Lie.

Fact is, I can find more Jew-haters, Holocaust deniers and Holocaust questioners on the radical lefty blogs. That is where the hate can usually be found.

by Scott (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 415 comments) on Monday, December 17, 2007 at 11:17:28 PM
 

Interesting take

though it reflects rather poorly upon your powers of observation and your veracity.

Whenever I have seen such diatribe as you suggest comes from "lefty web sites" it has generally come from righties who post there and not from actual progressives. Like this case here for example.......

Not to suggest that just because one subscribes to left wing politics she is blame free....but I much prefer the sanity in contrast to such posts as yours.....

by ardee D. (6 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 2388 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 11:38:43 AM
 

time will tell

Well, I will pray along with you that these observations are a "diatribe", but facts are facts (e.g., Prescott Bush, polls, etc.) and objectivity for I suspect millions of us doesn't mean comforatable denial.  Time will tell -- unfortunately that's just what we're running out of.

by W. Christopher Epler (Bill) (218 articles, 44 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 482 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 12:11:20 PM
 

You would know

Scott, I guess you would know all about whether the haters are on the righty blogs or the lefty blogs.  I suspect you spend a lot of your spare time talking with your fellow right-wing neo-fascists when you're not here spreading mis-information and lies.

As for "hating," that's a personal emotion and not specific to any particular political persuasion.  Some days I really HATE and DESPISE and am totally DISGUSTED by Rethuglicans and their anti-American, anti-soldier, anti-Civil Liberties, anti-environment, anti working person mentality.  Other times I'm just ANGRY.  And sometimes I'm just disappointed.

But liars like you -- I always hate with a passion reserved for child molesters and animal abusers.

by Charlie L (2 articles, 2 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 638 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 6:04:46 PM
 

Comment is hidden

Republican Party has Transmuted

I was raised a Goldwater/Reagan Republican, and back then the GOP was much closer to the libertarian strain now embodied by Ron Paul. Now, granted that the Plutocracy in this country has always had a strong foothold in the GOP, back in the 60s this was associated more with the Eastern Estalblishment and the Rockerfeller wing of the GOP, and we thought that Goldwater, and then Reagan, could keep them in their place.

But no, they were too entrenched and conniving, quickly gaining footholds in the Reagan Administration, spearheaded by VP George Bush Senior, so that their agendas began to predominate. Bush, the pretend Reaganite, pretend-Texan, was always rooted in the elitist ideology of the Plutocracy, which has always had Fascist leanings and connections. Their pro-Eugenics enthusiasm in the early 1900s actually inspired the Nazis as they crafted their own ideology.

Key here was Prescott Bush, who was literally in bed with the Nazis as one of their American bankers. Whether he would secretly salute Hitler when he woke up every morning or just saluted the profits he was making off of the Nazis is open to discussion, but either way, we have someone who was eager to do business with the Devil, so-to-speak, and he set the tone for the entire Bush dynasty that followed him. In parallel, as the Bush dynasty predominated more and more in the GOP, the more the entire GOP stepped over into the Dark Side, so that now the GOP embodies all the qualities, either nascent or full-blown, that Goldwater and Reagan used to rail against, that is, the tyranny of totalitarianism and Statism.

What great irony! The final triumph of Medieval-mentality Elitists in a party that once fought for freedom and liberty for all, dating back to the Civil War and the Abolitionist Movement. Meanwhile Ron Paul, truer to Goldwater and Reagan's legacy than anyone else running for the GOP nomination, is considered the oddity by the Establishment GOP. Paul is trying to recalim the soul of the GOP for the masses, but it may be too late.

by Mac McKinney (42 articles, 62 quicklinks, 147 diaries, 985 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 8:40:29 AM
 

Republican friends

My memory of the Republican Party goes back a few years, and the trash now in Washington calling themselves Republicans just doesn't compute. I am a passionate liberal, but I still honored and respected my Republican friends of yore. Your quick history was well taken, and that's why I think traditional (not establishment) Democrats AND Republicans now have the same enemy and I don't think we'll get our country (and real two party system) back unless we find ways of working together.

by W. Christopher Epler (Bill) (218 articles, 44 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 482 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 12:18:14 PM
 

Fresh news of the same old fuhrer-istic thang

Just to say a Contract on America, in force, continues unabated, and escalates by the Butcher Bushes.

