OMFG - Now the Brownshirts are saying Pledge to * at Rally

[RamboLiberal]

You know I try to avoid comparisions to Nazis - but damn they're close to emulating the adoration of the Nazis to Hitler.

http://www.slate.com/Default.aspx?id=2108852&

"I want you to stand, raise your right hands," and recite "the Bush Pledge," said Florida state Sen. Ken Pruitt. The assembled mass of about 2,000 in this Treasure Coast town about an hour north of West Palm Beach dutifully rose, arms aloft, and repeated after Pruitt: "I care about freedom and liberty. I care about my family. I care about my country. Because I care, I promise to work hard to re-elect, re-elect George W. Bush as president of the United States."

I know the Bush-Cheney campaign occasionally requires the people who attend its events to sign loyalty oaths, but this was the first time I have ever seen an audience actually stand and utter one. Maybe they've replaced the written oath with a verbal one.

<snip>

Because I've been traveling "outside the bubble" of the campaign planes for the past week, I arrived at a Thursday rally for Laura Bush before it began, and I sat with the local press. For only the second time, I witnessed a Bush campaign event in full. It wasn't a particularly notable experience, except for the fact that it opened with that weird pledge of fealty, reminiscent of the cultlike cheer that Wal-Mart forces its employees to perform.

I'd love to see a photo of how they raised their arms - like Nazi salute?

[LisaLynne]

1. Even with everything else going on this week ...

that made my blood run cold.

[AlCzervik]

2. i give up

these people are just sick, total fucking brownshirts and they always have been. These people have been looking for a Bush for a long time and now they have one. Good luck to them on wednesday, they'll be needing a lot of Jack daniels and bibles.

[Walt Starr]

3. This terrifies me more than bin Laden!

Seriously, they forced people to swear fealty to Hitler!

[Cats Against Frist]

19. I agree. There's one Bin Laden. There are 100 mil bushbots

and they all live here.

[cmf]

4. They are sick

The true believers are totally sick. And they have the audacity to say that Kerry is the scary one.

[DefenseLawyer]

5. I'm tellin ya

that creepy "W" they all display is their swastika.

[not fooled]

14. yeah, they've ruined a perfectly good letter

of the alphabet.

[Straight Shooter]

24. But it's still an excellent letter with an "F" in front of it

FW

:evilgrin:

[Journeyman]

6. Not quite the punch of the Uncle Adolf pledge. . .

Fuehrer, mein fuehrer,
by God given to me
protect and defend me as long as may be.
Thou'st Germany rescued
from her deepest need
I render thee thanks who dost daily me feed.
Stand by me forever or desperate my plight
Fuehrer, mein fuehrer,
my faith and my light.
Heil, mein fuehrer.


But then, with ShrubCo we're dealing mainly with morons.

[Bluebear]

7. This is truly sick. Leader before country.

[Kellis]

9. omg

That is frightening.

[mcg]

23. The illusion of the infallibility of Bush

One big reason that Bush won't admit to any mistakes (e.g. in the debates) is that he wants to maintain the illusion that he's the infallible leader that should be followed blindly. A bushite co-worker tried that bushit on some of us at work, trying to tell us that if we don't support Bush then we are somehow unpatriotic. I like this lyrics from 'Mosh':

No more psychological warfare, to trick us to thinking that we ain't loyal
If we don't serve our own country, we're patronizing a hero
Look in his eyes its all lies
The stars and stripes, they've been swiped, washed out and wiped
And replaced with his own face, Mosh now or die

[enough]

8. Mosh:

"the stars and stripes, have been swiped, washed out and wiped,
And replaced with his own face"

every word true

[snacker]

10. That gives me the chills

[mcg]

11. This is what happens in authoritarian cults.

[RamboLiberal]

13. And note it was reported only because reporter

was traveling outside of the bubble provided by traveling via the press plane.

So reporters aren't even watching the entire rallies. We've all seen them do the standup outside the events.

I wonder if this is happening at most of the koolaid drinkers rallies? Do they do this in their klatches? No wonder they don't want any one but the faithful attending.

If any Dem did this I would work to defeat the Dem and wouldn't support the candidate. Bet all of us here would do the same.

[KansDem]

12. Why? Is something dusty there?

They can use Bush's "poorly tailored shirt" as a polishing cloth!

[doni_georgia]

15. They are Nazi's. I HATE what they have done to this country

Yeah, I'm in a shit mood.

[VOX]

16. Hmm...no mention of God in there, but I guess * IS God to those folks...

This agnostic would remind the pledge-takers that "the Devil hath the power to assume a pleasing shape."

In this case, "pleasing" being relative!

[Fla Dem]

17. Were their right arms held high and outstretched ? n/t

[RamboLiberal]

18. Josh Marshall has picked up the story.

Can you say 'cult of personality'?

Chris Suellentrop has a half bizarre/half chilling report from the campaign trail in Florida last night. It's about what seems to be a new feature of the Bush rallies: the pledge of allegiance to President Bush.

Here's Chris ...

