, though quite interesting, given his military background. Certainly this is a valuable contribution to consider the direction towards authoritarianism and the future of young people who may be lured into neo-Nazi type actions.

I wonder whether the author would envision a relatively strong US miltary within a more democratic society and within a foreign policy based on true defense of the territorial integrity of the Nation as opposed to political interference in the internal affairs of other nations? The latter mission is the military's primary purpose today and no doubt has led to the overgrowth of the US government and the national security and "homeland security" industries that employ millions. Threats to civil liberties, some of which we only have a partial picture to date, do result from this overgrowth of Government.

I do not infer the author is a pacifist, so I would be interested in his vision of a decent and limited military within the context of traditional American values rather than the Wilsonian-Bush New World Order internationalism model now in effect.

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» Not here yet? Posted by: fifthworld
Connections With Conservative Religious Movements
Posted by: thirdmg on Oct 14, 2006 10:07 AM   
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The connections between the current trend towards fascism and the history of racism and homophobia in conservative religious movements in America are often overlooked in articles like this one. The Southern Baptist Convention, for example, which is the largest protestant denomination in the U.S., came into existence right before the Civil War for the explicit purpose of defending slavery. Later, it defended segregation and - not surprisingly - is the home of former segregation advocates Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, among many others like them.

Although in recent years the Southern Baptist denomination formally apologized for its racist past, it apparently has not learned any lessons. No longer scapegoating on the basis of race (at least, not openly), it now focuses on scapegoating liberals and gays.

In the fascist culture of patriarchy and hyper-masculinity, it should come as no surprise that racism and homophobia, supported and justified by conservative religious forces, are directly connected.

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Wordy but thoughtful
Posted by: hockey9966 on Oct 14, 2006 10:26 AM   
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Jeff, You seem to be speaking from the perspective of someone who realizes that peace and diplomacy, not war, is the world most of us want to live in. Who suffer war only when we are attacked and against those who attack us, not conflated wars that serve the needs of those who want loads of money and power, of suffer from serious paranoia. History is filled with those.

Hitler was mentally unbalanced (but scary enough to create a following of equally bugged-out and/or terrified followers), and there's no reason to suppose the leaders half of us follow from time to time have an equally paranoid and uninformed understanding of the world and other cultures. Even some posters here, filled with more testosterone and self-righteousness than an education in history and human relations, may start to realize how right you are on much of what you said once they pass their fiftieth birthday. I hope some people, instead of reacting, re-read it, realize you have been there and seen it, and paid attention. A war culture is a serious problem for a nation filled with a majority who would rather live in a thougtful Republic, and it's important for us to see that we are what we support. Also, a lot of angry, paranoid people would do well for themselves to reflect on your words about the historical pattern of fascist governments' manipulation of their disempowered working/middle class. The result: Those corporatists/fascists retain power and cyphen tons of money off the backs of those they have filled with fear, anger, violence and false patriotism, people who start to act against their own interests without even realizing it.

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Strong essay; but remember that fascism does NOT equal capitalism
Posted by: jdylarid on Oct 14, 2006 11:03 AM   
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Goff's essay is apt and chilling, and I'm afraid that our society is slipping dangerously close to fascism, or its equivalent in the uniquely-American context (e.g., with a focus on "freedom"). While certain elements of the middle-class perform like trained seals for the sociopolitical elite, blaming the middle-class is an old tactic of totalitarians of all stipes, especially communist revolutionaries. Fascism and true capitalism are not functions of each other; indeed, true (market) capitalism is in most regards a polar opposite of fascism. While relying on them for security, elites have always simultaneously resented the middle-classes because they are the embodiment of non-elites attaining material improvement and access to high culture, generally via the fruits of their own minds and labors. Thus they directly threaten the "divine right" of elites to control the lives and destinies of everyone else. It is a CONTROLLED middle-class that the elites seek, not middle classes themselves.

I'll never forget attending a large protest against the soon-to-occur second war on Iraq, and noting that virtually all of the literature for sale at various tables was of a decidedly Left-wing nature, much of it revolutionary Leninist/Maoist. Anti-state/libertarian literature was entirely absent, an ironic occurrence at a protest against a pending, unnecessar war. One book that struck me was titled "The Real Enemy is the Middle-class", and featured a cover photo of a turn-of-the-century Russian merchant and his family. These were the very people first percecuted by the Bolshevik regime. Such books, and the middle-class-produced young people selling them, were a good encapsulation of much of the protest itself: uniform in thinking and behavior.

Independent minds are the best hope for stopping the downward slide of our society.

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response from the lower down
Posted by: chomsky on Oct 14, 2006 11:16 AM   
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let's not get too carried away. feminist intolerant men will always be around. It has nothing to do with anything other than a carnal urge to impregnate, and the belief that those who are impregnated, shouldn't be working at a construction site or in a big office with a window. sorry, its just how we feel when american women treat us like shit, and then expect us to pay the way while they don't even spread their legs.

check out my blog for my post on american women.

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» Removing roadblocks? Posted by: edith
What links racism with corporate America?
Posted by: eddie torres on Oct 14, 2006 11:21 AM   
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A facist state is a corporate state. A corporate state is a racist state?

