In 1936, William Dodd, the US Ambassador to Germany, wrote a letter to President Roosevelt in which he stated:
"A clique of US industrialists is hell-bent to bring a fascist state to supplant our democratic government and is working closely with the fascist regime in Germany and Italy. I have had plenty of opportunity in my post in Berlin to witness how close some of our American ruling families are to the Nazi regime.... A prominent executive of one of the largest corporations, told me point blank that he would be ready to take definite action to bring fascism into America if President Roosevelt continued his progressive policies.
Certain American industrialists had a great deal to do with bringing fascist regimes into being in both Germany and Italy. They extended aid to help Fascism occupy the seat of power, and they are helping to keep it there. [ed. treason!]Propagandists for fascist groups try to dismiss the fascist scare. We should be aware of the symptoms. When industrialists ignore laws designed for social and economic progress they will seek recourse to a fascist state when the institutions of our government compel them to comply with the provisions."
Prescott Bush's role in helping finance Hitler's Nazi War Machine is a fact, a matter of record. Clearly, then, the elder Bush was a part of a criminal, treasonous enterprise that sought to overthrow the elected government of the US and impose upon it a fascist dictatorship.
The most tantalising part of the story remains shrouded in mystery: the connection, if any, between Prescott Bush, Thyssen, Consolidated Silesian Steel Company (CSSC) and Auschwitz.
Thyssen's partner in United Steel Works, which had coal mines and steel plants across the region, was Friedrich Flick, another steel magnate who also owned part of I.G. Farben, the powerful German chemical company.
Flick's plants in Poland made heavy use of slave labour from the concentration camps in Poland. According to a New York Times article published in March 18 1934 Flick owned two-thirds of CSSC while "American interests" held the rest.
In 1980, Stockwell said that "if the Soviet Union were to disappear off the face of the map, the United States would quickly seek out new enemies to justify its own military-industrial complex."
The Speech that may have motivated the murder of Sen. Paul WellstoneIn the middle of tough re-election campaign, Sen. Paul Wellstone announces his opposition to Bush's Iraq war resolution. His speech to the US Senate, entitled "Regarding Military Action Against Iraq" was presented on October 3, 2002. By October,
Mr. President, as we turn later today to address our policy on Iraq, I want to take a few minutes to outline my views. The situation remains fluid, and Administration officials are engaged in negotiations at the United Nations over what approach we ought to take, with our allies, to disarm the brutal and dictatorial Iraqi regime.
Our debate here is critical because the administration seeks our authorization now for military action including possibly unprecedented, pre-emptive, go-it-alone military action in Iraq, even as it seeks to garner support from our allies on a tough new UN disarmament resolution.
Let me be clear: Saddam Hussein is a brutal, ruthless dictator who has repressed his own people, attacked his neighbors, and remains an international outlaw. The world would be a much better place if he were gone and the regime in Iraq were changed. That's why the US should unite the world against Saddam, and not allow him to unite forces against us.
A go-it-alone approach, allowing for a ground invasion of Iraq without the support of other countries, could give Saddam exactly that chance. A pre-emptive go-it-alone strategy towards Iraq is wrong. I oppose it.
I support ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction through unfettered UN inspections, which should begin as soon as possible. Only a broad coalition of nations, united to disarm Saddam, while preserving our war on terror, is likely to succeed. Our primary focus now must be on Iraq's verifiable disarmament of weapons of mass destruction. This will help maintain international support, and could even eventually result in Saddam's loss of power.
Of course, I would welcome this, as would most of our allies. The president has helped to direct intense new multilateral pressure on Saddam Hussein to allow UN and International Atomic Energy Agency weapons inspectors back in to Iraq to conduct their assessment of Iraq's chemical, biological and nuclear programs. Saddam clearly has felt that heat, and it suggests what might be accomplished through collective action. I am not naive about this process, and much work lies ahead. But we cannot dismiss out-of-hand Saddam's late and reluctant commitment to comply with UN disarmament arrangements, or the agreement struck Tuesday to begin to implement it. We should use the gathering international resolve to collectively confront his regime by building on these efforts through a new UN disarmament resolution.
This debate must include all Americans, because our decisions finally must have the informed consent of the American people, who will be asked to bear the costs, in blood and treasure, of our decisions. When the lives of the sons and daughters of average Americans could be risked and lost, their voices must be heard by Congress before we make decisions about military action.
Right now, despite a desire to support our president, I believe many Americans still have profound questions about the wisdom of relying too heavily on a pre-emptive, go-it-alone military approach.
Len Hart is a Houston based film/video producer specializing in shorts and full-length documentaries. He is a former major market and network correspondent; credits include CBS, ABC-TV and UPI. He maintains the progressive blog: The Existentialist Cowboy
"Prescott Bush's role in helping finance Hitler's Nazi War Machine is a fact, a matter of record. Clearly, then, the elder Bush was a part of a criminal, treasonous enterprise that sought to overthrow the elected government of the US and impose upon it a fascist dictatorship."