HERE, open reading of Insider-Magazine (dot COM)

Top story today:  Contract on America signed by Dixie Mafia (read: Butcher Poppy Bush & Boys).

And, who dat, say dat, know dat:  LIFE AT THE END OF A GUN BARREL (pdf)

And this is one place the situation is going on, LoadedOrygun, (pass it on and on-er): FISA and the Senators.

-

by meremark (1 articles, 3 quicklinks, 23 diaries, 483 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 3:15:44 PM
 

It's gotten to the point ...

that I have become so disheartened by it all that I'm preparing for the jack-boots.

I can't, won't, get my hopes up anymore that the people or one of the saner political movers and shakers will somehow shine the light on the evil that has infested this country and snatch our Constitution from the flames of fascism that is rapidly consuming our rights and freedoms. The culmination of all factions, economic, environmental, dwindling resources, population explosion, military expansion, and it's off-shoots consolidation of the media, repression of thought, jailing of dissidents, legalized torture, polarization, disintegration of education, destruction of the middle class, globalization and the "New World Order", add up to a force that has become near unstoppable, and indeed, will, like all destructive forces, after it has destroyed all perceived enemies will turn on itself until nothing is left to plunder or kill.

As much as I would like to believe Gandhi when he said that whenever he had moments of despair he would remind himself that through-out history the force  of evil were always defeated by the force of good - always, I have to remind myself of what happened to him.

I hate to sound so negative, but I can only recite what I perceive. If I could see one glimmer of hope that wasn't negated by some measure coming from the powers that be I might fell differently. But when we have bills like the Patriot Act I & II, Military Commission Act, and now H.R 1955 and S 1959 being overwhelmingly supported by those we thought might know better, when I see the law treated with disdain when it comes to holding those in high office accountable and used against those that would point out the inequalities, when I see our election process become a farce and see a populace so dumbed-down that they trust the incompetent because incompetence has become the norm, until I see otherwise I will remain disheartened.

by Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 1256 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 10:24:56 AM
 

oops ... need to proof read ...

"... might feel differnetly ..." not "fell"

by Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 1256 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 10:27:46 AM
 

oops again ...

damn, need to stop posting before I have my coffee ... "...differently .."

by Mr M (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 9 diaries, 1256 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 10:29:27 AM
 

when you're right, you're right

Opps, sorry about the typos.  I should have caught them.  Too much writing while doing a ton of other things is catching up with me.  Anyway, thanks for pointing them out.  When you're right, you're right.  I will try to do better in the future.

. . . now let's see, did I do it again here?

Seasons greetings and solidarity,

Bill 

by W. Christopher Epler (Bill) (218 articles, 44 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 482 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 11:58:06 AM
 

omygosh!

Omygosh!  They weren't even my typos.  Still, it's good to be reminded to be careful and I shall take your advice as well.

Bill 

by W. Christopher Epler (Bill) (218 articles, 44 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 482 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 12:05:42 PM
 

The Ominous Parallels

There was a fairly good book written on this subject.  As I recall, it didn’t get into the specifics of accusing the two President Bushes as Bill Epler has, but I could be wrong.  It’s not a new book and it’s been a long time since I read it.  It might have even been published before the Bush presidencies.  Follow the Amazon link and read the reviews, if you are interested.  There are 44 customer reviews listed next to the four little orange stars. Amazon.com: The Ominous Parallels: Books: Leonard Peikoff

by Paul Rye (6 articles, 1 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 253 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 2:07:51 PM
 

FASCISM'S REAL ENEMY

Unfortunately, historically, the only real enemy of fascism has been communism. Hitler was convinced that the West would ultimately join him in the destruction of the Soviet Union, which the White Army from the West had attempted to do throughout the post WWI era. America's reluctance to join the Western Front and invade France had more to do with its hope that Germany would destroy the Soviets than with military necessity or planning. And contrary to popular myth, America did not turn the tide of WWII by joining the Western Front, where Hitler had stationed only 10% of his forces, but the Soviets turned the tide at Stalingrad in the East where 90% of the German forces stood.