Waited for Goff to connect the third side of the triangle, but it didn't happen.

There is an alternate argument: America is an outsourced authoritarian state. This would link the ruling class's rabid pursuit of a one-color world (dollar green) with the Republican/Democrat pursuit of a one-party state (the Privilege Party - "You Ain't Invited").

Skin color may be important to a significant minority of Americans, but money color is vital to the overwhelming majority.

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» Power, money, privilege Posted by: fifthworld
For what it's worth
Posted by: pegasus on Oct 14, 2006 1:02 PM   
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I was a fourteen year old girl. The Vietnam War was in full swing. I thought it was horribly wrong, despite my parents' belief in our government's infallibility. Remember, this was the era of the "My Country Right or Wrong" bumper sticker. "My country... Love it or Leave it."
So some new neighbors moved in across the street. There were lots of kids in the family. The girl who was my age asked me if I'd like to go to the beach with them. I was fourteen years old and lived far enough away from the beach that a ride was golden. So I hopped in the car, and suddenly, all the brothers and sisters literally stepped away and the door closed on the family's station wagon and the guy driving was the oldest brother. The one, as it turned out was home on leave from Viet Nam.
Again. I was fourteen years old.
So on the way to the beach he starts bragging. He tells me he's signed up for a really cool assignment. Helicopter gunner. I want a Camero, he tells me. And by signing up to be a helicopter gunner, I get a $10,000 bonus. So I can pay cash for my Camero when I come home. I think he's trying to impress me with the car thing. Like he won't always have to drive his mother's station wagon to hijack a fourteen yeaar old girl to the beach for a date before he heads off to Viet Nam. Of course, I think this is my understanding of the situation in retrospect. What I say is something like:
You mean like the guy who hangs out the door of a helicopter and shoots down who's ever running on the ground. At least this is what I think I say. Maybe I don't actually say this. I'm fourteen years old and riding in a car with what is clear to me, even as a 14-year-old girl, is a psychopath. He is someone who is willing to trick a 14-year-old girl into going to the beach with him, and his entire family was complicit in this deception, and how am I going to protect myself? Because it was very clear I was in danger.
Here's what I did.
I walked into the surf. I saw the jelly fish. I thought... this will hurt. And it did. More than I thought it would. But an hour after I'd got stung, and I kept saying how much it hurt, and it was clear that I wasn't in the mood for whatever he had in mind, we got back in the car. He drove 60 miles an hour all the way home and I limped back to my house across the street, and thank god I never saw him again.

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Fascism in the USA
Posted by: vangogh69 on Oct 14, 2006 2:12 PM   
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Of course we don't look like Germany in 1940, not yet, but I doubt we will as historically specific circumstances gave rise to the particular form of fascism/totalitarianism which was in Germany. Similarly, fascims was of a different character in Spain under Franco, as it was in Italy under Mussolini. We should not seperate fascist ideologies from the places they're in. As such, we are now under fascism (I'd properly call it neo-fascism though) and if you don't believe it, examine that we: have invaded two countries on dubious pretexts, have declared endless war, have known (Gitmo) and unknown ("black sites") concentration camps (quaintly referred to as "Detention Facilities"), have laws on the books now which effectively strip the US Constitution (Patriot Act, this recent torture act), and, we have a leader who believes himself accountable to no one other than his fellow constituents (who are not The People).

This article is good but frankly, I have to pat the author on the head for being shocked (!) that white supremists are in the military. Hello, does this man not know his American history and the fact that this country had/has 300+ years of genocide and slavery, and apartheid in this country only formally ended in the 1960's. Of course this country is polluted with racist ideologies and many in power, naturally, hold such racist ideas. I commend him for attempting to link McVeigh to something broader and deeper in American society, for truly what is remarkable is that this society doesn't produce more mass murderers.

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» RE: Fascism in the USA Posted by: dangerouslysane
the reason
Posted by: chomsky on Oct 14, 2006 3:38 PM   
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An American woman has several fundamental problems that will never go away and that will get much worse a few years after she is married:

1. Her inherent anti-male bias and pre-occupation with fairness that was drilled into her at high school, college, and through the media. Her constant confrontations and trying to prove herself and to make a point.
2. Her self-centeredness, her ridiculously high expectations, her sense of entitlement, her high-maintenance, superficial, and stuck up attitude, her snootiness and her sense of superiority. This “princess” syndrome means that she will always think that she is better than you, and that she deserves and she is entitled to whatever she wants from you.
3. Her general mental instability and psychological disorders.
4. Her using sex as a weapon and reward to get things.

