the rise of fascism in america - it is not too late

[NJGeek]

i recently read Bernard Beckett's "http://www.amazon.com/Genesis-Bernard-Beckett/dp/0547225490/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252296190&sr=1-1">Genesis"?

It posits a future where the "powers that be" attempt to control every movement of life

the levers these powers use to continue their dominance are perpetuated by the instilling of fear into the public, in trade for security

i'm afraid we are inching toward that point where fear may cause our society to change for the worse. the recent outrage over the presidents speech in schools is evidence of the dangerous ground we are treading. fortunately, rational thinkers are still at the helm. but if we allow the idiocracy (e.g. glenn becks) of the world to win, we will find ourselves in a dangerous place that could rival post-weimar germany.

however it is not too late.


we must:
* use our superior knowledge of the internet to strike back hard at the fringe right
* support the president and allow him to win this long, and damaging, health care cycle
* remember that the change we seek is in us, we must take action to see our desired outcomes through

how?
* respond intelligently and in-kind to any right wing smear tactic - internet, email, water cooler
* continue to ridicule them - the meme of "silly" started by the DOE after this last school blow up, is a good one -- this research paper looks at http://www.iwp.edu/docLib/20060209_RidiculeasaWeapon2.2.1.pdf">ridicule as an effective weapon in statecraft - why not for domestic issues?
* make a point to contact your local congresspersons and newspapers to show your support. your own words are best



it is up to people -and no leader or party - to give america the strength achieve the promise of our ideals. we must march forward to progress that our founding fathers defined themselves by.
our most revered and controversial leaders throughout the history of this nation, jefferson, lincoln, and fdr among them, have inarguably all moved towards progress and away from the past. the path to universal health care is an obvious one in the expansion of rights to individuals and is a keystone in our history.

whatever we can do to move this forward we must, and we must do it now.