Is the US a fascist state?

[glasnost]

Fourteen Defining
Characteristics Of Fascism
By Dr. Lawrence Britt
Source Free Inquiry.co
5-28-3

Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

1. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

1. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

1. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread

domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

1. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

1. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

1. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

1. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

1. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

From Liberty Forum

On the basis of this is the US a fascist state? And the UK? Italy undoubtedly is.

I think Mousesma covered it.

The list of things I don't like about the US and UK governments is a long one, but both are still essentially democratic and free. Compare this to say Iran where a man is about to be executed for believing in the wrong god and Saudi Arabia where they have only just allowed women to vote.

yy to mousema

One point missed re the supremacy of the military. It's totally absent in US. All military action is at the orders of the government. No military personnel are in the government ex officio.

meditrina no military personnel are in the gov ex officio?

www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/06/us-usa-cia-petraeus-idUSTRE7850VU20110906

No they just put them at the head of their secret services.

No time now but will have later.

ANYWAYS why don't you perhaps try to substitute military personnel with personnel from the corporate/financial sector. See where you get. The military hardly counts anymore. All you need are CIA minions in Nevada pressing buttons to guide drones anyway. All they really need apropos military personnel is cannon fodder to constitute the boots on the ground of which there will always be plenty as long as the populace at home is kept poor.

This list of 14 is a tad anachronistic and I never said anywhere that it's infallible. Corrections and modifications can be made.

I'd argue the corporate/financial sector is now instrumental in creating a fascistic state. Which the US has in spades. Congress is made up of corporate sponsored politicians doing the corporations' bidding.

OP I think that the problem here is that the article is being used out of context to support a particular world view; just because Britt is able to show that the US shares some characteristics with historical fascist regimes does not mean that it shares all characteristics or that it must therefore be congruent.

onagar they may not execute yet for believing in the wrong god but they do execute apparently innocent people in a bid not to seem "soft". (Troy Davis case not ring a bell?)

Being head of the Secret Services is not relevant to the point I was making, as the heads of the agencies are also not part of the government, and (like the military) act only under political direction.

All US legislators, whatever their background, are elected.

All US legislators are elected becuase they have tonnes of money behind them put there by corpoarations who then expect them to do their bidding once in office.

I think you'll find the CIA is part of the gov. And it would be disingenuous to state that the head of it has no ties to the gov seeing as they put hm there.

Do you mean the Secret Service, or other services often described as secret?

Whichever, they are all federal government organisations subordinate to (not part of) the government. Many of these have appointees heading them.

They have however no role whatsoever in governing. They carry out government policy requirements. To suggest otherwise (ie that they have a policy making or legislative role) shows a lack of understanding of US government structures, procedures and functions.

That's all so much flim and flam, meditrina, worthy of Donald Rumsfeld and his unknown knowns who - of course - had absolutely no say in the FBI's activities. At all. No way. Come along now.

Back to the congress. Is it or is it not populated by corporate puppets? Do a bit of research.

Congress is beholden to corporate interests. Congress has recently given person status to corporations.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/warning-corporate-fascist-military-coup-brewing-in-the-united-states.html

www.prisonplanet.com/warning-corporate-fascist-military-coup-brewing-in-the-united-states.html even.

Not film flam - US government structures 101.

I'm not quite sure what other point you are making. Rumsfeld, in his role in defence, had no authority over the FBI. Were you thinking of something/someone else? The Rumsfeld Doctrine, perhaps?

But the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq were both properly authorised by the government: authorization for Use of Military Force September 18, 2001 , Public Law 107-40 [S. J. RES. 23] was passed on Spt 18th 2001, authorizing the use of force in afghanistan, followed by a NATO vote to involk article 5 of the NATO charter, then the UN Security Council passed United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 authorizing the use of Force.

The Iraq War resolution was passed in October 2002 as Public Law No: 107-243, authorizing the use of force in Iraq. Public Law 107-40 and Public Law No: 107-243 function as a declaration of war by the US Congress.

flim and flam?

You should look up the differences between legislative, executive and so on if you want to pass yourself off as some kind of political expert.

Ah here it comes. the big global conspiracy with the black helicopters and the secret world government. :o

Are they tapping your phone? Do you hear noises in the night as the world government agents sift through your rubbish? (at least they get paid to)

Oh well that's alright then.

You're wilfully ignoring the fundamental point about the congress being made up of politicians beholden to corporate interests.

Do you have vested interests in defending the US gov? Or do you seriously believe it is democratic? In which case you'll be very disappointed.

When comparing it to Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Zimbabwe, Peru or numerous others, I would say emphatically NO.

If you want to nitpick and say well some of those things apply some of the time, I would say YES.

Why are you singling out Italy above all these other countries? Nothing to do with the Kercher case I hope.

The US government IS democratic. It is also (like ours) quite corrupt and yes many (perhaps most) politicians are beholden to corporate interests. Some days I feel I'd like to shoot the lot of them and start afresh.

That's your strongest point btw so you should probably stick to that one and not try and defend the rest.

Good news for the common man today though - the pub landlady with the fight against Sky - that was quite a victory! Who says big business wins every time.

"All US legislators are elected becuase they have tonnes of money behind them put there by corpoarations who then expect them to do their bidding once in office."

glasnost - thanks for explaining the US political system in such succinct terms. Now go ask a bunch of corporations what they think of their local and national legislators and see how satisfied they are with their pawns.

I'm singling out Italy, abendrot, because I happen to live there.

But I've recently returned from the states where I witnessed first hand what I think will become ever more repressive measures against internal dissenters.

I understand people's kneejerk need to recoil in horror at the very thought that "our" democracies could have gone bad but I fear it's a fact we're just gonna haveto face up to. Like adults.

I should think the corporations are pretty satisfied chandellina. Seeing as they've achieved THIS:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_personhood

BTW my post of 15.58 was directed at meditrina.

I'd never think onagar had a vested interest in defending the US gov.

Ah that's ok then. :o

I'm actually a great admirer of Guy Fawkes.

Glasnost, you are insulting a legion of politicians with a genuine interest in public service. to say politicians are all controlled by corporations is offensive and ignorant.

Italy has its own history, that politics, religion and family dynasties have ruled on an almost equal level. They control different areas of life in Italy. Twas ever thus but it is changing, there is progression forwards. Similarly here, the 'corporations' you unilaterally refer to are starting to really irk the politicians and judges.

I have personal experience of taking a BIG pharma to court and although we didn't win, the Courts of Justice are extremely peed off about the weight that businesses are throwing around and more state checks and balances are starting to be brought in. The climate is definitely changing, the banks will get their comeuppance (when things are more stable) and Europe will learn some lessons or it will crumble.

Thanks, I'm happy I know about the legislative and executive branches, and I can see nothing inaccurate in what I posted.

Again I fail to see what point you are making, other than insult.

And I'd be interested to know why you miss the third main branch out completely.

Insult meditrina?? How so? By asking whether you have vested interests in defending the US gov? If you take that to be an insult.......there's more you know that you're not telling.

So you're all quite satisfied the US is in no way, not even vaguely starting to resemble a fascist state? Well, good for you. I think this conversation will be had at a further date when things are clearer for those whose vision is a tad foggy. Or FOXxy?