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» RE: the reason Posted by: YogiBear
Where is the rising trend?
Posted by: RunLikeTheWind on Oct 14, 2006 4:23 PM   
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Granted, there is a lot to criticize America for, especially in a war that where the US is the aggressor. There's a lot to criticize any country for. And throughout the article Mr Goff raises several apt criticisms, and several that are non-sequitors (Because McVeigh's parents had normal descriptors, he is a not a deviant?). But instead of a growing trend with any relationship to fascism, I only see evidence that evil has long been in the hearts of humankind. In an essay full of historical American shortcomings mixed with tired stabs at the current administration, Mr. Goff does not lay out any time line of advancement of his points:

1) Yes, there were a ton of examples of blatant racial and sexual discrimination in the 1960's, and unfortunately there is no doubt that in the hearts of some people it continues today. But honestly, does anyone believe racial and gender inequality is a trend that has increased over the last 40 years?
2) Yes, xenophobia is rather strong right now, but it was undoubtedly stronger at many points in American history, such as the days of pre-WWII isolationism.
3) Yes, many American are facing tough times, but to put our current economic "instability" on par with previous periods of American depression (which did not result in fascism) is laughable.
4) Yes, men like to demonstrate "manliness". There have always been men who use a distorted exaggeration of manliness to compensate for insecurities.
5) Yes, militarization has taken off since 9/11. It is the one thing that has accompanied every war in history. It's what war is.

If all of Mr. Goff's ingredients at the levels we see today are in fact the definitive ingredients for fascism, then we would have been through countless dictators in our short history as a country. But as unpleasant as most of Mr. Goff's points are, there is no evidence that these ingredients are at unprecedented levels, or that they are the trigger of fascism.

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» RE: Where is the rising trend? Posted by: talkville
A very important and debatable article. Here are my points and objections.
Posted by: JP2 on Oct 14, 2006 6:35 PM   
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Undoubtedly this is an important article. It found me applauding a couple of times and once even holding my breath hoping for more. But other things aren't so clear and well put in my opinion. I'll try to go over it all very briefly. What I don't mention I probably just agree with.

White supremacists
I agree with your description of the white supremacists, but... let's face it: are gangsta type of guys more appealing to you? This model for the black male is anything less fascist than the white model? For how it behaves with women: fascist; in the way it forces loyalty to militarized groups: fascist; in the way it is violent and is a mafia: fascist.
So maybe the point it's not with the race. It's only that the whites are in power, but that the society it's sick in its entirety.
Together with Aryan-nation signs in Iraq there are sign of the latino or black gangs. Are they better of the whites? I don't know. But they're fascist as well, let me tell you. For the military any fascist behavior is good, not only the 'white' one.
(BTW, it will be ironic when this sick american military will invade Iran and writings in support of the "Aryan nation" will be found written in the very nation where the word "aryan" was first pronounced, thousands of years ago. Nobody of the imbeciles will catch the irony, though)

David Koresh, Waco & etc. Well, it's not that I am an expert, but I wouldn't put together Koresh with the neonazis and call his supporters 'acolytes'. They weren't 'all white' at all, on the contrary they were deliberately open to different 'races', according to their own beliefs. They were a religious group, after all. Not an army. Most important, given that they all died tragically and innocently it is pretty obvious that all the government-haters see them as a symbol. I see them as a symbol too, of how evil your own government can be.

Mc Veigh
If you advocate Mc Veigh as a product of a fascist environment, I can agree. Would this solve and explain the whole Oklahoma operation? I don't think so. The guy was used, buddy. That's why we all remember his name. They helped him to dig such a big hole, so to speak, that nobody could ever forget his face or name.

Militarization through the Vigilantes and guns. I remember Kundera describing the rise of fascism with the Sovietization of his little country, where squads of vigilantes rounded up the dogs, only to occupy themselves before rounding up citizens.
Nonetheless, describing the militarization of the american society starting with vigilantes is an error of perspective. The American Police State is so much beyond that point already, that vigilantes are in its way now. Fascist technology, intimidation, schools as prisons, prisons as moneymakers destructive machines, black outfits, rigged elections, false enemies, torture and detention camps. I don't think vigilantes are the real mark of the problem here.
Also, if you accept the idea that the police itself is a mafia of thugs and gangster ready to oppress you, local vigilantes might as well represent the future nuclei from where resistence could come (and I'm not saying it will).
And about the guns... I never owned or used one. How could I ever fight in a resistence without them I can't imagine. Tomorrow there might be really a supernational dictatorship, for reals. We will have to resist and be partisan then, right? What else could we do, after criticizing the germans for sixty years for not having resisted? So now I find myself thinking: wow. How could I ever resist without even knowing how to fire a gun? (well, I guess I will go for the Ghandian resistance, which is fine by me...)

(I'm leaving the final and most important point out and for the following comment, because the soup is too diluited already.)

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The Article is Too Long to evaluate
Posted by: glorybe on Oct 14, 2006 9:45 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Because of the length of the article and the number of claims made trying to refute it would be a lengthy project.
I see numerous claims such as the outrage at Waco stuff that have no reality at all.
The only outrage at Waco was the cult called the Branch Davidians. Law enforcement officers were ambushed and murdered when they peacefully tried to serve a warrent. Then the government wasted millions upon millions of dollars week after week trying all kinds of nonsense to get the loonies out of the property and in to custody. The Feds should have used force enough to control the Davidians immediatly. There shouldnever have been any waiting, conversation or negotiations. And if these nuts chose to keep their kids in an obvious place of battle then so be it. The only shame at Waco was that our police officers didn't take them out the same hour that the first murderous shot was fired.