In Germany, the Reichstag fire and the Enabling Act that followed in 1933 were aimed at the suppression of the communist party by the Nazi's long before their control of power over the country had been consolidated. That power was fully consolidated in 1934 after The Night of the Long Knives, when pressure from the liberal middle class and the conservative aristocracy over Ernst Rohm's Brown Shirt's taking the "socialist" part of "National Socialist Party" too literally, forced Hitler to assassinate Rohm and a host of other enemies without trial, including a few middle class and aristocratic political and military leaders. After those prominent executions, with the exception of the communists and elements of the church that made it underground, even Germany's liberals came to support Hitler's leadership.

If full blown fascism comes to the United States, those of us that blog will not be the ones that are arrested and shot. It will be the Keith Olberman's and the Michael Moore's that are made public spectacles of the fascist power. And like in Nazi Germany, we keypad pushing intellectuals of the middle class will just shut up and learn our lesson, and once again the few remaining communists and the real church will go underground and form a resistance, for this has been the historical lesson. We might whisper in isolation what a tragedy it all is, but without an ideology or higher power to push us further, we will swallow our shame and watch in silent protest.

This is my great fear. 

by W.M.L. (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 283 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 5:43:37 PM
 

Evolution

Don't leave out the possibility that fascism has EVOLVED and is now a hybrid of corporate fascism and militaristic fascism.  And where old-style fascism might have needed the boot of military power or police to hold its control, modern neo-corporate-fascism can use mass media propaganda, debt slavery, and consumerism to control the population.  It's touch of the Roman era thrown in with the Nazi's.

While I don't doubt that a full-scale fascist take-over will require the mercenaries of Blackwater to patrol our streets in some numbers, it will be the corporate forces and the threat of unemployment and destitution that will be the government's strongest power.

So, having some major "Committee" in Washington that can hold hearings and bring people to testify about their "activities" and then label them and cause them to lose work would be a valuable weapon in the advancement of their plans.  Hence, HR 1955 and S 1959 ("Homegrown Terrorism Act") are perfect for creating the next McCarthy and the next "House  Un-American Activities Committee."

Let's not make the mistake that the Rethuglicans make and fight the LAST war -- let's look ahead to how they will be more ruthless, more deceptive, and more dangerous.

by Charlie L (2 articles, 2 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 638 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 6:12:53 PM
 

debt slavery

Charlie,

"debt slavery" -- God what if perfect way to say it.  And how many millions of Americans are now in the place that weren't 7 years ago?

One analogy that keeps coming to my mind is that in a toxic marriage, I don't give a s___ how much the relatives and priests say you've got to die with your boots on, most of us say to hell with that and LEAVE.  With just a little more of a "paradigm shift", this is what I think will happen to our country.  Just a little more critical mass and then we leave the paper political games and apoliticaly take our world back.   

These scum are scared and the more they bluster is more scared they are. And they're scared because they know propaganda or no propaganda, and vampire elites or no vampire elites, WE MAKE UP THE HUGE MAJORITY OF THE COUNTRY and when enough cattle (that's us) start pushing against the fences, the fences WILL GO DOWN. Listen, I can already hear the cracking . . .

