GT— Tom Delay/The Heritage Foundation wrote/printed/distributed a booklet to thousands of GOP activists around the country with the stated mission: “We are not going to debate liberals, we are going to use Stalinist tactics to wipe them off the face of this earth.” Obviously you are not paying attention because 1) GWB’s Grandfather Prescott Bush helped fund Hitler’s rise and had his bank seized by the Government under the Trading with the Enemy Act. The only reason he wasn’t prosecuted is that we were in WWII and there was too much of a drain on government resources. 2) The definition of fascism is any government owned/controlled/directed by private concerns. Our government is directed by the oil/multinationals/military contractors. 3) Here are the 14 points of Fascism—- written in 2004 by Dr. Laurence Britt, a political scientist. Dr. Britt studied the fascist regimes of: Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile). 4) The whole world refers to Bush as Hitler and Karl Rove takes his playbook directly from Hitler propagandist, (see the post following this which shows Gobbels propaganda blueprint that is used to the letter by Rove. 5) In an MSNBC poll asking who is the worst vilian, OBL, Saddam, King Jong II, the Prez of Iran, GWB, or Satan…..Bush FAR AND AWAY won the poll as the worst villian in the world…he far outpolled Satan. 14 POINTS OF FASCISM 1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism From the prominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regime itself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always obvious. Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia. 2. Disdain for the importance of human rights The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation. 3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause The most significant common thread among these regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people’s attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions. The methods of choice—relentless propaganda and disinformation—were usually effective. Often the regimes would incite “spontaneous” acts against the target scapegoats, usually communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and “terrorists.” Active opponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly. 4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructure that supported it. A disproportionate share of national resources was allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. The military was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite. 5. Rampant sexism Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and the national culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably viewed women as second-class citizens. They were adamantly anti-abortion and also homophobic. These attitudes were usually codified in Draconian laws that enjoyed strong support by the orthodox religion of the country, thus lending the regime cover for its abuses. 6. A controlled mass media Under some of the regimes, the mass media were under strict direct control and could be relied upon never to stray from the party line. Other regimes exercised more subtle power to ensure media orthodoxy. Methods included the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the power elite. The result was usually success in keeping the general public unaware of the regimes’ excesses. 7. Obsession with national security Inevitably, a national security apparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting “national security,” and questioning its activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous. 8. Religion and ruling elite tied together Unlike communist regimes, the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless by their opponents. In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elite’s behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the “godless.” A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion. 9. Power of corporations protected Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of “have-not” citizens. 10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated Since organized labor was seen as the one power center that could challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate allies, it was inevitably crushed or made powerless. The poor formed an underclass, viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some regimes, being poor was considered akin to a vice. 11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them were anathema to these regimes. Intellectual and academic freedom were considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal. Universities were tightly controlled; politically unreliable faculty harassed or eliminated. Unorthodox ideas or expressions of dissent were strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed. To these regimes, art and literature should serve the national interest or they had no right to exist. 12. Obsession with crime and punishment Most of these regimes maintained Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prison populations. The police were often glorified and had almost unchecked power, leading to rampant abuse. “Normal” and political crime were often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used against political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of criminals or “traitors” was often promoted among the population as an excuse for more police power. 13. Rampant cronyism and corruption Those in business circles and close to the power elite often used their position to enrich themselves. This corruption worked both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism. Members of the power elite were in a position to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources. With the national security apparatus under control and the media muzzled, this corruption was largely unconstrained and not well understood by the general population. 14. Fraudulent elections Elections in the form of plebiscites or public opinion polls were usually bogus. When actual elections with candidates were held, they would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the desired result. Common methods included maintaining control of the election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite. _________ Joseph Goebbels: The Karl Rove of Nazi Germany “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” – Joseph Goebbels By exploiting emotions and by employing all modern methods of propaganda Goebbels helped Hitler into power. Goebbels’ Principles of Propaganda: Propagandist must have access to intelligence concerning events and public opinion, must be planned and executed by only one authority. [Herr Rove], must explain propaganda directives to important officials. [Fox News receives its talking points directly from the GOP and repeats the same thing over and over 24/7 through the news cycle, ditto Rush, Coulter, Savage, etc.] Must be transmitted through an attention-getting communications medium, facilitated by leaders with prestige, carefully timed, ahead of competing propaganda, theme must be repeated, must label events and people with distinctive phrases or slogans, must create an optimum anxiety level, must reinforce anxiety concerning the consequences of defeat, specifying the target for hatred. Further GT “What we are” ? “We” are not a monolithe. “There is nothing at all even close to Nazi and Hitler in the Republican party” alot of people think otherwise. Gitmo? Abu Grahib? Illegally invading another country? Backdoor draft with multiple tours of duty? Spying on citizens? Long list.

GT: What a laugh! What a monumental hoot!

GT: Adolf Hilter was born in Austria, but when he died he died a German. Why else would he constantly shriek “Deutschland uber alles!” I might be mistaken and perhaps he didn’t legally change his citizenship, but for all intents and purposes, HELLO! I’ve said this in other threads. Passion causes good people to say crazy things. I see you refer to Governor Palin as “Sarah”. Do you know her? I was raised to use the first names of people I knew only. I think it’s a little chummy to refer to her by her first name, but then, come to think of it, a lot of people call Senator Clinton “Hillary”. Do you notice that no one ever says “John” (McCain) or “George” (the Prez)? I think there’s some sexism going on there. But I said I was going to say the GSP word anymore. (Governer Sarah Palin).

Did you hear the Craig Ferguson monologue afterward? It was fantastic. Here it is in 2 videos, you have to scroll down for the second: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/11/11651/5961/422/594525

Sandi, I found your analogy quite witty. Princess Di what a lovely classy woman, I always admired the way she protected her boys as best she could considering the position she was in and the ins and outs of the monarchy. Sure Princess Di had her flaws but in my book she was a far more enchanting subject than our vp pick. People really related to her and found her to be empathetic, to me she was someone who brought out the best in people. She certainly did upstage her husband and the rest of the family.

Sarah Palin is the human version of that phrase in the Wizard of Oz, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” It’s all smoke, mirrors and distraction… it’s all they have. I see you John McCain you can’t hide behind that curtain!

Wow, you go Linda Mason!