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» "Take them out"? Posted by: fifthworld
A great article
Posted by: talkville on Oct 15, 2006 12:27 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
A sober and cogent look at the USA, and us. Indeed disturbing. One small distinction though: we prefer always describing conditions as somehow coming - precursors, not yet there. We are, and have been since the 1950's or so, in a fascist environment. The US government cannot be un-coupled from the corporate (and unelected) world. What is happening is more a consolidation rather than a preliminary set-up of a fascist state. At least if one takes Mussolini's program as an original articulation of fascism. We are a managed mass who, whether we'd like to or not, serves these interests. Globalization and transnationals are now completing this project to encompass the entire world. It's not a possibility of the future; it's a reality of the present. Liberties 'granted' by documents and rhetoric can as easily be circumvented and taken away; the liberty we're confronted with is that which stems from necessity. Soon, our culture of acquiescence, denial and escape will not be sufficient - slaves or freemen, that is our choice.

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Manifest Destiny
Posted by: hole11 on Oct 15, 2006 6:22 AM   
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In 200 years all you can do is change some words around and make it all the more confusing.

Historically the US moved native americans to places out west. If that didn't kill them they gave them small pox infected blankets in the 1830's.

The author fails to mention the fascism in sports or church. Parade the flag before a game of ball or pray for the leaders of the country. He is very long winded to prove such a small point. If he doesn't think it's here yet he should look back to see if fascism installed itself with elected officials such as those that have to be admitted to the bar before becoming judges.

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» RE: Manifest Destiny Posted by: symcokid
Must See: "The Parallax View"
Posted by: pelle_in_goal on Oct 15, 2006 8:26 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
For a rather visceral study of latent white racism -- and the manipulation of it for strategic purposes -- rent the DVD or VHS and "take" the The Parallax Test from the movie The Parallax View. It is a brilliant study of fascist themes woven into a crazy quilt of masterful propaganda. Themes that are still as relevant today as when it was released in 1974. [Ideally, one should see this film in a theater, as much of its impact is lost on the small screen.]

America has been a nation of internal empire since day one -- no matter how one sees American history and the nobility of our democratic ideals. The truth is all too familiar. The last ethnic group to "come off the boat" moved into ghettos and became de facto Negroes. Meanwhile, Indians were constantly being cleared off the best and richest lands "for their own good" -- or so the history books say. Jim Crow created internal empires of black people forced to work first as sharecroppers, then as cheap labor in most northern and eventually all US cities. Few economists these days doubt that a constant source of cheap labor wasn't somehow good for our "free enterprise" economy. Too bad it's not their job to relate to just how bad the cancer of racism has been for American democracy. Re: social and economic marginalization has always been the way to get around the Constitution.

We still don't like to admit how our country became the most economically powerful entity in history. That supremacist groups and corporations could simply make some people believe they were too inferior for the benefits of democracy. It's the American Dream as the "Stockholm Syndrome." Take your own inventory; you may already be a loser in this scenario. Start empathizing with the winners!

I appreciate this hard work Stan has done here in trying to explain how the American Dream has been perverted to get white working people to vote against their best interests. Otherwise, one faces workplace abandonment. [Abandonment is an issue that's one of the undercurrents exploited in "The Parallax Test." I.E., one can create self-worth by signing up with the winners.]

There is hope. Really. White people do work along side people of color. It seems to work well most places -- although "glass ceilings" exist that are thicker than the glass used in the Presidential limousine. Still, the American workplace has come a long way since the 1960s. Better yet, our children and grandchildren seem to be coping with integration better than my generation did in the 60s. No wonder the GOP neo-cons want to re-segregate public school systems. Racial de-polarization is getting in the way of subjugating the middle and lower classes -- even if most whites do believe that blacks are as well off as they are.

One thing that does stand out as not being in Stan's article is the virtual destruction of the US labor movement by American-style fascism. Mega-corporations still get away with trampling workers' rights. Only it's the scale that keeps getting worse; not the concept itself. You know what? That's our fault. We -- as American workers -- have to carry one of the most important Flags of Our Fathers have left as our legacy:

When the Reuther brothers were organizing the auto plants for UAW in the 1930s, they knew that success depended on organizing all the plant workers. Not just the white ones -- but all of them. White auto workers had to put their prejudices aside on at least one issue: organization. People familiar with the "sit-down" strike tactic of the UAW know all about the Flint, MI sit-down in 1937. What few remember was that it had been used successfully the year before in an Atlanta, GA, auto plant. The UAW won despite the forced segregation of the Deep South.

We need to carry that flag again. Higher than ever.

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» RE: Must See: "The Parallax View" Posted by: dangerouslysane
» RE: Must See: "The Parallax View" Posted by: albrechtkrausse
Let's look at ourselves.....for a change
Posted by: rae2012 on Oct 15, 2006 11:49 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
So much of the discourse in recent years has emphasized the demon Rove, or the drunken frat boy Bush and the Reptilian Cheney. Or Diebold. Or whatever....

