IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE... FASCISM?
By Wes Edwards
(Appeared in The Scoop Jan 2002)
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The online dictionary at www.Dictionary.com gives a definition of fascism
as:
"A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a
dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition
through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent
nationalism and racism."
Is the United States of America a fascist state? Let's look at each part of
the definition and see if it fits.
1) Centralization of authority under a dictator
Far be it for me to suggest that the current 'President' was not actually
elected. Bush stole the election through obfuscation, deceit, racist
discounting of the black vote and outright fraud. Surely it was no
coincidence that his own brother was the governor of Florida where Bush was
declared Imperator. And let's not forget that it was not the people of
America but the Supreme Court, a body of only nine Americans, who made the
ultimate decision as to who would be the de facto President. Does this make
Bush a dictator? Not in itself, no. The Man-who-would-be-King however made
drastic policy changes once in office that were at complete loggerheads with
the will of the American people. He did not even *win* the election, yet he
believes that gives him the mandate to block the Kyoto Protocols, snub the
International Conference on Racism (something to hide George?), cancel the
ABM treaties, block the progress towards an International Criminal Court...
the list goes on. Does this man truly represent the will of the people of
America? God, I hope not.
2) Stringent socioeconomic controls
As much as the American government supports the idea of 'Free Trade', an
even cursory glance at neo-liberal economic practices show that trade is
anything but free. Through treaties such as NAFTA, the FTAA and the
never-dying MAI proposal, the multi-national corporations have been 'free'
to sue countries, effectively undermining the ability of countries like
Canada to make democratic decisions. Has the standard of living of the
average citizen been raised at all? No, but at least we can rest easily
knowing that the salaries of the top CEO's have increased by over 300%. I
wonder if it is a coincidence that anti-striking laws are making a comeback.
I guess 'free' doesn't include freedom of assembly or freedom from
exploitation from above. The so-called American Dream is a myth. The rich
are getting richer while the poor are working harder for less money,
arbitrarily fired, abused and often, end up becoming homeless and destitute.
I'd call that 'stringent socioeconomic controls'... wouldn't you?
3) Suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship
This is an easy one. Remember who ran in the last American 'election'. There
was, let's see... Bush who ran for the Republocrats. And then there was
Gore, the guy who ran for the Democricans. Or was it the other way around?
There was that other guy... the guy that ran for the Green Party, Ralph
Nader. Why did I almost forget him? Perhaps because the-powers-that-be
attempted to sideline him, preventing him from participating in the national
debates. Shame, really. It would have been nice to see a candidate that
wasn't in favour of the death penalty, free trade, against abortion, agianst
defence spending, etc. Was there even a difference between Bush and Gore? I
guess it didn't matter in the end, what with Bush cheating and all. And then
recently, another Green Party USA politician Nancy Oden was detained at a
Maine airport and prevented from boarding a plane to Chicago. Why? Because
of her political beliefs. And then we have Senator General John Ashcroft
trying to pass a bill that would allow the FBI to monitor politcal and
religious groups. Remember COINTELPRO? Suppression of the opposition is old
hat for the American government.
4) A policy of belligerent nationalism and racism
I can't think of a more nationalistic country than the United States. Some
of the recent photos of Emperor Bush standing with one arm raised in front
of a backdrop of flag-raising militant crowds brings to mind... no, let's
not go there. Is American nationalism belligerent? Have you ever been spat
on and told to go back to your own country? On a larger scale, how many
countries would have the arrogance to attempt to institute secret military
tribunals to try and execute non-citizens? As you read this, Canadian
citizens are languishing in American prisons with *no charges laid*, simply
because they are of middle-eastern descent. If that isn't belligerent
nationalism and racism, I don't know what is. How about institutionalized
racism? Is it merely a coincidence that there are more black men in prison
than in college? Then we have the US government's declaring that they will
attack any country that harbours oil... excuse me, I meant terrorists. Look
to your own country for those, Mr. Bush. Ever heard of the School of the
Americas? How many terrorists has the American government trained,
bank-rolled and defended over the past fifty years? I'll have to leave that
statistic for another rant... there simply is not enough space here.
Is the United States of America a fascist state? If the shoe fits...
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