How do we rid our nation of perpetual war, or will the war machine turn on its own citizens?
The bottomless war machine has already put our nation on the brink of collapse.
by
August Adams (10 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 458 comments)
on Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 9:18:02 PM
... and while you're at it tell us where the CIA leaves off and the NSC begins, and the corporate police fit in with drug king-pins, from the media mongrels spin?
There are a few good guys, Kucinich, Webb, Wexler ... not Conyers or Waxman ... but not enough are backing them up, when the most powerful people in the world also turn out to be the most ruthless, cunning and corrupt, and have infested near every branch and level of government, there's only so much they can do with out a massive out-pouring of the people ... and well, "the people" are about to come out of a propaganda inflicted mass coma with a 2X4 up-side the head rude awakening ... and before they can figure out what hit them - it will be over ...
But, hey, anybody that has ever taken the time to read my musings knows that if there's a chance of fulfilling Gandhi's dream of peaceful change leading to a better world for all, knows that's what one should aspire to - imo - so sure, anytime you have an agency with no oversight you can bet your sweet democracy that after a time that agency will become the government. That shipped sailed a long, long time ago ... it's not just the CIA anymore, the CIA is really only an enforcement arm anyway, and not the entire CIA is corrupt, but just enough in the right places to matter, between them and the private police forces major corporations employ, it'd be a coin flip. But every enforcement branch is corrupted now. There are so many of them, how could they not be? So who is going to walk into CIA head-quarters and tell them they're out of a job? Why don't we just go straight to the heart and raid the next Bilderberg meeting and ask them why they need to use the CIA as tools to enslave us?
I have an answer for that but you wouldn't like to hear it.
Anyway, I'm all for it! Let's go!
by
Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 15 diaries, 1684 comments)
on Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 10:05:41 PM
The day of reckoning is at hand. I cannot say that 911 was an instance of 'blowback'. That would simply assume that someone outside the US goverment or someone outside the CIA had a hand in it. It must be pointed out, however, that if the 'official conspiracy theory of 911' has not been thoroughly and utterly debunked and resigned to an intellectual trash heap by now, it never will be. Michael Shermer has done his 'worst' to restore some credibility to Bush's pack of black hearted government lies and he failed miserably, squandering his own reputation as a 'skeptic' in the prcess. Shermer had made a Faustian bargan.
by
Len Hart (132 articles, 174 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 550 comments)
on Monday, March 17, 2008 at 3:11:30 AM
.. and while you're at it tell us where the CIA leaves off and the NSC begins, and the corporate police fit in with drug king-pins, from the media mongrels spin?
At this point, a Carvellian quick response is that the CIA has effectively infiltrated government, certainly NSC. And, certainly, it has partnered whenever it is convenient with drug king pins. As for media, one of my first 'bosses' in the radio biz had, in fact, been a 'spook', spent time in the Soviet Union, spoke fluent Russian. His bio differed little from that of Lee Harvey Oswald.
There are a few good guys, Kucinich, Webb, Wexler ... not Conyers or Waxman ... but not enough are backing them up,the most powerful people in the world also turn out to be the most ruthless, cunning and corrupt, and have infested near every branch and level of government
The creation of an 'official orthodoxy' is characteristic of fascism and Kucinich, Webb, Wexler are victims of 'officialdom'. The same 'officialdom' annoints the 'official conspiracy theories' and discount --out of hand --all others.
But, hey, anybody that has ever taken the time to read my musings knows that if there's a chance of fulfilling Gandhi's dream of peaceful change leading to a better world for all
I support that dream but am lacking a practical means of implementing, at present.
it's not just the CIA anymore, the CIA is really only an enforcement arm anyway, and not the entire CIA is corrupt, but just enough in the right places to matter, between them and the private police forces major corporations employ, it'd be a coin flip. But every enforcement branch is corrupted now.
As a whole, it is corrupt and nothing less than abolishing it will change things. Indeed, I agree with you. My thesis was that what the CIA does is on behalf of this 'tiny elite', in fact, an 'un-elected government' of robber barons and corporatists.
by
Len Hart (132 articles, 174 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 550 comments)
on Monday, March 17, 2008 at 2:53:21 AM
There is a way to achieve Gandhi's dream but there is a problem in implementing it - General Strikes. Gandhi used GS effectively to bring the English Empire to it's knees. GS have also been effective in Europe, South America and may be the most original form of democratic expression and tool for immediate change the people have.
The problem as I see it is that this country is so fragmented, controlled, misinformed and frightened that it's near impossible to have enough people to become aware of a GS taking place and if they did getting them to participate.
