Molly Ivins Latest Column Almost Says We Have Become A

[MaryH]

fascist state. That is pretty scary because she is usually pretty right on about stuff. All this about torture.

Her main concern seems to be the Gonzales confirmation and this whole idea of detaining people with no trials. That is a big one.

Like the whole Bush adm. has completely forgotten we even have a constitution!

And that scares me, too. It is like stuff that we never would have put up has just taken us over and we haven't even lifted a hand to stop it.

So, do we have a fascist state now? Has our Democracy Gone With the Wind? Our elections are meaningless? Our rights are gone?

What the hell happened to us?

[bleedingheart]

1. and the Democrats in power are just a bunch of centrist wimps

who don't stand up for the people....

[Jane Austin]

18. This probably isn't part of your meaning, but

you can be strong and be a centrist.

For that matter, you could even be a conservative and be strong for America and for fairness.

We just don't see it very often.

[DireStrike]

19. Yes, "centrist" should be put in quotes referring to these dems.

They are not centrists, they are triangulators and panderers. They will always "move to the center" no matter how far to the right the republicans go.

If they wanted to gas all the Jews, our centrist dems would work towards a compromise of only gassing half the Jews.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. yes we are

[Disturbed]

4. Oligarchy.

Amerika will be a Fascist Police State in two years.
Dems in Congress,except for a handful, are complicit weasles.

[tjdee]

3. Fascism doesn't happen overnight. Just ask the Germans or the Italians.

In the Fiction forum, some of us are reading The Plot Against America wherein America slides into fascist rule, and one of the things I'm getting from it is how easily it's done.

As long as you call it something other than fascism, unfortunately some people will be on board. If we lose thousands of people in another terrorist attack, fascism here will be accelerated.

[Inland]

11. You might find this link interesting, today's review of a speech.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/06/nyregion/06profile.html

[punpirate]

5. What happened was...

... thirty years of the right wing saturating the media with their message, combined with an aggressive drive by Republicans to marginalize the opposition party.

The effects of it are a new kind of fascism, where the democratic system itself has been used to create the sort of crony capitalism that can only flourish by secrecy. The illusion of democracy remains, but the inner workings of the system have been corrupted. *sigh*

[MaryH]

8. So, do we all go "Underground?"

[punpirate]

13. Aren't we already?

:P

[secedeeconomically]

6. You think its bad now? Wait until after Bush appoints someone

to the Supreme Court. That will be the beginning of the end for what used to be a great country.

[MaryH]

9. Even Rehnquist objects!

And he is very conservative.

[Solly Mack]

7. We've been heading this way since the mid-20's

it's so ingrained into our society, most people don't even realise just how fascists america has been for years...it's just under some administrations it's more obvious. Some administrations have attempted to stem the tide...but the people, they've never really paid attention to what has been at stake for a long time now

[Inland]

10. There are enough people who see democracy as a danger.

Democracy is weakness, democracy allows for sin, democracy inhibits religion, democracy can't win a war, democracy demoralizes the troops.

We can't afford to be divided, we have to get back to unity---which, by the way, means shut up and follow Bush and don't ask any questions, even as everybody, I mean EVERYBODY, can see he is a royal fuckup if not an absolute crook.

I knew there was this sentiment, but I thought that an election would shake us out of it long enough to have a real debate and a real choice. Nope. Right now, the people don't want democracy. They want a boss. And god help us, the guy on top is a guy who is willing to grab those fears and run with it as far as he can. Our luck to have a bunch of fake christian, stupid, craven greedy megalomaniacs in charge instead of a statesman.

[MaryH]

12. Where did all the Statesmen Go?

Kennedy is still there and he is still speaking out.

And I think Kerry will be a voice in the future.

But what is Clinton doing? I wish he wouldn't have anything to do with Bush.

And there are some voices in Congress - but they seem to be lone voices crying in the wilderness.

[Inland]

15. They are out of power. The evil people are in charge.

It just so happened at the tipping point, where enough people decided that they no longer felt that it was okay to opposed the commander in chief, the commander in chief was not Clinton, or Poppy, or even Reagan, or any other statesman who would have resisted the temptation to grab power. It was the worst possible person, with the worst possible advisors. Someone to whom a memo could be written telling him that he could torture people despite the laws passed by Congress, and he would accept it as fact. For example.

[slay]

14. An excellent post. I couldn't have said it better.

.kick

[EVDebs]

16. Texas Two-step is now the Texas Goose-step ? n/t

[Bluebear]

17. GOOD one!

[Canadianchick]

20. 7 things come to mind

Pride
Greed
Envy
Wrath
Lust
Gluttony
Sloth

[Swamp Rat]

21. Welcome to: