Does this sound like America today?

Question

Does this sound like the bush administration?
Does this sound like todays republicans?
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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to (sic) 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.
7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. 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.
9. 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.

Answer 1

Yes, many of the above mentioned points ring true. And I agree that one must remain healthily skeptical of any authority. That's Democracy, baby... love it or leave it. At least it is being discussed here...openly..without censorship.

The same point by point diagnosis can be done for any list of symptoms of a mental illness, and inevitably one will have many symptoms of them all...but that does not necessarily mean that one is a psycho.

Yes, the system is SICK and IMPERFECT, currently boarding on Orwellian.
Yes, the current administration is a travesty.
Yes, living compliantly in our little cave of illusions is the Man keeping us down.
Yes, America desperately needs help.
Yes, we should be skeptical.

What are WE THE PEOPLE going to DO about it?

Will someone please raise the impeachment process already!!!!

Answer 2

You forgot to mention the stupid populace who eats this crap with a spoon. Kinda like several of the posters above me who buy into all this nationalistic jingoism and then are upset because we dare to speak out against the atrocities being committed by "our government". To all of you who don't believe the 14 points posted above there is this thing called the internet, it's a place where you can gain knowledge. Use it...

If you don't think the USA is capable of doing these things then you are an ASSHAT!!!

Answer 3

Do your little branies hurt when you have to read more than five words?
It does sound like America today but as you can clearly see the American people don't care.They have other things on their mind like the outcome of big brother or the next Oprah episode.
Evil doesn't need much allies to win,nonchalance and neglect of democratic duties by the majority of the people is enough.

Answer 4

How very frightening...who knew we elected Mussolini?

Or wait, we didn't actually elect him according to #14...that explains it!

Seriously, except for #12 and the glamorization noted in #4, this sounds terribly reminiscent of today's USA. Looks like I picked a bad day to be a liberal.

Answer 5

Something tells me since you mentioned President Bush and Republicians, that this dialoge came from a solialist manifesto or a Facist regime. You could also pin this on former President Clinton and all Democrats.

Answer 6

Have you been watching C-Span? No one listened prior to the Nazi regime, either. To this day some refuse to believe in the Holocaust. Time will tell, won't it?

Answer 7

Yawn.....Those accusations have been around for years. You could say the same things about Clinton as well....and some other things.

Read some quality history and political history books.

Answer 8

Too close, but I don't think we're really ready to compare Bush to Hitler. I mean really, he's a drag, but there are degrees of evil.

Answer 9

Yes. Yes, it does. Every bit of it. And guess what? Its gonna stay that way for another two years.
Uh oh.

Answer 10

I was think the same thing that Lisa H said. Do what she says.