But when it comes time to point out that 58 million Americans really did pull a lever (or button, or ink-a-dot) for Bush in 2004, long after Iraq and civil liberties were going down - everyone goes omerta. I've heard radio hosts and writers passionately make excuses for the populi: 1) they have been TERRIFIED by the terrorist meme 2) they are soooo busy trying to raise their children in hard times 3) or they are besotted by indulging in too much Jesus Juice 4) illegals are taking their jobs and they are desperate.

Alternate view: I've long believe there is a huge sadistic, authoritarian side to America. We admire physical power, economic power and all forms of clout. Our media stars are highly physical types. Even the Religious Rectums bellowing against sex, keep the psychic focus on the physical - not the mental, emotional or god forbid, philosophical. Too deep for USA 2006, the masses need testosterone. What some posters see as fear-driven militarism, others - like me- see as relishing the pure adrenalin of whupping ass. I think this is true of us societally. I think draws folks to poseurs like Bush, fire-and-brimstone bullies like Dobson and Robertson and the tyanny of wealth. Screaming for security is just a convenient way to justify doing whatever-the-hell you feel like doing to folks not able to fight back.

Until we stop projecting all our darkness onto the elites and pretending that non-elites are just good hearted folks tryin' to get by....we'll keep doing this.

I say it is time to dump on the average American for the choices he/she makes or fails to make.

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Rational American
Posted by: gellero on Oct 15, 2006 1:53 PM   
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According to this rambling guy, a father or mother who wouldn't want their sons or daughters marrying a black person is racist. Technically correct. But I don't think there's any doubt that that describes the great majority of Americans. And so what if they don't. Most Jews don't want their offspring marrying Gentiles. Same with Muslims. And are those who oppose an invasion by illegals racist?? No. They're right !
And why blame our Army......who put their lives on the line for us...for the RARE abberations of a few?? Offical policy is zero tolerance of racism. And it is adhered to. That, in and of itself, is testament to the greatness of the Amercan People, and our wilingness to overcome and face problems.

If all you pansy asses think we should give up the role of Superpower and Policeman of the World, let's withdraw, and leave Dafar, Rawanda, Kosovo, Afghanistan, slavery in Sudan, etc., etc., ad nauseum to their own 'turd' world hell. You can't have it both ways. We either push our values - by force if necessary - or we don't. I think if you asked the Muslims in Kosovo if they would be better off (or alive, for that matter) if we and the Brits had not intervened, they'd think you were mad ! Sorry if you don't agree folks, but there are many people in the Third World who want a 'Superman' to intervene, and bring 'Truth, Justice, and the American Way'. Sounds a bit corney, but most Americans believe it too.

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» Dear Superman...... Posted by: logansafi
» Superman or overman? Posted by: lessbread
» RE: ational American Posted by: dangerouslysane
» You can't FORCE democracy! Posted by: Cathyc
» RE: ational American Posted by: Ian MacLeod
Lincoln the Republican
Posted by: gellero on Oct 15, 2006 2:04 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
And by the way, Lincoln never campaigned on an anti-slavery platform. His speeches said he had no intention of changing the institution of slavery. So much for what you were lead to believe. And did he free the slaves?? Guess what, know-it-alls........the Emancipation Proclamation DID NOT free all the slaves....only those in the 'states in rebellion'. He did not free any slaves in the only states he could.....namely, the North

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» What's with the bold? Posted by: YogiBear
» RE: Lincoln the Republican Posted by: Ian MacLeod
I don't see the problem
Posted by: brianw930 on Oct 15, 2006 2:10 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Good article. However the solution is simple. Once America becomes a complete facist nation then we can just all just tear up our Social Security Cards and drivers licenses and become illegal immigrants. Then we can ignore the government, do whatever we want, and they'll be powerless to do anything about it.

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» RE: I don't see the problem Posted by: dangerouslysane
Great essay, now explain it for a 13 year old.
Posted by: lessbread on Oct 15, 2006 3:03 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
It's no secret that political discourse in the United States is geared for juvenilles. Indeed, Jon Stewart's best jokes exploit this aspect of the things Bush says. I don't want to suggest talking down to people as Bush does, but it seems to me that for important analysis like this essay to reach the widest audience possible, it needs to be expressed in terms that the widest audience can easily grasp. Take this snippet for example:

"... with no resolution except the agonal, and could — with economic dislocation as the catalyst — tumble us into a paroxysm of white nationalist hyper-masculinity..."

This isn't going to register well with people that aren't well read or well studied. Agonal? How likely is it that the reader is familiar with this term? How likely is it that the reader is familiar with the terms agony, distress and conflict? So too with paroxysm as opposed to violent outburst or fit of rage. Economic dislocation? How about unemployment, underemployment, homelessness and so forth - in concrete terms that are readily grapsed.

In my view hundred dollar words are best left to academic papers and the like. They aren't going to succeed at reaching men predisposed to "compulsively behave as if they are trying out for a role with the World Wrestling Foundation" which ultimately is the group that needs convincing if full blown fascism is to be avoided in the United States.

