Olbermann vs. Rumsfeld: Defining the Real "New Fascism"

[babylonsister]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-frevele/olbermann-vs-rumsfeld-d_b_28406.html


MSNBC's Keith Olbermann reminded us why it is so great to be an American. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's insulting rhetoric reminded us why we are allowed to disagree with the government. Being a great American means having the freedom to question our leaders and hold them accountable. While Rumsfeld doesn't believe this is true, Olbermann stepped in with a sound rebuttal to set the facts straight about the politics of dissent.
(Video at Crooks and Liars)

Before Olbermann's "Special Comment" on Rumsfeld's speech to the American Legion, there is something to be said about using the Nazi party and fascism to compare the present terrorist threat that we face in the 21st century. To be perfectly blunt, it's inaccurate, especially when RJ Eskow puts it in perspective. Comparing today's Islamic extremists with the SS forces of the fascist Nazi party is a "false historical analogy." A more accurate comparison would be comparing such groups to the Ku Klux Klan. But as we have seen from Rumsfeld's speech, "fascism" is the latest buzzword to rally support, probably because it sounds the most familiar, and the 60 percent of Americans who oppose the Iraq effort just don't understand the magnitude of the threat so we need something from the history to serve as a feeble parallel.

In other words, our administration thinks we are too dumb to understand the method behind their madness, so they're using a really big dinosaur with four legs to show us how rats learn to walk. Rumsfeld said it himself, that critics of the administration's tactics are "morally and intellectually confused," to paraphrase. He also mentioned that ignoring the threat of terrorists was similar to appeasing Hitler. Not only is 60% or more of the country stupid, but we are also, according to Rumsfeld, on par with Nazi sympathizers.

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[babylonsister]

1. Evening kick. nt