Forty years later, the struggle still goes on

There are similarities between 48 and 08, except now the bugaboo is terrorist instead of communist. Then Dewey was a Republican retread (waiting until 52 for Ike to get his stateside act together). Dems faced the race question in an earlier version. The Dixiecrat mentality resurfaced when Trent Lott shot from the lip. What was very different were economic needs. After ravishes of war and depression, people really needed to become consumers again. Production only had to be rearranged for peacetime.

There's the really big difference! Ike warned us not to militarize to the hilt. We have more than done that. How to unwind is difficult. Edwards espoused the cause of the worker who needed to get back to more prosperous days. That's not the main issue in this election. Whether Obama or Clinton, the thrust is on enabling the corporate world to be a big player on the world scene. Neocons have so thoroughly championed the military/industrial/cybernetic complex that it will be hard for a person like Harry Truman to take on the corruption and collusion which exists now.

Take for example this latest flap over giving the big plane order to non-US companies. My logical part says it was inevitable because the dollar is so broken. But my political soul tells me that it will be a chief issue by the time the fall comes.

Seeing myself as a 20Something in 48, and looking at the young today, I wonder how they can carry on. Our generation forced an impeachment and then allowed the scourge to go on. After all, in 1964 Hillary was a Goldwater girl. It's a metaphor for the nation.

To be sure we must have a viable corporate world. What we do not need is a greedy one. The instutitions FDR put in place before his death need to be made modern. It's not just the UN and WTO and World Bank, but also UNESCO, ILO, and the Human Rights Commission. And, for sure, we have to rethink the genie which was let out of the bag when we chose atomic bombs to end World War II.

by Margaret Bassett (19 articles, 1012 quicklinks, 23 diaries, 560 comments) on Thursday, March 6, 2008 at 12:50:41 PM
 

The End of America

by Kent Welton (49 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 37 comments) on Thursday, March 6, 2008 at 1:19:04 PM
 

Great Book!

I would definitely recommend Naomi Wolf's book as an essential read among many others. Fascism is going to be our future until we are allowed to really see our past other than the flag swaddled, childlike version of it that has been condoned by the state and used to indoctrinate us all into our exceptionalism.

Truth be known we are no better than any rotten empire in history and maybe even worse.

Wallace understood this which was why he had to be marginalized and the rest of the true left destoyed by the apparatus of oppression that rose out of the ashes of WWII to make the world safe for money and imperialism.

Thanks for reading and commenting

EE

by Ed Encho (6 articles, 2 quicklinks, 52 diaries, 332 comments) on Thursday, March 6, 2008 at 2:19:26 PM
 

Henry A Wallace

Thank you for the article, you might find this useful

http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0491/9104027.htm

Leon Hadar writing in 1991 "The Neocons: From Cold War to Global Intifada

by sliphoch (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 13 comments) on Thursday, March 6, 2008 at 5:58:03 PM
 

American Fascism

You and Naomi Wolf have given us valuable insight how we have lost our liberty.

What is to prevent Mr Bush from staging a false flag event, declaring Martial Law and using NSPD 51 to establish a dictatorship? 

by Jason Paz (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 39 comments) on Thursday, March 6, 2008 at 9:05:15 PM
 

RE: American Fascism

What is to prevent Mr Bush from staging a false flag event, declaring Martial Law and using NSPD 51 to establish a dictatorship? 

I truly believe that it is less possible now than before simply because too many people are on to the game and let's face it, the illusion of legitimacy is what protects the system.

Bush will leave peacefully presuming that the neocon choices Hillary Clinton and John McCain face each other in the general election which appears more and more likely with each media assisted knee capping of Obama. The fix is in and McCain and Clinton are both warmongers blessed by Joe Lieberman and the Israeli Lobby to continue the Middle Eastern wars of agression, continue the efforts to close down debate in America through casting a wide net for potential 'domestic terrorists' as defined by the Jane Harman-Joe Lieberman travelling carnivals of perversion that will soon be launced under HR 1955 and S 1959 and ensuring that the empire's top export continues to be death.

It is said the best way to end a dictatorship is to make a dictator act like a dictator and these people know that, they will continue to sucker gullible Americans with their sham democracy and continue to slowly restrict free speech, ban books and eliminate civil liberties.

Just think of the boiling frog because the frog is us.

Thanks for commenting

EE

by Ed Encho (6 articles, 2 quicklinks, 52 diaries, 332 comments) on Friday, March 7, 2008 at 5:05:37 AM
 

American fascism

Great and timely post, Ed. Thanks...

I recall well my adolescent introductions to the cautionary literature  --Brave New World, 1984, It Can't Happen Here. I wish I had read Wallace then. 

 It's a great essay and describes perfectly the US under Bush. Indeed --it DID happen here. 

by Len Hart (117 articles, 152 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 441 comments) on Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 5:14:36 PM