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Militarization of American society
Posted by: TerryS on Oct 15, 2006 3:06 PM   
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Very excellent article. I especially liked the points
about the militarization of American society & gun
culture. And this excellent point:

"The film genre that most closely corresponds to a fascist
mind-set is the male revenge fantasy, wherein after some
offense is given that signifies the breakdown of order
(usually resulting in the death or mortal imperilment of
idealized wives or children) in which Enlightenment social
conventions prove inadequate, and the release of irrational
male violence is required to set the world straight again.
Any reader can list these fantasies without a cue. It is
one of the most common film genres in American society."


It's so easy to blame the the bushies and the religious
right for the fact that America is drifting towards
fascism. But, we wouldn't be on the course we are on if
wasn't for a general change in the culture of the majority
of Americans.

Consider the popularity of shows/movies such as:

- The Sopranos, where the hero is a vicious mob boss.

- 24, where the hero is a torturer

- an endless stream of violent fare where the hero commits
monstrous acts of violence that are justified by heaps of
excuses and justifications.

For more on how TV is destroying Democracy:

http://www.tvsmarter.com/documents/democracy.html

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Fascism then. Fascism now?
Posted by: pogo on Oct 15, 2006 3:59 PM   
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For a good discussion of the political and economic processes that led to the worst cases of fascism in the 20th century and the striking similarities to our current situation here in North America, check out this article.

Fascism then. Fascism now?

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» RE: Fascism then. Fascism now? Posted by: Steve Adair
Fascism is here.
Posted by: Reader11722 on Oct 15, 2006 4:54 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
The 4th Reich has begun. Already the gestapo detains demonstrators, bans books like "America Deceived" from Amazon, conducts warrant-less wiretaps, uses false-flag operations (9/11) and starts illegal wars based on lies. We are the new Hitler. Much of Germany did not know what was going on until it was too late. We can probably agree that the WWII German populace was far more intelligent that today's average American. How long until they realize?
Final link (before Google Books caves to pressure and drops the title):
America Deceived (book)

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We are a long ways from having fascism yet
Posted by: logansafi on Oct 15, 2006 6:06 PM   
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Fascism comes about when the business class cannot deliver enough employment with a living wage to people. Instead of accepting responsibility, they pass the blame to defenseless groups of those most effected by the economic downturn. That would be handicapped people plus, ethnic, sexual and racial minorities. That allows the blocks of nationalist and religious stupids to safely attack other folk than themselves, without risk to either the elites, or the dominant national group.

Right now, the economic elites feel just fine with our pseudo democracy and we should not be surprised if they return power to some Slick or Gore leaving the Republicans temporarily sidelined. Tweedle-Dee/ Tweedle-Dum are still in power. Fascism is not yet needed, though pseudo democracy of 2 linked corporate parties certainly has a certain affinity to incorporating many components used by fascist regimes into its governance of us.

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U.S. now primed for full-blown authoritarianism (response to logansafi)
Posted by: LeftWright on Oct 15, 2006 8:56 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Fascism comes about when the business class cannot deliver enough employment with a living wage to people.

The U.S. economy is a debt-fueled, over-lapping multi-bubble ponzi scheme. The final bubble is the housing bubble which may not be bursting, but is clearly deflating at this very moment. This will start the long overdue "correction" (recession) that will further impoverish the vast majority of the debt-laden American population that will, in turn, lead to increasing levels of unemployment if not an outright depression. An oil or currency shock will immediately trigger a full depression.

Instead of accepting responsibility, they pass the blame to defenseless groups of those most effected by the economic downturn. That would be handicapped people plus, ethnic, sexual and racial minorities.

We have seen the anti-immigrant and anti-homosexual buttons pushed repeatedly in the last two years. This is a conscious effort to prime the pumps of blind hatred that will need to be vented and directed away from the elites when the economy collapses. Since the African-American community has been largely criminalized and imprisoned already, the brunt of this rage will fall on the latino community, 11 million of whom are here "illegally" (we are told).

Right now, the economic elites feel just fine with our pseudo democracy and we should not be surprised if they return power to some Slick or Gore leaving the Republicans temporarily sidelined. Tweedle-Dee/ Tweedle-Dum are still in power.

Actually, the economic elites are quite desperate. This is why the militarist faction among them attempted the insane, high-risk 9/11 false flag operation, which is on the brink of being recognized for what it is by a majority of the population. Tweedle-Dee (Clinton and the bankers) are broke and out of the game, and Tweedle-Dum (Cheney/Bush and the war mob) played the only cards they have. So, off to Afghanistan (pipelines) and Iraq (control of Persian Gulf oil) we went. Needless to say, it's not going according to plan.

The entire ponzi scam economy has been made possible by the ready supply of cheap energy. The combination of increased demand from China and India AND the peaking of the world oil supply have brought us to this critical point.

Fascism is not yet needed, though pseudo democracy of 2 linked corporate parties certainly has a certain affinity to incorporating many components used by fascist regimes into its governance of us.

This brings us to the November 7th election: if Rove and company are able to sell yet another clever cover story for their election thievery or sufficiently intimidate the Democrats into inaction and the American electorate continue to accept their pseudo democracy, then the ugly farce continues. The American economic "slowdown" will proceed, Americans will hunker down to ride it out and the ultra-rich elites will continue moving their capital elsewhere.

