Tag: fascism

An Orwellian America

The following post is a good example of where this country is heading. I do not bash both the left and the right for no reason. I want freedom for everyone, individual liberty is my ultimate goal. Please take time to read through the following material and study the graphs.

An Orwellian America

Zero Hedge – by Gordon T. Long

As a young man, I voraciously read George Orwell’s “1984”,  Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and Alvin Toffler’s trilogy which included “Future Shock”‘, “The Third Wave” and “Power Shift”. During the era of the Vietnam War, I wondered seriously about the future and how it was destined to unfold. Now being considerably older, I have the vantage point to reflect back on my early ruminations and expectations. Unfortunately, I am too old to alter the lessons that are now so painfully obvious. Instead, I pass the gauntlet to those who can understand and take action on what I have unavoidably come to expect for America.

A FRAMEWORK OF UNDERSTANDING

THE ‘HUXLEY-ORWELL’ TRANSITION

I recently read a perceptive paper by Chris Hedges that would have made any English Professor envious, powerfully philosophical but not something an Economics department would pay much attention to. I found it both intriguing and enlightening.

I have borrowed so heavily from it, that I am unsure where the lines diverge. Therefore, below I give full credit to Chris Hedges and take full credit for all the bad ideas.

Chris Hedges of TruthDig.com wrote 2011: A Brave New Dystopia, from which the following evolved.

The two greatest visions of a future dystopia were George Orwell’s “1984” and Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World.” The debate, between those who watched our descent towards corporate totalitarianism, was who was right. Would we be, as Orwell wrote, dominated by a repressive surveillance and security state that used crude and violent forms of control? Or would we be, as Huxley envisioned, entranced by entertainment and spectacle, captivated by technology and seduced by profligate consumption to embrace our own oppression? It turns out Orwell and Huxley were both right. Huxley saw the first stage of our enslavement. Orwell saw the second.

We have been gradually disempowered by a corporate state that, as Huxley foresaw, seduced and manipulated us through:

•    Sensual gratification,
•    Cheap mass-produced goods,
•    Boundless credit,
•    Political theater and
•    Amusement.

While we were entertained,

•    The regulations that once kept predatory corporate power in check were dismantled,
•    The laws that once protected us were rewritten and
•    We were impoverished.

Now that:

•    Credit is drying up,
•    Good jobs for the working class are gone forever and
•    Mass-produced goods are unaffordable,

…. we find ourselves transported from “Brave New World” to “1984.”

The state, crippled by massive deficits, endless war and corporate malfeasance, is clearly sliding toward unavoidable bankruptcy.

It is time for Big Brother to take over from Huxley’s feelies, the orgy-porgy and the centrifugal bumble-puppy.

We are transitioning from a society where we are skillfully manipulated by lies and illusions to one where we are overtly controlled.

Huxley, we are discovering, was merely the prelude to Orwell.

Now that the corporate coup is over, we stand naked and defenseless. We are beginning to understand, as Karl Marx knew:

Unfettered and unregulated capitalism is a brutal and revolutionary force that exploits human beings and the natural world until exhaustion or collapse.

UNSOUND MONEY LEADS TO STATISM

With this as a backdrop let’s explore how Unsound Money in concert with the Huxley-Orwell Transition leads to Statism, the path which I believe we are presently on.

THE CATALYSTS BEHIND THE “TRANSITION”

1- UNSOUND MONEY

•    Removal from Gold Standard and adoption of Fiat Currency regime (in August 1971 during the winding down of the Vietnam War; the first War ever fought without tax increases to pay for it; the beginning of endless ‘conflicts’ and the War on “Terror”).
•    Creation and Fostering of a $67 Trillion Shadow Banking Credit Growth,
•    Massive Securitization & Off Balance Sheet Contingent Liability Debt Growth.

2- POLICY FAILURES

•    Failed Monetary Policy & Monetary Malpractice,
•    Moral Malady,
•    Failed Fiscal Policy,
•    Failed Public Policy,
•    Growth of Political Polarization,
•    Entrenched ‘Left-Right’ Factions,
•    An Un-Governable Democracy.