"I want you to stand, raise your right hands," and recite "the Bush Pledge," said Florida state Sen. Ken Pruitt. The assembled mass of about 2,000 in this Treasure Coast town about an hour north of West Palm Beach dutifully rose, arms aloft, and repeated after Pruitt: "I care about freedom and liberty. I care about my family. I care about my country. Because I care, I promise to work hard to re-elect, re-elect George W. Bush as president of the United States."

I know the Bush-Cheney campaign occasionally requires the people who attend its events to sign loyalty oaths, but this was the first time I have ever seen an audience actually stand and utter one. Maybe they've replaced the written oath with a verbal one.

I believe in one father, one son and one other son, who's now governor of Florida, who will take over after this son retires from office in 2009.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[mcg]

22. Bush is using mind control techniques.

Here's some information about mind control:

<http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/articles/BITE.htm>

I don't agree with some of the personal beliefs of some of the people who fight against cults (some are atheists, I believe in God), but they do provide a lot of good information about cults, mind control, and how to think for yourself.

This 'Bush Pledge' is an example of an indoctrination session, a group ritual.

One thing that I think is quite significant is that both pappa Bush and junior have been allied with the cult leader Moon (leader of the Unification church, aka the Moonies).

Mind control methods include:
II. Information Control
1. Use of deception
a. Deliberately holding back information
b. Distorting information to make it acceptable
c. Outright lying
2. Access to non-cult sources of information minimized or discouraged
a. Books, articles, newspapers, magazines, TV, radio
:

[July]

36. "Raise your right hands"?

As in the fascist salute?

[ydya]

20. Does the band then strike up HEIL To the Chief?? eom

[DeepModem Mom]

21. kick

[Lydia Leftcoast]

25. I have found the Bushbots more unnerving than the terrorists

They remind me of a Japanese acquaintance who went Moonie on me and started filling her letters with paragraph after paragraph of Moonspeak.

Ya know, it just occurred to me that, given the close association between Moon and the Bush family, the Busheviks may have learned a few things about brainwashing from them.

[mcg]

28. Brainwashing lessons from Moon

I've had the same thought, I had the most unfortunate experience of being in a destructive cult, and I can see the signs in what Bush is doing. Moon's influence apparently goes back as far as Nixon. Maybe it was Moon's suggestion to get rid of the fairness doctrine. Moon was even crowned by a congressman - this year - in the Senate office building. This must be stopped.

[Generic Other]

30. Moonspeak

Yup. I think you pegged 'em. Now, I'm really scared.

[rockymountaindem]

26. Yes, that's very close.

Historians say that one of the major indications that Hitler had secured the support of the military was when General Walther von Reichenau changed the oath of alleigance sworn by every soldier and officer from an oath to Germany to an oath to Hitler himself. This is very creepy.

[mitchum]

27. Sick fucks

[LibDemAlways]

29. Arms aloft?

That's sick.

[NashVegas]

31. fucking freaky

maybe it's time to buy a gun.

[PretzelWarrior]

32. HEIL SHITLER!

jeezus.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

33. Oh God

I just ate my dinner. I hope I can hold it down.

[Chiyo-chichi]

34. Incredibly unnerving. Repeat after me......

"I promise...... not to repeat things......other people.....tell me to say."

[JohnOneillsMemory]

35. ROFLMAO...I gotta pass that on. Who knew zombies were so funny? n/t

[Mr_Spock]

37. These people are psychotic

unbelievable

[InvisibleTouch]

38. What about the loyalty oaths?

What exactly do these oaths say, that people are required to sign? Anyone ever infiltrated a Bush rally to find out? (I don't think I could stand it, myself...) And, how does this idiot expect to reach undecided voters, if the only people allowed into his presence are those that already slavishly agree with him?

[Maiden England]

39. Seig Heil???

:shrug:

[The empressof all]

40. There are three kinds of people who vote for B***

1. The stupid--They just don't have the brain power to get it

2. The ignorant--They just don't care enough to learn the facts


3. The brainwashed---They have been sucked into the cult of the Spawn of Satan. It is very sad- I'm not sure we can ever bring them back to reality.

[tomfodw]

41. Ein Volk. Ein Reich. Ein Dubya

blech

[venus]

42. Thanks for the post.

I was admiring E. Edwards when she revealed her age during her town hall. Many women do indeed have children naturally who are approaching 50; so that's no big deal anymore. What is a big deal is whether this is true or not, and she failed to reveal it; insomuch as her stance on stem cell, etc. The article was correct in criticizing E. Edwards for that "not ladylike" comment. Disappointed. Especially when we at DU harp on Pickles for allegedly doing the same thing!

[Proud2BAmurkin]

43. Fascist goose steppers

.

[LynnTheDem]

44. HEIL BUSH! HEIL BUSH! HEIL BUSH!

bush = fascist dictator. And that's what 1/2 this country wants...or so they think.

[billyoc]

45. Well, we're just going to have to

get another other half.

[Gregorian]

46. I care about my SUV. I care about the price of diesel.

Freedom for comfort. Liberty for safety.