"Because Americans like me were born in freedom, we have a hard time even considering that it is possible for us to become as unfree - domestically - as many other nations. Because we no longer learn much about our rights or our system of government - the task of being aware of the constitution has been outsourced from citizens' ownership to being the domain of professionals such as lawyers and professors - we scarcely recognise the checks and balances that the founders put in place, even as they are being systematically dismantled."
wow.
"I am arguing that we need also to look at the lessons of European and other kinds of fascism to understand the potential seriousness of the events we see unfolding in the US."
okay, let's look and consider. this author suggests there are 10 steps towards facism
1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
well, okay. done.
2. Create a gulag
yep. we have gitmo. and then we found out about the real hidden cia prisons in poland and whatnot.
3. Develop a thug caste
the author here points to the mercenaries, err "contractors" we use in iraq as well as "groups of angry young Republican men, dressed in identical shirts and trousers, menaced poll workers counting the votes in Florida in 2000." i'm not as convinced that these two groups equate w/the blackshirts in facist italy or the brownshirts in germany. but, i do think that we are employing mercenaries of companies like blackwater. and, i strongly oppose the idea that they should be immune from prosecution should they do illegal & immoral things (which bush has proposed).
4. Set up an internal surveillance system
well, the gov't says they're only listening to you if you're talking to terrorists. so, we know they're listening. but we don't really know how much.
5. Harass citizens' groups
yep. peace fresno gained some national attention when it was discovered that they had been infiltrated by the local police.
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release
i remember reading stories about "arabs" being detained after 9/11. the author points to the "no fly" lists, something i don't immediately associate w/detaining. but, i do think you're often being arbitrarily denied or at least harassed.
7. Target key individuals
there's been pressure here. the author also links the recent lawyer firings to this. i'm not so sure that it's the same.
8. Control the press
well, this is happening @ least in parts. one example is the pentagon denying the right to show photos of coffins returning from iraq. there's a journalist in sf in jail for refusing to turn over video of an antiwar demonstration.
9. Dissent equals treason
how cow. i've heard this tons of time. i've had it said to me (although not using them thar fancy words.) i've had students tell me this and they can't see any possible way why it wouldn't be true. the author points out another aspect that continues to frighten me, "when Congress wrongly, foolishly, passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 - the president has the power to call any US citizen an "enemy combatant". He has the power to define what "enemy combatant" means. The president can also delegate to anyone he chooses in the executive branch the right to define "enemy combatant" any way he or she wants and then seize Americans accordingly."
10. Suspend the rule of law
"the president may now use military troops as a domestic police force in response to a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, terrorist attack or any 'other condition'." this is a change in policy, and some say it even violates the constitution.
so, by just looking @ this article, the author, in my opinion, had pretty good footing for 8 of the 10. and the shaky 2 aren't that far off. the author continues by saying,
"Of course, the United States is not vulnerable to the violent, total closing-down of the system that followed Mussolini's march on Rome or Hitler's roundup of political prisoners. Our democratic habits are too resilient, and our military and judiciary too independent, for any kind of scenario like that.
Rather, as other critics are noting, our experiment in democracy could be closed down by a process of erosion."
see, i'm not all that convinced that it couldn't also happen the first way. it's definitely happening the latter way already, but i don't think that means the former won't as well.
5 comments:
Mmm... Now we're talking about something that I am pretty passionate about. I haven't read the linked article yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to it. I guess I'm just glad that I'm not the only one in our group of friends that considers this sort of thing issue. Frankly, I am truly frightened by the direction our government is headed and the general support that it has gotten in eroding our liberties in the name of protecting us.
You may or may not know, but I'm pretty libertarian, and rather fiercely defensive of individual liberty (as well as individual responsibility) and very much aligned with what I understand as fundamental revolutionary american values. It IS patriotic to challenge our government. Liberty IS a fundamental national value and essential to our health as a nation that values the people over government. Don't get me started, I'll save it for my own blog. ;-)
Just a tasty tidbit to leave with, I sort of like collecting quotes. This one is courtesy of Hermann Goering, Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, Hitler's designated successor and second in command of the Third Reich.
"Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to greater danger. It works the same in any country."
See any parallels? There is nothing new under the sun.
hey, feel free to spout it all here, too. i understand libertarian perspective, although i don't necessarily agree with it all. i do think that we all need to be more personally responsible, but i also think that government should also have a role of serving as well as representing the people.
i'm for public service like roads, fire protection, and so on. i'll even concede the need for police. i'm also interested in finding ways to provide health care and basic human services in a more equitable way than our current capitalistic system. i'm not sure i'd go as far as a total, universal system, but i do think we should be doing something.
but, yes, i do think a lot about how our gov't has changed. i wouldn't be surprised to see adam, steve and chris chime in here, too. there's some other friends that may as well, but i don't always know who reads me.
i just can't believe how many of our basic american freedoms have been hedged or eliminated over the last 7 years. and i'm not being some democrat hack and blaming the repubs. i do think that there are groups out there that are power hungry and capitalizing on situations and people. and those we've elected to represent us have handed them the keys to the empire. and they aren't even trying to get the keys back.
really, how the heck does congress keep passing all of these laws that chip away @ the constitution? we can't just blame bush. or the repubs. it's not like the patriot act passed by one or two votes. the defense act that allows the government to consider us all enemy combatents passed unanimously in the senate, and 398 yes, 23 no, 12 not present/voting in the house. (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-5122). it was a part of the defense budget, but still. they all approved it.
I definitely agree that our nation is slipping.
The thing is this. Can we hold ourselves together long enough to get some younger, disgruntled members in government that aren't looking to be elected with motives like self-interest? The old guard is still strong.
And, at least, the current administration has made it clear they're not interested in the desires of the people. Will we be able to find someone who is?
Some books (recent and otherwise) that are germane to this topic:
It Can Happen Here: Authoritarian Peril in the Age of Bush by Joe Conason
That title is, of course, a response to:
It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis, which was written in the 1930s
I often quote Sinclair Lewis who said, "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross."
Which reminds me of this recent book:
American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War On America by Chris Hedges
which is about our American Taliban and Ayatollah Dobson. How many Christians would be totally content to let a theocratic fascist state replace our constitutional government? Judging by the response (or lack thereof) by mainstream churches to events in the last 5 years, I'd say most of them would be pretty pleased with it.
So the question is, what are you and I going to do about it?
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