However, if the American people become aware of their plight and demand the true democracy and prosperity their history has promised them, then the full authoritarian state apparatus kicks into gear. The legal framework is in place, the internal security elements fully funded and staffed and numerous pretexts fully established. Whether it's another "terrorist" attack or an outbreak of avian flu, west nile virus or some new "grave" threat, a fearful population will be asked to accept martial law for its own good.

This is when the true patriots of America will show themselves and the long overdue second American revolution will begin.

The next two years are going to be very interesting, brothers and sisters.

The truth shall set us free. Love is the only way forward.

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Hope...
Posted by: The Butcher on Oct 15, 2006 11:40 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This is a well documented, researched and referenced article finds its way to whoever has some influence.
Great writer here!
As a foreigner... though... I still cannot fathom America becoming a fascist State...
Please Help!!!!!!
Fight!

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Non-believers
Posted by: Ian MacLeod on Oct 16, 2006 12:48 AM   
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For you who don't believe that we are being made into an Orwellian totalitarian state, you're obviously going to wait until there are stormtroopers executing people in the streets and secret police disappearing your neighbors in the middle of the night. Then MAYBE you'll believe.

Have you considered that, just with the corruption that's been exposed in the most secretive administration EVER, there's more to that iceberg? Just the POSSIBILITY that this really is happening should have you on the phone to your reps with some very pointed questions. What really IS happening should have you in the streets, door to door, in the local paper and in blogs... Just what, exactly, do you suppose is going to protect you in such a society, anyway, when everything you say, write or otherwise communicate may be heard, reported and used against you?

They're going to need a LOT of slave labor and canon fodder, you know, and there are HUNDREDS of "detention" camps.

Ian

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Too many subjects: Just Murra Bldg
Posted by: Ron Barlean on Oct 16, 2006 1:49 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I just heard new info for me on Murra/McVeigh that reopens the case. 1: 2 unexploded bombs found in blgd = McVeigh not only purpetrator. 2: Building damage indicates planted bombs designed for real damage and truck bomb was for probably a cover story. 3: Why were some govt employees pre-warned to not come into work. Here's the real issue. We executed McVeigh. Did we have the whole story before we took his life. We are going to stand before God on this. I fear God. I hope you do too.

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You Leftists
Posted by: ISlamIslam on Oct 16, 2006 3:29 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
You just can't stand it because you can't win elections with your crazy Hesperophobic rhetoric, so you whine that the country is going fascist and/or that voting machines are rigged. You're poor losers, all.

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» Say what? Posted by: maxpayne
» RE: You Leftists Posted by: Ian MacLeod
» What? Posted by: ISlamIslam
» RE: What? Posted by: mjabele
» RE: What? Posted by: JP2
» 9/11 conspiracy theorists Posted by: ISlamIslam
» My response - Part 1 Posted by: mjabele
» RE: My answer- Part 2! Posted by: JP2
» Conservasaurus, is that you? Posted by: LDavistrueblue
» rev Posted by: LDavistrueblue
» Not bitter, simply truthful Posted by: ISlamIslam
just painting what you hate with the broad brush of fascism
Posted by: gerdhansel on Oct 16, 2006 8:40 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Let me get this straight.

Masculinity equals fascism.
Faith in God equals fascism. Devout Christians, Muslims and Jews, you're all closet fascists.
All good soldiers are fascists, or else combat will soon turn them all into fascists.
All white males are genetically hard-wired to be fascists. Only women, gays and nonwhites are immune to this deadly disease.

Gee, I thought fascism was an unholy alliance between corporations and one-party totalitarian government. Dopey me.

So Tim McVeigh blew up the Murrah Building because he was a white guy who grew up in a strict Catholic home and found his masculinity threatened by gays, blacks and pushy women who wouldn't put out.

And here I thought he was just a fed-hating nut case. Dopey me.

Thanks for helping me be a better self-hating white guy, and have a nice day dude.

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» good to see another intact male here Posted by: LDavistrueblue
A different generation
Posted by: Edward George on Oct 16, 2006 9:54 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I'm one of those rediculous "greatest generation." This essay covers so much excited disjointed ground it leaves me floundering, as I so often am while trying to listen to young people as they do a pefect immitation of Chip and Dale. Sometimes I say with an exaggerated drawl, "Youall talk Nawthurn and I listen Suthrun." It never works. They just don't hear my pleas to slow down. It surely would be nice if he used all this to synthesize a clearly and simply stated proposal for what he thinks should done then organize the rest to support the proposal. Right now it's sounding like he's proposing either mass murder, mass suicide or a combination.

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» What Stan Goff proposes.... Posted by: LeftWright
2 comments: top-down violence, feminists weaken Democrat chances
Posted by: LDavistrueblue on Oct 16, 2006 12:49 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Mr. Goff's article is fantastically detailed in its pursuit of cause and effect. Violence initiated by nat'l leadership teaches schoolkids to look at this approach as normal, with predictable results. This outlook also convinces small nations their only path to safety is the development of nuclear weapons; again predictable. In many venues, the emphasis by this author on the excesses of white-male control of events would be a welcome reminder. But, in recent months, feminist domination of Alternet is detracting from attempts to portray Democrat leaders as manly (for a change) before the election. This is a huge strategic mistake.