3- CRISIS OF TRUST

•    Lost Respect & Confidence
•    A Doomed Middle Class
•    A Broken Social Contract

4- AUTHORITARIAN ACCEPTANCE

•    Central Planning
•    Growth in Regulations & Control
•    Crony Capitalism & Corporatocracy
•    Big Government
•    The Huxley – Orwell Transition

CRUMBLING BARRIERS

•    The Great Huxley-Orwell Transition
•    From Manipulative to Repressive

ROADBLOCKS
•    Financial Security through Sound Money            REMOVED
•    Reduced Personal Freedoms through a Crisis         PENDING
•    Reduced Personal Security through a Constitutional Crisis    FUTURE

DRIVERS
•    Globalization & Complexity
o    Fragile versus Robust Systems
o    Interconnectivity and Counter Party Dependency

•    The Productivity Paradox
o    Creative Destruction & Job Creation

Let’s shift gears and consider what “greases the skids” in enabling this transition in our society to occur.

COLLECTIVISM

In The Road to Serfdom, F.A. Hayek showed how governments, supported by a collectivist mindset, always tend towards totalitarianism. Even the most libertarian government thus far created, the government of the United States, has slipped incrementally towards totalitarianism over the past two centuries. This is because it is an inherent trait of a government.

The degree of socialism in the United States increased substantially after the establishment of the Federal Reserve System (1913) and the measures taken during the Great Depression (1929-46) which it created. Ever since the early 1900′s the United States has had a two-party system dominated by ‘socialists’. The Republican Party has always advocated conservative socialism. The Democratic Party, which in the 19th century favored libertarianism, advocates social-democratic socialism. So long as people are divided by Left and Right, Democratic and Republican, the US is prone to being influenced by factions who transcend party politics and from behind the scenes could possible exert strong control over the United States. They could do this by maintaining power over public opinion and hence over the course of government. Steadily, the United States has been travelling down the road to totalitarianism, and many people have not noticed, possibly because they are only looking at the position on the Left-Right paradigm.

Upon further analysis, it is clear that Left, Right and Centre, are all forms of socialism. In particular, we may call them “social-democratic socialism” (the Left) and “conservative socialism” (the Right). They are both socialism because they both share the principle that the government should “run” and “mold” society, by using legal force and intervention to transfer property and personal wealth as part of the political scientists’ process of ‘redistribution of wealth’.

The differences are only in the particular ways the government should run society – the methods it should use, and who, exactly, should be the recipients of government wealth transfers and who should pay. In particular:
•    Social democrats tend to prefer heavy taxation, large wealth transfers to the poor, and nationalized industries, and oppose price controls, regulations and behavioral controls.
•    Conservatives tend to prefer lower taxation, a smaller welfare state, regulated (cartelized) industries, price controls, product  and behavioral controls.

Nolan Charts: Personal Freedom versus Economic Freedom

The modern Republican Party is Center-Right on the Left-Right paradigm. As with the Democratic Party, this obscures the huge range of views Republicans hold on how powerful and how much control the State should be allowed. Their 2008 presidential nominee John McCain, like Barack Obama, strongly favored socialism, though with a Right-wing flavor. Barack Obama (blue circle) and John McCain (red circle) are positioned in the accompanying graphic. Thus, the two main candidates at the 2008 Presidential election represented a false choice – really no choice at all. One candidate, Ron Paul (yellow circle), stood in stark contrast to the candidates, favored by the mainstream media and political establishment. As would be expected, he was neutralized by the mainstream media outlets as a zealot with an unsound political view of America.

THE POLITICAL CONTINUUM

THE EMERGING ROADMAP TO STATISM

Let me now develop and explore the roadmap that outlines the path leading from Policy Failures and Monetary Malpractice, stemming from Unsound Money, to STATISM.
First we will build the outline for the basis of a roadmap on a number of observable continuums.

The more complex that issues become, the more collectivism will dominate and individual needs will be repressed. In turn governments will be forced to be more repressive to maintain control over increasing polarization and diverse views and opinions.

EVOLVING STAGES
When we arrange our various continuums we arrive at the representative grid model shown below.

We will quickly acknowledge it is not ideal, but it allows many concepts currently at play to be shown in relationship to others.

This grid is best described as the social forces at play within Globalization – Financial, Economic and Political.

