The Grand Deception

[dfgrbac]

This deception is more that just great; it is on a grand scale. The deception is on the American people. It comes from propaganda that has been institutionalized into our culture so we don't even notice it. We just take it for granted. And, of course, we are not trained to detect it; we are not supposed to even suspect it. The deception is that the USA is the greatest democracy the world has ever seen! This with all the freedom democracy implies.

Although the USA is promoted as a democracy throughout the world, many of our staunchest patriots (usually Republican) deny it when cornered in a political discussion. We have seen discussions titled something like "This is not a democracy!" They will go on to say it is a Republic. Some call it "representative democracy". Yes, the propaganda is slick - really slick! But the greatest (grandest) distortion of all is the use of the word capitalism as a synonym for democracy - which it is not. Capitalism is simply (and only) an economic system which may be organized democratically - or not. But capitalism, when not regulated, tends very strongly towards fascism as was revealed by what happened to George Seldes in the early twentieth century during his covering of Fascist Italy. This is a grave danger which Americans have been conditioned to ignore by our institutions (schools, media, etc.). A fascist takeover of our government would not be noticeable inside the USA (because of media control by the corporate powers which only gets tighter each year) until it was too late and the people had no power to respond.

So what is democracy, if it's not what we now have? Most everyone understands democracy as a system of government that empowers its people, and as a symbol of freedom. Most of the world's people want democracy and its freedom and struggle for it. But the world's elite do not want democracy. Their power depends on keeping the people under submission. This is slave labor in reality, and the people are made to believe they have no choice in the matter. That the capitalistic trend is actually towards fascism is revealed by the constant pressure against workers rights and their ability to organize against the power of their employers. All this with no outrage being displayed in the media, even though mass rallies are held for workers rights. They get little or no coverage.

The "get the government out of our way" deregulation of the Reagan Administration really meant get the government out of the way of unscrupulous corporate profits. This deregulation didn't produce less laws. The laws were simply changed to benefit corporations at the disadvantage of people. Yes, the new laws regulate people instead! Take the case of anti-disparagement laws for example. Oprah Winfrey made a comment about not ever eating another hamburger again, and was immediately sued under anti-disparagement laws by the meat industry. Freedom of speech won for her in court, but it was such a hassle that others will likely hold their thoughts quietly. That's the whole point; to shut up the opposition. It's a form of oppression, just as it is to keep protesters away from the President - far away.

And about that loss of moral values in America expressed by many voters on both sides. Where does the perception of our moral values come from anyway? Most of the perception of our society and culture comes directly from our media. Conservatives think the media is liberal. Liberals think the media is conservative. That's the way the media wants it. But the media is not conservative or liberal, it is corporate; its only motive is profit! The profit motive has no ethics or morality! This is why our TV, movies, video games and so on are filled with violence and sex! It is (in other words) unregulated capitalism!

It is because of these issues above that I believe capitalism is failing and will collapse. If we really want to continue capitalism, we, the people, must save it by giving it the ethics to survive in law. My friends, we need to recognize that the corporations own not only the Republican Party, but our Party too! As long as these corporate puppets continue to control all the politics in this country, we, the people, are lost. When they can divert our attempts to elect people like Howard Dean or Dennis Kucinich by their media tactics, we can never make headway!

Our only option to save the country is to take matters into our own hands. We can still do that legally under our Constitution, at least until they do away with it completely. But we, the people, are still sovereign. We can vote for the National Initiative for Democracy!

[yowzayowzayowza]

1. Fitting:

"No truly sophisticated proponent of repression would be stupid enough to shatter the facade of democratic institutions." - Murray B Levin

[dfgrbac]

2. And your point is?

Maybe I am thick, but I don't get it.

Proponents of repression have nothing to say about it - if the people decide otherwise.

[proudbluestater]

3. This is our current form of government in the USA

The 14 Defining Characteristics Of Fascism
Free Inquiry http://www.secularhumanism.org/fi/
Spring 2003; 5-11-03

Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:


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.


http://www.omnicenter.org/warpeacecollection/facism.htm#14fascism

[paz]

4. kick. n/t