Case in point, there was a GS called for March 15th, but who knew? One would think that with use of progressive blogs word could spread rather easily yet I have witnessed little co-operation among them to inform their readership to the power they have in using this tool and organizing their readership to participate in one. Why this is I'm at a lose to say. I would not be surprised at all to find out that some of the so-called "progressive sites" are actually shills for the CIA, but not all of them, and not enough of them to totally blunt the formation of a GS. So what is stopping the progressive blogs from doing this to me is still a mystery.
Next there is the cowardliness of the American people. When informing people of a GS I would run into many who were simply not willing to participate for fear of losing a days pay. It's beyond pathetic that someone would be so coward-ed and in debt as to not risk losing a days pay in trade for losing one's country. However if educated to the power they have one would hope that perception could be changed.
But if change were to happen Gandhi's use of GS has proven to be a very effective and what we need to figure out is how to inform enough people in this country to the power of participating in one. Gandhi's India had massive participation, something like 90% brought the country to a standstill, recently Venezuela had near 100% participation. Of course Gandhi had a different situation in that there was a obvious common enemy in an occupying force. We could never hope to get anywhere near that number but if we had even a 20% participation it would be significant enough to have an effect.
Will this happen? I have grave doubts. Maybe the economic collapse will wake people up but I feel that will only further drive the stake of fear deeper in them. How people deal with this may have already been programmed. And I fear that Gandhi's dream will remain just that - a dream.
by
Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 15 diaries, 1684 comments)
on Monday, March 17, 2008 at 9:07:13 AM
Mr M, your ideas about Ghandi are right on the mark. I agree about general strikes. The GOP seems to have done a pretty good job of pitting one class against another --just enough to make general strikes ineffective or, more accurately, even possible. I hope I am wrong. Will enjoy learning more of your views on this topic.
by
Len Hart (132 articles, 174 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 550 comments)
on Monday, March 17, 2008 at 12:25:26 PM
in that I've e-mailed all the bloggers and asked why they haven't co-ordinated with other sites to rally their membership and have been meet mostly with silence. I don't know if it's rivalry between them, ego, lack of courage or will or that perhaps someone with more sand than one old man with an idea needs to get in their faces to find out what's what?
I just can't help but believe that if we were to rally all the members of MoveOn, Thomas Paine, Alternet, and other so-called progressive sites that you would have several million who could contact millions of others and start something that might actually effect policy in a way far better than just screaming into a vacuum.
I've thought that forming a site specifically for GS would be a good idea - GS.com. It could be a central clearing house for targeted regional GS's as well as national strikes. If people have a grievance they could form a strike targeting whatever company, politician, or cause by posting on the sight to garner the people and resources necessary to make it work. I personally don't have the knowledge to know where to start to do this, nor the money, but I would contribute in any way I could to get it started. Maybe that is what these other sites need. Than an ad could be placed on their sites steering people to the GS site. It alleviates them from having to marshal the time to co-ordinate it at the same time promoting it.
Anyway, that's the best I can come up with.
by
Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 15 diaries, 1684 comments)
on Monday, March 17, 2008 at 1:53:09 PM
M, I understand your frustration. I also understand how most families cannot afford to lose a single day's pay.
Bobby MaGee summed it up: "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose!"
Can we call this freedom? We don't get to choose between work or no work. We HAVE TO work and, rarely, do we have any real choice of employers. American 'freedom' is reduced to a choice between which loss hurts least: my job or my freedom?
by
Len Hart (132 articles, 174 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 550 comments)
on Monday, March 17, 2008 at 2:22:23 PM
The first time I heard General Strike mentioned in public was on a Pacifica Station KPFK, on Blasé Bonpane's Sunday morning program. It was about a year ago when a friend was visiting. Blasé is a former Maryknoll priest who spent years in Guatamala and really knows what is happening. I understand there is a Pacifica Station in Houston too. I would like to see progressives support progressive media and quit supporting the Traditional Media propaganda. If the progressives supported progressive media they could have progressive version of USA Today.
It is difficult to get the word out for a general strike especially when some have hope that a new president may make a difference. I heard someone say that if big money wanted a war and the president refused to cooperate, he would be thrown out of office. There isn't much hope for big change to take place no matter who gets elected.
by
realtime (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 7 comments)
on Friday, March 21, 2008 at 10:56:50 AM
I took a book discussion course taught by a retired history professor that covered Howard Zinn's book “A Peoples History”. He supplemented it with notes garnered from his readings and made it even better, if that is possible, than the original book. Since then I have been informally trying to estimate the number of people killed by our government or settlers, starting with the 16 million Indians, and the 3-5 million slaves that died (the best estimate I can find). Some of the stuff I have used comes from googling U. S. interventions. Zoltan Grossman has a pretty good timeline that appears in several locations, and I have met and purchased William Blum's book. I appreciate some of the work you have done.
by
realtime (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 7 comments)
on Friday, March 21, 2008 at 10:28:11 AM
11 comments
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