DRIVER$ – VISIBLE & INVISIBLE
There are both visible and less visible forces at play that are forcing ‘greasing’ the skids in the movement towards Statism.

The roadmap integrates well into our roadmap from our THESIS 2011: Beggar-Thy-Neighbor / Currency Wars and2012 Thesis: Financial Repression papers. ()

ORWELL’S 1984 IS HAPPENING

We are one crisis away from a police state. All the powers are in place. Someone will flip the switch. Whether a Cyber Attack, escalating Currency War tensions or a ‘terrorist’ attack by indebted college youth, it is only a matter of time and circumstance.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-03-15/orwellian-america

Fascism is already here

I watched an interview with Jessie Ventura earlier about fascism on our doorstep, which reiterated my point of view from earlier last year that the US has slipped into fascism.

Please watch this documentary, and realize that both political parties are to blame, and that the federal government now enforces a merging of corporations and the state, instead of our fundamental freedoms and rights.

The fight back comes with knowledge and know how. Watch these documentaries, read blogs, read your constitution, and join groups and organizations that share your concerns. We will restore this nation one brick at a time.

liberty 2

Statism is dead

Here is a great series of videos from True News, on the philosophy of statism. There is a lot of great information packed into these videos. The videos talk about war, fiat currency, fascism, socialism, money, big government, spending, terrorism and human farms. There is a great deal of explanation that goes into these videos, with plenty of information to back up the arguments. It will take a while to watch them all; so grab a drink and a pen to jot down notes!

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

One of my favorite line’s was in part 5 when the narrator called taxation a form of terrorism.

I particularly liked the last three videos, and found them quite incite-full. How about you? What did you learn from the videos? What is your take on statism?

The justification for war and a lesson in critical thinking

It is always important to keep an open mind and explore new ideas. In a world full of nuclear weapons, perhaps it is time to tryout a nonintervention approach when dealing with foreign policy.

Here is a great speech by Howard Zinn, which questions the wisdom of going to war:

Critical thinking is essential for a society to move forward, and it is desperately needed in a time when a country is collapsing in upon itself.

“when it comes to war the means are horrible and the ends are uncertain” – Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922 – January 27, 2010) was an American academic historian, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People’s History of the United States.[2] He wrote extensively about the civil rights and anti-war movements, as well as of the labor history of the United States. His memoir, You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train, was also the title of a 2004 documentary about Zinn’s life and work.

Eager to fight fascism, Zinn joined the Army Air Force during World War II and was assigned as a bombardier in the 490th Bombardment Group,[6] bombing targets in Berlin, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary.[7] A U.S. bombardier in April 1945, Zinn dropped napalm bombs on Royan, a seaside resort in southwestern France.[8] The anti-war stance Zinn developed later was informed, in part, by his experiences.

I don’t agree with Howard on everything, indeed some of his ideas are socialist in nature, but I do like his critical thinking.

Critical thinking is important, especially when the subject of war comes up. Wars are almost always based on lies, and the outcomes are not always as desired.

Critical thinking means looking for more information to fill in the gaps, instead of just seeing everything as black and white.

This picture presents a false dichotomy, because the ‘only other option’ currently being presented is Mitt Romney, who I have explained before is the same as Obama on almost every level.

Certainly it would be a move forward if he is replaced with a constitutional minded president, but not if he is replaced with someone like mitt Romney who is essentially the same in his beliefs.

Sites such as www.arewesafer.com represent a real problem in this country. This site presents another false dichotomy. Why do we want to feel ‘safer’ when safer really means less free. Should we bomb another country to make ourselves feel better about ourselves? Are they actually a threat to begin with?Or are they just being attacked so that a select few can make more money through the sale of oil, weapons and bloodshed?

I have seen many friends and family get caught up in the fascist mantra of blind nationalism in their fight against Obama and socialism. While I despise socialism, I know that neither collectivist concept will do us any good, and so I find myself in battles on both sides to get them to see reason.

We live in a world that is waking up to new ideas, and is slowly discovering that capitalism does work, but that it is still held back by corruption.

Always keep an open mind to something new, and check your premise. You might be pleasantly surprised with what you find out.

Critical thinking paves the way for the future because it is unbiased, and deals with the facts, and not just propaganda. Always do you own research and use your mind.