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» Same goals Posted by: Donna_Darko
Fascism? We're not enough of a threat
Posted by: SteveB on Oct 16, 2006 3:50 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Economic elites throw their weight behind a fascist movement when they think their money and privileges are being threatened. 1930's Germany had a powerful labor movement and Communist party that posed a real threat to the monied classes, so rich Germans bankrolled Hitler and brought him to power.

So how about today? What kind of threat do we pose? The threat of replacing Joe Lieberman with Ned Lamont? Of replacing Bill Frist with Harry Reid?

Why would they bother?

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Kinsey could have explained all this
Posted by: SteveB on Oct 17, 2006 7:01 AM   
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One of sex researcher Alfred Kinsey's most important insights was that it didn't make sense to talk of people being "heterosexual" or "homosexual" because we are all a combination of heterosexual and homosexual tendencies, and exist somewhere on a continuum between the two.

Whatever the value of this idea for understanding human sexuality, it's a useful idea for the current discussion.

It makes no sense to talk of the U.S. as a "fascist state", just as it makes no sense talking of the U.S. as a "democracy."

Our society, and all societies, is a mixture of fascist and democratic tendencies. What Stan Goff is trying to do here is to identify those fascist tendencies, so we can more effectively fight them. And fight them we can, because our society also has strong democratic tendencies (when will someone at Alternet write THAT article?).

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» At last! Posted by: mjabele
great stuff, Stan
Posted by: DaBear on Oct 17, 2006 5:05 PM   
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David Neiwert at Orcinus has a lot of good stuff on American fascism too:

http://dneiwert.blogspot.com

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Is this an invasion...
Posted by: Ian MacLeod on Oct 17, 2006 6:37 PM   
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...from Trollheim or something? I don't think I've ever seen so many trolls in one comments sections before. Trouble is, it's hard to tell a troll sometimes from a braindead right-winger.

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» RE: Is this an invasion... Posted by: mjabele
» Fear of women Posted by: Donna_Darko
It's nice to want things
Posted by: ISlamIslam on Oct 18, 2006 3:45 AM   
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But "if" is for children, or maybe silly women. Men aren't going to disappear, much less voluntarily step back and let the "weak" lead, and as noted above, the women who would step in would likely not be weak. While you're blaming men for all of the world's woes, you can also thank them for the majority of its discoveries and inventions.

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» Bullshit rhetoric Posted by: nonwhiteperson
» That was me Posted by: Donna_Darko
» "Women have never been weak" Posted by: ISlamIslam
» RE: Bullshit rhetoric Posted by: ISlamIslam
» Define strength Posted by: Donna_Darko
» Define weakness Posted by: Donna_Darko
» Weakness or strength Posted by: ISlamIslam
» Masculinity Posted by: Donna_Darko
fear of becoming discovered
Posted by: mcat on Oct 19, 2006 5:35 AM   
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the average joe today does not sign up to fight terrorists. it's too risky. because of this, he buys his masculine prowess: purchases a humvee, shines his guns, has tatoos inked in obvious displays, shaves his head, bolts loud mufflers on his harley, wears combat boots, pushes grocery carts... oops.

the word sissy is the most feared word today. he wants to win a war but he doesn't want to fight it. look at hitler and benito, both tremendous cowards who had others fight for them. bush is like this, a coward clearing brush and fearing the "S" word.

mcat

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Remember Waco
Posted by: BurtonLT on Oct 19, 2006 3:15 PM   
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Timothy McViegh's bombing of the OK City federal building was a direct result of the US federal government massacring 100 or so people at Waco, Texas. There were also other things motivating McVeigh's actions, and the rise of the Militia movement in general, such as the militarization of law enforcement and suspension of much of the Constitution in the wake of the "war on drugs", etc.

It's interesting that many progressives (though not all) conveniently forget about all this. Perhaps it is because Bill Clinton was a Democrat, or Janet Reno a woman. So when the Clinton administration implemented a series of fascist actions, they are ignored. The precursor to the PATRIOT ACT was the Clinton-era Counterterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which undermined habeas corpus and gave the government extra-Constitutional surveillance powers. And let us not forget that under Clinton, the number of people in jail for mainly victimless crimes skyrocketed to some 2 million.

Far from being an act of fascism, McVeigh's action can be constituted as a popular strike against a growing fascist government.

It’s odd that progressives, while claiming to be anti-fascist, will defend the government in cases such as this.

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American Fascism? Fascism everywhere
Posted by: sapamm on Feb 5, 2007 9:16 AM   
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Stan. In many ways I share your background, having been in the the UKSF, and I got there through naivety thinking I was doing good for 'my country and the free world'. I'm sure you'll have known many of us, but something you might not be aware of given the cultural differences is that underneath the facade there's a strong right wing culture and since Thatcher/Reagan its got a lot worse. To even touch on socialist values is a non-no. I think you are generally spot on with your analysis, but its not just the US that's getting more fascist, its the whole Western world. BTW, I love your statement about economic growth being an oxymoron... capitalism or humanity. mac

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