Seasons Greetings, Bill :( 

by W. Christopher Epler (Bill) (218 articles, 44 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 482 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 6:32:47 PM
 

NO DIFFERENT TACTICS

Benito Mussolini defined fascism as the merger of corporations and the government as head of the military. Just as he and Hitler used a series of false flag operations and select assassinations to eliminate the working class leaders of mass movements and gain the trust of the middle class, aristocracy, and military, so has Bush II used false flag operations, anthrax attacks and select assassinations to intimidate the federal government and the MSM into complete submission. Before he can institute complete control over the United States, leaders of various populist movements will have to be publicly silenced. I suspect Lou Dobbs, Keith Olberman, and Michael Moore will be prominently arrested and executed.  That should shut up the intellectuals, and send any serious revolutionaries underground.

by W.M.L. (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 283 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 7:44:25 PM
 

much food for thought -- thank you

Thank you, thank you.  Your comments have given me much food for thought (plus some useful historical fine tuning).  You know, I will NEVER understand how a functioning historian can have anything but unqualifiedly liberal views.  But, I guess that's just not a case since fascist historians abound.  How is this possible, since history really is an open book (at least eventually) about the machinations of evil. 

Seasons Greetings, Bill :) 

by W. Christopher Epler (Bill) (218 articles, 44 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 482 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 6:20:35 PM
 

LIBERALISM

Liberalism as a term of art in political science means favoring a form of government strongly limited in its power by various checks and balances, a constitution usually, branches of government, representative democracy, federalism, and some document granting or guaranteeing the people's rights.  

How do you define it?  

by W.M.L. (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 283 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 7:16:15 PM
 

Democracy is the key

I think you've pretty much covered it. Democracy, to be simplistic, is the heart and soul of it all. A power of the people government, defined by a rational/ethical constitution. Checks and balances, absolutely, and our Constitkution framers were genius' about that.

The flaw is that constitutions and laws aren't magic and the will of the people MUST BE MANIFEST -- which doesn't happen while watching televison sitcoms and pretending that nothing horrific could ever happen to America.

It already has.

Also, more generally, an absolute IMPOSSIBILITY that elites could ever become elites.  This is the antithesis of liberalism:  a Dictatorship of the Rich (which is EXACTLY what our country is -- alas).

by W. Christopher Epler (Bill) (218 articles, 44 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 482 comments) on Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 10:09:00 PM
 

DEMOCRACY IS THE PROBLEM

Interestingly enough, Bill, our current problems coincide with the greatest democratization of our society that the U.S. has ever seen. The entire 20th century saw the enlargement of the franchise to ever more groups, and a continuous breakdown of the elite structures that had heretofore shaped the character of the leaders of our country. Remember, democracy brought Hitler to power, and democratically elected representatives voted for the Enabling Act. Direct democracy in California has made that state virtually ungovernable, directly allocating 85% of tax revenues by popular mandate, whether needed or not, and allowing the state legislature a mere 15% to perform the legitimate business of government.

Although you claim that your definition of liberalism is the same as the definition in political science, my guess is that it is more in the nature that most progressives use the term. Liberalism as coined these days refers to a system that is quasi-socialist, subsidizing health, education, transportation, certain wages, retirement, the unemployed, immigrants, veterans, children, and other groups, and maybe nationalizing certain key industries. Also, liberalism refers to the maximum expansion of democracy, and the acceptance of relativism--once considered tolerance, but now twisted to mean that any person's ideas are as equally true as any other's. A person holding these positions in other countries or in past days would be called a Social Democrat.

The problem with social democracy is that it fails to go after the root of the problem: the existence of a ruling elite that manipulates the masses into doing its own bidding. From the late 1800's to this day, communism has fought off any attempt by social democrats to make inroads into the communist position for that very reason. To a communist, a social democrat merely siphons off gullible workers that would otherwise join communist ranks and fight the fascist menace, and is therefore just as much a menace as the fascists themselves.

What have social democrats given us in the last few decades? They have restricted people's ability to smoke over the alleged effects of second hand smoke, while ignoring the fact that perfume and cologne have much more immediate and lasting effects on many more people; not to mention ignoring the vast amount of carcinogens filling our bodies with every drink and bite we take in. They have forced us to buckle up, and to wear bike helmets and motorcycle helmets, to label our coffee as hot, and to imprison three time felons (even nonviolent ones) for life, just to me