 

With critical thinking at the helm of governments instead of looters, perhaps we can avoid mindless wars altogether.

Insurance and fascism

Insurance and fascism are currently linked by government coercion.

From the time I learnt to drive, to the present day, I have never been in a wreck or needed to ‘claim my insurance’, and nor has my wife. And yet, between the two of us, we have paid a combined $8000 over the last four and a half years between all our vehicles. If I had not been forced by the state to buy insurance, I could have re-invested that money, or bought a whole new car by now. Why should I have to pay for other people’s reckless driving habits? I have driven in snow storms and on sheets of ice, and I’ve always maintained my cool. If I crash into someone else’s car, that is my fault, and I should have to pay for damages. But I should not be forced to put money into an insurance program ‘to save myself financial ruin’ at some later point in life. All the while, I’m being strapped down in the present by overbearing insurance costs.

The same applies to healthcare. Why should I have to buy healthcare? Is my health not my own? Who says I am property of the state? Who said I am a burden to the state? It is not up to government to take care of me. If I get sick, I should pay for it myself. If I cannot afford the care, I can make a payment plan with the hospital.

Since the intrusion of government into hospitals and healthcare, costs have only gone up, service has gone down, and people are unable to pay for their own healthcare unless they get insurance. But now insurance has become too expensive, and people can’t afford that, so now we are to be forced to pay for healthcare that we cannot afford. Where does it end?

Does this mean that it is more important for me to finance a healthcare corporation to save me from myself, than to put food on my table to maintain my very existence?

Think about it. If you’re forced to buy insurance, whether for health or auto, or anything, doesn’t it take away from your immediate concerns, such as eating a meal or repairing your property. We have now reached the top of the curve, and the very insurance which was supposed to save us sometime in the future from financial ruin, is now too expensive to buy to begin with, and now that it is mandated, the costs are ever higher, and out of reach. Financially, we are drawn and quartered, before we are even able to pay for our very survival through simple things such as food and shelter.

Fascist systems such as this do not last. Eventually they collapse in on themselves, or the state takes over completely. Either way the end is misery, through famine or bloodshed. The notion of forced compliance, especially with ideas of safety, or saving you from yourself, should be rejected entirely.

Forced insurance is a fascist idea.

Fascism is the merging of corporations with the state. All over the US we see that today.

This article displays many facts about fascism:

Fascism Anyone?

Fascism’s principles are wafting in the air today, surreptitiously masquerading as something else, challenging everything we stand for.

 By Laurence W. Britt

 The cliché that people and nations learn from history is not only overused, but also overestimated; often we fail to learn from history, or draw the wrong conclusions. Sadly, historical amnesia is the norm.

 We are two-and-a-half generations removed from the horrors of Nazi Germany, although constant reminders jog the consciousness. German and Italian fascism form the historical models that define this twisted political worldview. Although they no longer exist, this worldview and the characteristics of these models have been imitated by protofascist1 regimes at various times in the twentieth century. Both the original German and Italian models and the later protofascist regimes show remarkably similar characteristics. Although many scholars question any direct connection among these regimes, few can dispute their visual similarities.

 Beyond the visual, even a cursory study of these fascist and protofascist regimes reveals the absolutely striking convergence of their modus operandi. This, of course, is not a revelation to the informed political observer, but it is sometimes useful in the interests of perspective to restate obvious facts and in so doing shed needed light on current circumstances.

 For the purpose of this perspective, I will consider the following regimes: Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Franco’s Spain, Salazar’s Portugal, Papadopoulos’s Greece, Pinochet’s Chile, and Suharto’s Indonesia. To be sure, they constitute a mixed bag of national identities, cultures, developmental levels, and history. But they all followed the fascist or protofascist model in obtaining, expanding, and maintaining power. Further, all these regimes have been overthrown, so a more or less complete picture of their basic characteristics and abuses is possible.

 Analysis of these seven regimes reveals fourteen common threads that link them in recognizable patterns of national behavior and abuse of power. These basic characteristics are more prevalent and intense in some regimes than in others, but they all share at least some level of similarity.

    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 forfailures, 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 an disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite.

