10 Steps to fascism
Ace of Spades and rightwingprof are frothing all over themselves over Naomi Wolf's Guardian article, with Ace contributing a sentence which is literally stuck on stupid. Well, yes, the article is kind of stupid. But the 10 steps are certainly valid, and what is stupid about the piece is the idea that Dubya has actually taken those steps, and that those steps are original with Dubya, when actually they've been standard operating procedure for some time now, among both parties. So in the interest of non-stupid discourse, let's look at Naoli's steps:
1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
Like Communists under Wilson, Truman, Kennedy and Johnson, militias under Clinton, global warming under shadow-President Gore
2. Create a gulag
Like Roosevelt did for the Japanese...only he did it to American citizens and residents instead of POWS
3. Develop a thug caste
...like union enforcers, gangstas, violent protesters, people trashing Republican offices
4. Set up an internal surveillance system
...ECHELON?
5. Harass citizens' groups
...militas, churches, pro-life groups
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release
She exaggerates here, but I have to give the Bush admin credit for reviving this Lincoln-era standard, and I can't think of a Democrat to pin it on (maybe Wilson). Don't worry; there'll be one soon enough.
7. Target key individuals
Here's she's complaining about the US Attorney idiocy. But key individuals have ALWAYS been targeted
8. Control the press
BWAHAHA! the Left OWNS the press. And where it doesn't, it's agitating for revival of the "Fairness Doctrine" so that it WILL.
9. Dissent equals treason
She's got the gall to cite the Palmer raids, from a Democratic administration. Then there's global warming hysteria, the Bonus March, HUAC, Johnson's attitude toward Vietnam protesters...
10. Suspend the rule of law
Done bit by bit through the "Living constitution"
But hey, I've heard Naomi works for Al Gore. All of the above are just in preparation for a revival of Europe's first Green administration (organic agriculture, anti-smoking, alternative fuels, genetic research, population control and, uh, recycling)
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