PH: Naomi Wolf wrote about fascism under W Bush. In her book, The End ofAmerica.
The 10 essential steps the state must implement to take total control are:
- Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy.
- Create secret prisons where torture takes place.
- Develop a thug caste or paramilitary force not answerable to citizens.
- Set up an internal surveillance system.
- Harass citizens' groups
- Engage in arbitrary detention and release.
- Target key individuals.
- Control the press.
- Treat all political dissidents as traitors.
- Suspend the rule of law.
Seems like she was 300 years too late. However, this is United States of Amnesia, Groundhog Day, and plagued with consumerist and spectacle loving people. Discuss.
LF: Interesting choice. Well, one thing I have to confess is that books like this-out in 2007-is about Bush fascism. I get itchy about books that seem to indicate that such American fascism started with Bush, or grew appreciably more. And she does seem to say that given time, Democrats can change the laws. I liked Jules Boykoff's book, 2006, Suppression of Dissent which talks about how American protest has been dismantled by a media-state partnership, by talking about Black Panthers (60s) and Judi Bari (90s); and also Bill Quigley, writing in 2011 about how police have become SWAT teams which have become military operations against protesters. And in my book, I obviously argue that American fascism is from the way-back. It's like people who argue, "Well, hey Trump," like he's the be-all and end-all of bad American government, when mostly Obama did the same but he's apparently now a god. Anyway. Wolf's 10 steps-My women have seen all of that, and before 2007. You've got internal/external enemies as in communism and terrorism, or wartime enemies leading to imprisonment. Secret prisons we have as in black site prisons for Siddiqui, or the conditions for the women prisoners of the Lexington High Security Unit being kept quiet-conditions of extreme torture. Plus most people don't know we have many many political prisoners in jail, mostly in solitary-like Red Fawn Fallis and Aafia Siddiqui and Marius Mason at Carswell, TX. The paramilitary was at Standing Rock, but also used against Mother Jones.
And surveillance-oh yeah-Standing Rock, Occupy, and also against the National Woman's Party in 1917, done by the brand new FBI. Government has harassed citizen groups from the pro-Palestinian to those equated with Communism in the 50s. We've seen arbitrary detention of suffragists, Occupy protesters and, of course, lawyer Lynne Stewart. Stewart was also a targeted key individual, as was Ma Bloor in the 40s, Wounded Knee resisters in the 70s and Standing Rock protectors a couple of years ago. Occupy tried not to say who their leaders were to avoid that. The press is totally controlled now, except Dissident Voice and a few stalwarts, but a controlled media was used against Shakur and the Panthers, Siddiqui, Judi Bari and ("Red") Emma Goldman.
Political dissidents have been considered traitors-especially in wartime, WWI being an egregious example, as also the communists, the Ohio 7 and Weatherwomen, even 83-year-old Plowshares nuns. The lack of the rule of law is definitely horrible today-that's why Lynne Stewart was jailed, because she tried to fight for that principle-no defender rights, especially against "terrorists", but it was no picnic for Communists or Japanese-American women jailed for their race. Wolf's is a useful list-and again, government control gets worse and worse and people don't seem to notice, or want to notice, much less fight it
PH: Now universities, businesses, Homeland Security, police, FBI, banks, state, city, county governments, police forces, private corporations seemingly work together to quell dissent, quell debate, stave off any criticism of the vanguard and elites. Are we in very different times now, and how and why, than when the Weather Underground, BPP, et al were protesting and dissenting in the 1960s-'90s?
LF: Well, things are different now and mostly not better for dissent, but as I've argued, it's never been good. For instance, in the 1960s to the 90s, the media was not completely controlled, so you could have some truthful coverage, some anti-authority coverage, some sympathy for dissenters which is hard to find now. It was not Standing Operating Procedure to use an all-out military attack on just about any or all serious protest. After the Kent State student killings in 1970, as a student, I joined a very big rally which shut down the Northway in Albany because of what the National Guard did. So a different time in that way-constant protest is needed now over police/military brutality in this country. And look what happens-Sandra Bland was killed in her cell and Rev. Joy Powell was railroaded on a murder charge after they took on police brutality against Black Americans. There is no habeas corpus or fair legal treatment; there is ultra surveillance-and there is a very tight and efficient bond between Big Business and global elitist government. There is brainwashing with an emphasis on sexist, racist and vacant thinking; workers have no power, and no jobs. So-here's what's the same as the 60s-we need a revolution!
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