 Does any of this ring alarm bells? Of course not. After all, this is America, officially a democracy with the rule of law, a constitution, a free press, honest elections, and a well-informed public constantly being put on guard against evils. Historical comparisons like these are just exercises in verbal gymnastics. Maybe, maybe not.
 

“When facism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the American flag.”  – Huey Long

The shocking truth is, that much of this has become true in America today:

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism.

USA! USA! USA! ‘Isn’t this a great country?’, ‘if you’re not with us, you’re against us’ and many other slogans, are passed around like candy in today’s society.

2. Disdain for the importance of human rights.

Guantanamo Bay? The NDAA act?

3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause.

Terrorists! Extremist Muslims! Need I name more?

4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism.

Support the troops! I found a site the other day that said ‘if you’re not prepared to stand behind the troops, feel free to stand in front of them’. We hear all the time that the troops are heroes, and where that may be true in certain wars, and in protecting the country, our troops are currently used to protect ‘our oil’ in the middle east, and work for ‘the elite’ and their ‘special interests’.

5. Rampant sexism.

The debate still goes on for womens rights, even though they are equal to men’s in this country, and lets not get started on the gay marriage debate!

6. A controlled mass media.

I’ve written about this before, the media is completely controlled and bias.

7. Obsession with national security.

OK, let’s see; Homeland security, the TSA, grouping at airports, naked body scanners, need I say more?

8. Religion and ruling elite tied together.

Yes, this is happening too, just look at nutty candidates like Rick Santorum and Michele backman. And what about our wars in the middle east and our love affair with Israel.

9. Power of corporations protected.

‘Corporations are people my friend’ – Mitt Romney

10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated.

I don’t agree with labor unions, but they are being supressed, so I suppose it’s true.

11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts.

When was the last time you saw an intellectual debate on TV? When was the last time you heard about philosophies or becoming a better world? Not sure about the arts though.

12. Obsession with crime and punishment.

The United States has the largest prison population on the planet!

13. Rampant cronyism and corruption.

Bailouts anyone?

14. Fraudulent elections.

2000 elections? No? Well what about all the lawsuits from the Ron Paul camp, because of election fixing by corrupt GOP members trying to get Romney elected. Oh you didn’t hear about the delegates in Maine a couple days ago?

Is this not absolutely shocking to you? I find it down right scary.

It’s the Corporate State, Stupid

“Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.” – Benito Mussolini. 

David G. Mills

11/10/04 “ICH” — The early twentieth century Italians, who invented the word fascism, also had a more descriptive term for the concept — estato corporativo: the corporatist state. Unfortunately for Americans, we have come to equate fascism with its symptoms, not with its structure. The structure of fascism is corporatism, or the corporate state. The structure of fascism is the union, marriage, merger or fusion of corporate economic power with governmental power. Failing to understand fascism, as the consolidation of corporate economic and governmental power in the hands of a few, is to completely misunderstand what fascism is. It is the consolidation of this power that produces the demagogues and regimes we understand as fascist ones.

While we Americans have been trained to keenly identify the opposite of fascism, i.e., government intrusion into and usurpation of private enterprise, we have not been trained to identify the usurpation of government by private enterprise. Our European cousins, on the other hand, having lived with Fascism in several European countries during the last century, know it when they see it, and looking over here, they are ringing the alarm bells. We need to learn how to recognize Fascism now. 

Dr. Lawrence Britt has written an excellent article entitled “The 14 Defining Characteristics of Fascism.” An Internet search of the number 14 coupled with the word fascism will produce the original article as well as many annotations on each of the 14 characteristics of fascism that he describes. His article is a must read to help get a handle on the symptoms that corporatism produces. 

But even Britt’s excellent article misses the importance of Mussolini’s point. The concept of corporatism is number nine on Britt’s list and unfortunately titled: “Corporate Power is Protected.” In the view of Mussolini, the concept of corporatism should have been number one on the list and should have been more aptly titled the “Merger of Corporate Power and State Power.” Even Britt failed to see the merger of corporate and state power as the primary cause of most of these other characteristics. It is only when one begins to view fascism as the merger of corporate power and state power that it is easy to see how most of the other thirteen characteristics Britt describes are produced. Seen this way, these other characteristics no longer become disjointed abstractions. Cause and effect is evident. 

