The Brownshirting of America

[shraby]

James Bovard, the great libertarian champion of our freedom and civil liberties, recently shared with readers his mail from Bush supporters. For starters, here are some of the salutations: "communist bastard," "a**hole," "a piece of trash, scum of the earth." It goes downhill from there.

Bush's supporters demand lockstep consensus that Bush is right. They regard truthful reports that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction and was not involved in the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. – truths now firmly established by the Bush administration's own reports – as treasonous America-bashing.

Bovard is interpreted as throwing cold water on the feel-good, macho, Muslim butt-kicking that Bush's invasion of Iraq has come to symbolize for his supporters. "People like you and Michael Moore," one irate reader wrote, "is what brings down our country."

I have received similar responses from conservatives, as, no doubt, have a number of other writers who object to a domestic police state at war with the world.

(more)
<http://www.antiwar.com/roberts/?articleid=3798>

Not a pretty picture.

[kokomo]

1. I have never seen such caustic division in my nation.

I am a child of the Great Depression, fatherless during WWII while my dad and uncles were away fighting fascism. I participated in civil rights marches, anti-Vietnam War marches, and even at the height of Watergate, even Monicagate, I have never seen the likes of the division and outright hate that now exists in my country, thanks to the policies of George W. Bush.

[cosmicvortex20]

8. Just out of curiosity...

Is there any chance here that the instant information society may be effected by the technology?

I mean maybe the internet is a catylist here. Maybe these types of things did go on before, but noone had the information, or had time to react, or etc...

Could the internet and our technology by amplifying the rhetoric on both sides ya think?

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Book Alert: "The Coming of the Third Reich" by Richard J. Evans

Just published.

From book jacket:
In 1900, Germany was one of modernity's great success stories: The most progressive and dynamic nation in Europe, it was the only country whose rapid econiomic growth and innovation rivaled that of the Untied States. Its political culture was far less authoriraian than Russi'as and less anti-demitic than Frances's. Representative institutions thrived, and completing political parties and elections were a central part of life. How, then could it be that in a little more than a generation this stalbe modern country would fall into the hands of Adolph Hitler and the violent, racist, extremist political movement he led, a movement that would lead Germany and then all of Europe into utter moral physical, and cultural ruin?

-more-

Check the parallels. History repeats itself.

[bobbieinok]

11. Evans is a noted British historian specializing in German history

His books on the David Irving-Deborah Lipstadt libel trial over her book Denying the Holocaust in England and on the 1986+ Quarrel of the German Historians (over how the Nazi era and the Holocaust should be treated in histories of Germany) are very good.

[Spiffarino]

3. KICK THIS UP!

Here's another link at Lew Rockwell's Libertarian website:

http://www.lewrockwell.com/roberts/roberts75.html

Email this to as many people as possible. It is the most clear-minded and broad view of what has happened to the conservative movement and how it has slowly transformed into neo-fascism.

:kick:

[Jade Fox]

4. That is excellent.

"A sizable portion of the percentage is now addicted to daily confirmation
of their resentments and hatred."

Now there's a chilling sentence. Chilling because its true.

[Spiffarino]

5. It is frighteningly accurate

I'm old enough to remember when news used to be fairly accurate and representative of the people on the whole. Fringe ideas were routinely ignored in favor of more legitimate information from reliable sources.

When a station did do commentary, it was clearly labeled as such and responsible people were offered a chance to submit their own views and actually got airtime.

Today we have nothing of the sort. CNN may be the closest thing we have to fair representation of information in cable TV media, yet they spread nearly as much right-wing propaganda as Fox. Huge corporations control 90% of the information we are fed on a daily basis.

Democracy is doomed in this country unless we can reverse this tide.

[Memekiller]

6. The sad part is...

The only way stations like CNN will ever be centrist is if there is an equally partisan liberal station to work the ref from the left. Otherwise, CNN is liberal by default, and has to move as far to the right as possible to seem objective. A liberal station would give them the cover they need to venture of GOP talking points, and will guarantee they get some heat when they pimp right wing falsehoods.

[Spiffarino]

7. I hope you're pushing this everywhere

...because you are exactly right. We need liberal/left-leaning television to counter the huge favoritism the right currently gets in the media. Unless we put a bulldog on guard to stand up to the right wing, we're toast.

Thankfully, we have the insurgent Air America. The idea of left wing radio was laughed at by RW jocks...until AAR started killing them in the ratings. Now they've noticed, and many are having a major meltdown because there is actually an audience out there who loves it and supports it.

The same thing will work for TV if only we can get a sponsor. We need a Ted Turner-like figure to come on the scene and open up an Air America for TV. I'd like to see George Soros put his money on that kind of venture. It would last far longer and have a greater impact on our democratic institutions than just getting out the vote for one election.

[masher]

9. do anything to win

a Bush fan f*****r stoled my Kerry sign

[Spiffarino]

10. I've had 24 stolen so far

Six that I paid the Campaign for, and 18 that I printed myself on waterproof paper. I have put three more out in the yard and have a camera trained on them.

So far there have been over 1,200 K/E signs stolen in my town. All but one of the BC04 signs on my street are still up. However, I have heard that lots of the BC signs are being taken around town as well.

I've decided to purchase a BC04 sign for the neighbor who had hers stolen. While I totally disagree with her on her support of the current regime, it's a First Amendment thing. Free speech is supposed to be sacred in this country. Chickenfuc*ers who steal campaign signs - no matter whose - deserve to have their asses kicked.

As for the next round of sign thefts, let's talk about my 12-gauge with rock salt rounds...

[SteveG]

12. The best part is that the author - Bruce Fein - is an arch-conservative

Who is regularly published in the Washington Times. He has been an outspoken opponent of *'s war since it's inception.

[nightperson]

13. Bruce Fein? It's Paul Craig Roberts.

Reagan's Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, who sounds like he has really had it up to here:

"In language reeking with hatred, Heritage Foundation TownHall readers impolitely informed me that opposing the invasion of Iraq is identical to opposing America, that Bush is the greatest American leader in history and everyone who disagrees with him should be shot before they cause America to lose another war. TownHall’s readers were sufficiently frightening to convince the Heritage Foundation to stop posting my columns.

Bush’s conservative supporters want no debate. They want no facts, no analysis. They want to denounce and to demonize the enemies that the Hannitys, Limbaughs, and Savages of talk radio assure them are everywhere at work destroying their great and noble country.

I remember when conservatives favored restraint in foreign policy and wished to limit government power in order to protect civil liberties. Today’s young conservatives are Jacobins determined to use government power to impose their will at home and abroad.

Where did such "conservatives" come from?"

[pres2032]

14. kick!

some seriously scary stuff, but very very true unfortunately.