For example, number two on Britt’s list is titled: “Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights.” Individual rights and corporate rights, at the very least conflict, and often are in downright opposition to one another. In the court system, often individuals must sue corporations. In America, in order to protect corporations, we have seen a steady stream of rules, decisions and laws to protect corporations and to limit the rights of the individual by lawsuit and other redress. These rules, decisions, and laws have always been justified on the basis of the need for corporations to have profit in order to exist. 

Number three on Britt’s list is the identification of scapegoats or enemies as a unifying cause. Often the government itself becomes the scapegoat when the government is the regulator of the corporations. Often it is lawyers or administrators who take on the corporations. Often it is liberals who champion the rights of individuals, or terrorists who might threaten state stability or corporate profit. Any or all may become scapegoats for the state’s problems because they pose problems for corporations. 

Other notable characteristics of fascism described by Britt which are directly produced by corporatism are: 

< The suppression of organized labor (organized labor is the bane of corporations and the only real check on corporate power other than government or the legal system);

< Supremacy of the military (it is necessary to produce and protect corporate profits abroad and threats from abroad); 

< Cronyism and governmental corruption (it is very beneficial to have ex-corporate employees run the agencies or make the laws that are supposed to regulate or check corporations);

< Fraudulent elections (especially those where corporations run the machinery of elections and count the votes or where judges decide their outcomes); 

< Nationalism (disdain for other countries that might promote individual rights);

< Obsession with national security (anti-corporatists are a security risk to the corporate status quo); 

< Control of the media (propaganda works);

< Obsession with crime and punishment (anti-corporatists belong in jail); and 

< Disdain for intellectuals and the arts (these people see corporatism for what it is and are highly individualistic). 

All of these characteristics have a fairly obvious corporate component to them or produce a fairly obvious corporate benefit. Even Britt’s last two characteristics, the merger of state with the dominant religion and rampant suppression of divorce, abortion and homosexuality produce at least some indirect corporate benefit. 

In sum, it’s the corporate state, stupid. 

As I have pondered what could be done about America’s steady march toward the fascist state, I also have pondered what can be done internally to stop it. The Germans couldn’t seem to do it. The Italians couldn’t seem to do it. The only lesson from recent history where an indigenous people seemed to have uncoupled the merger of economic power with governmental power is the French Revolution. The soft underbelly of consolidated economic power is that the power resides in the hands of a few. Cut off the money supply of the few and the merger between economic power and government becomes unglued. The French systematically took out their aristocracy one by one. It was ugly; the French couldn’t seem to figure out when there had been enough bloodletting to solve the problem. 

The thought of an American twenty-first century French Revolution is ugly. But the thought of an American twenty-first century fascist state is far uglier. It would be a supreme irony that the state most responsible for stopping worldwide fascism would become fascist 60 years later. But far worse than this irony is the reality that an American fascist state with America’s power could make Nazi Germany look like a tiny blip on the radar screen of history. 

For some years now we have lived with the Faustian bargain of the corporation. Large corporations are necessary to achieve those governmental and social necessities that small enterprises are incapable of providing. The checks on corporate power have always been fragile. Left unchecked, the huge economic power of corporations corrupts absolutely. Most of the checks are badly eroded. Is there still time to get the checks back in balance? Or will we be left with two unthinkable options?

America is undeniably under fascist rule right now, many call President Obama a socialist, marxist or communist. But he has all the hallmarks of a fascist, and the terrifying fact is, that Mitt Romney does too.

Many are left to wonder how the nation that defeated fascism could so completely have absorbed it. Joseph Campbell explains this as ‘the hero as the villain’  in ‘the hero with a thousand faces’. But that is for another article.

So how do we get out of this mess?

I say; stay informed, stop seeing things as black and white, and start looking at the grey areas. Obama is certainly not good for this country, but that doesn’t mean ‘anybody but Obama’ will be. And this mess goes far beyond the presidency, since the head of state is simply a symptom and not a cause. People have been guided like sheep, slowly for decades, into ‘left vs right’, instead of realizing that its ‘up vs down’, the state vs liberty. It’s really a case of the individual vs the collective, since both communism and fascism both center around the collective having the power, which essentially snubs out the lowest minatory which is the individual.

So do we need a bloody revolution to stop this? I hope not. But I know that a revolution is currently in full swing. Between the Tea Partiers, the Occupy Wall Street members and the Ron Paul Revolutionaries, we have an intellectual revolution roaring, and if we can find common ground in the constitution and our basic human freedoms, the fascists (or whatever word you want to use) don’t stand a chance!

As for the insurance, this bubble will burst in time, so save your money and only take out what you really need. The mandated provisions won’t last for long.

Dreams and awaking to reality

As I dream I think of all the wonderful things I have experienced in my life, and imagine all the things I would like to do. In my dreams I live in a free world where I build my reality to suit my needs and desires. In my dreams, my wife is there, the sun is rising on the horizon, and my dog perks up his ears as I get out of bed and he rushes to my side for me to let him out.

When I wake up, I realize that I am living my dream. My wife is beside me, and my dog stretches out on the floor after a night’s sleep by or on our bed, and waits patiently for me to let him out. I open the door and he trots out into the morning dew over grass, and I look out to the east as the sun rises, and draw a deep breath to inhale the fresh air. I watch over my dog as he sniffs around at all the new smells, and discovers which creatures have come and gone during the night. He does his business, and marks his territory in a way only dogs know how. I call his name and he gallops back toward the house, I give him a treat and I make myself breakfast.

As I get my lunch ready and pack up my bag for the day, I don my leather jacket, helmet and gloves, and fire up my V-Star. The engine ticks over and I give it a little throttle, I edge out of the driveway and slip through the gears,  cruising down the street at a steady 30mph. Once I get to the main road my senses kick in and I become acutely aware of the sleepy drivers who are usually not paying enough attention to the road. I have avoided my fair share of accidents, and know what to look for now.

I cross the first intersection between my house and my place of work, and now something feels out of place. The sunrise was nice, seeing my wife and dog was comforting, and feeling the thumping V-Twin of my bike smoothly rattle through my body as I twist the throttle gave me all the right sensations that a well oiled machine should. But something is out of place, something doesn’t feel right, something puts me on edge.

Why are there so many security cameras going up on all these intersections? And why am I constantly looking down at my speedometer, instead of putting 100% focus on the road and others around me? Why do I feel this sense of being watched, of being judged, of being sized up like a meal? Why do I feel like I am evading some bird of pray, as if I were being hunted?

I realize that things are not right in this country. We have decended into a police state. Yesterday I wrote about a new book coming out, one that defies the corrupt policemen and their puppet masters. All these new cameras being set up, and all the police cruisers patrolling around, they are not there for our safety. They are there to tax us through citations, and to enslave us if we do not comply.

The DUI checkpoints that are being set up are not to stop drink drivers, but to prepare the police for martial law, and to get them used to arresting people without due cause.

We are now living in a police state, but the dreams I have and the reality I have are still very similar, and I still create my own reality, but the poison of ignorance and submission are seeping in all around us, and the outlook gets murkier by the second.

I have woken up now, and do not wish to go back to sleep on reality. I wish to pursue my dreams, and wish that everyone else be able to do the same, without fear of being held back by others, like pray before a predator, because there are looters and moochers out there who cannot and will not provide for themselves.

Your hard work is your own, and you should be able to keep the produce that you create, it is not someone else’s for the taking, no matter what the excuse may be.

And for those who would try and use people’s happiness against them, to use their family members, or to take their possessions to teach them a lesson on how not to stand up and defend themselves. I will warn you. Once a man has had everything taken away from him, he becomes unstoppable. That is why Obi-Wan say’s “if you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine”. There are thousands of people out there right now who feel that way. The ripple effect is being felt around the country and indeed the world right now. Those who practice injustice will be held accountable. In time, bad deeds will catch up with you, and the ends never justify the means. You will be judged for your actions.

As for me, I’d like to live in a world where I can freely trade with others, where I can live my life without having to bother anyone, or mooch off them. I am quite content to leave others alone.

To those who wish to silence the individuals who are leading the charge back toward liberty and away from tyranny, I will say: Remember the Alamo, though all the soldiers died, their deaths were avenged, and victory was had. You may try to shut down websites, you may try to silence the critical thinking minds on this earth and in this country. But this will end in failure. Societies cannot function without intelligent people at the helm.

So to those who are concerned, who feel the same way I do; that something is out of place, I say: Stand up for your rights and protect your dreams. Live the reality that you see fit, and flush out the sewage that is currently lining our streets. Learn what true liberty is, not just blind patriotism. Learn the constitution, and remember  that violence is not necessarily even when presented with it on our doorstep. Everything starts with the mind.

Dreams and ideas are directly intertwined, and no police state, no surveillance, no cops, no politicians, no jail cell, not even death or execution can hold back an idea or a dream.

“An idea who’s time has come cannot be stopped by any army or any government” – Ron Paul

What are your dreams? Are you living the way you want to? Are you finding happiness each day?

I have found happiness, but I see those around me who are controlled by fear, and will do anything to survive off the backs of others, instead of providing for themselves in order to thrive.

Ask yourself this question; Is this Martin Luther King’s Dream that we are living in right now, or is it becoming Adolf Hitler’s fascist nightmare?

You decide for yourself. I will stand up and speak out for as long as I can.

I know my dream. Do you know yours?

The future is built today

In the front office where I work, we have a large framed poster of a construction site. On the poster it reads ‘the future is built today’ and under the caption it says ‘we believe great results come from careful planning. That ambitious goals are powered by initiative and productivity. And the foundation of achievement lies in the will to be the best.’

Beside that poster is a laminated sheet of paper, that has many copies that can be seen throughout the warehouse. It is a document to inspire everyone to work together, and it reads ‘words to live by’: Teamwork, communication, planning, flexibility, accountability, long range view, flow, training, discipline, think out of the box.

These words are aimed to help mold the company toward a common goal of success.

Both the poster and the laminated message, are true in everything we do. Whether it be our work, our family, or our government. If we set our sights on tomorrow and work toward it, we will achieve it. But only if we stick to certain rules along the way.

It is obvious that the government does not have ‘long range view’ in mind. It is not ‘flexible’ when it comes to cutting budgets and limiting spending, it completely lacks ‘discipline’, it certainly does not ‘think out of the box’. Government does not ‘plan’, ‘communicate’ or work well as a ‘team’, the ‘flow’ is often horrible, and every person in government could really do with some better ‘training’.

These words from Ronald Reagan are as true today as they were in 1964:

Personally, I want to reign in government, to restore the Constitution, and be free to pursue my life in the way that I see fit.

I want to grow old and wise, I want to grow wealthy and be generous. I want to achieve anything that I can set my mind to. I do not want machine men with their ‘agendas’ getting in my way. I will help as many others as I can along the way, but I will never carry capable people on my back. Any form of collectivism, from Stalin’s communism to Hitler’s fascism, and all the socialism and social engineering in-between, must be destroyed. All the silly ideas and government programs must be eliminated, or else our lives will be eliminated by the truncheon of totalitarian government, with its ever growing fingers in all our pies.

I want to create my own happy future, free of the ever increasing burden of government. When societies are free, the world around them becomes a beautiful place, since they are able to work and create whatever their dreams desire.

The future is built today because we create it in each moment that we breathe. Whether we have government currently breathing down our neck or not, we can at least lay down the foundation of freedom, to help lift us up out of the clouds of collectivism tomorrow.

The future is in each individuals hands, and your future starts by building it brick by brick today.

The IRS is illegal

Every once in a while, you come across a nice documentary that explores all the facts and turns the world upside down. In this case; it puts the world back up the way it was always supposed to be.

So go grab a bite to eat, get yourself a beverage, get your notepad and pen out, put your feet up, and prepare to have your world set back straight:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1656880303867390173

The IRS is not only unconstitutional, it is illegal. The 16th amendment does not give the government the right to tax our labor, it never has. Fear for the past 100 years has been the main drive for taxation on our labor. Not facts, and not the law. Mob rule took over and we have been living under fascism for the better part of the last century. There is no law on the books that mandates that you must pay income tax.

Pass the documentary around, show your friends, show your neighbors. Oh…and vote for the one candidate that actually understands your liberties and the Constitution. Vote for the one candidate that wants to abolish the IRS, vote for Ron Paul!