Fascism...what it looks and smells like ......

[TM7]

Many folks think fascism only springs from socialistic economic states. But this is not so, although fascist plutocracy may mask itself behind the label of one or the other. Fascism, or totalitarianism, always adopts features of both socialistic and capitalistic systems; to brand itself whatever is most easily accepted in that country....  Here's some more info...fyi..TM7.
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  Corporative state:  The economic system inaugurated by the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini in Italy. It was adapted in modified form under other European dictatorships, among them Adolf Hitler's National Socialist regime in Germany and the Spanish regime of Francisco Franco. Although the Italian system was based upon unlimited government control of economic life, it still preserved the framework of capitalism. Legislation of 1926 and later years set up guilds, or associations, of employees and employers to administer various sectors of the national economy. These were represented in the national council of corporations. The corporations were generally weighted by the state in favor of the wealthy classes, and they served to combat socialism and syndicalism by absorbing the trade union movement. The Italian corporative state aimed in general at reduced consumption in the interest of militarization.
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. Benito Mussolini
Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.
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It is the State which educates its citizens in civic virtue, gives them a consciousness of their mission and welds them into unity.
Benito Mussolini
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War alone brings up to their highest tension all human energies and imposes the stamp of nobility upon the peoples who have the courage to make it.
Benito Mussolini
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Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.
6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed
to the government's policies or actions.
9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections . . .

CLUES THAT YOUR COUNTRY
MAY BE TURNING
INTO A FASCIST STATE

 

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[NOTE: Some of these symptoms are found in non-fascist countries where they should be treated as serious warning signs. On the other hand, fascist states - unlike democratic nations - have many, if not all, of these symptoms.

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Your president asserts the right to ignore part or all of laws passed by the national legislatur.

Massive warrantless searches Your president and other officials regularly lie to you Fraudulent election counts Government monitoring of letters, emails, phone calls and checking accounts Secret courts A government subservient to the interests of the country's largest corporations. Use of torture on prisonersCourts that support presidential use of unconstitutional powersMassive spying on citizens, especially those involved in political dissentA government that uses words like democracy, freedom and peace while engaging in acts dramatically at odds with such wordsGovernment agencies or officials declaring themselves exempt from portions of the law or constitutionCreation of watchlists, no-fly lists and similar exclusionary documentsNational ID cardsGrowing number of citizens incarcerated for a growing number of offensesMassive use of cameras to spy on citizensA media supportive of, or obsequious towards, the government in covering its police state activitiesSecurity bubble around government leaders' public appearances including preselected audiences and limit on proximity of protestsDisarming of citizenryDissent characterized as disloyal by government and its supporting mediaIncreasing government control over private behaviorLack of legal recourse to stop illegal government actionsPrison without trial and arrests without chargesIt is difficult to borrow books from libraries pertaining to controversial subjects such as, communism,socialism,and, fascism.Transfer of powers from legislatures to executiveAssassinations of popular public figuresExpansion of prisons and laws that lead people to prisonsPresident claims right to make war whenever he wantsWords misused to mean their opposite: i.e. peace for war, democracy for fascismThe president sets himself up as the sole moral authority for the entire country, using his personal beliefs as the basis on which to declare what is 'good' and what is 'evil.'Federal takeover of functions formerly considered essential state or local responsibilities such as state militias and public education.

Creation of a mercenary military force used for foreign and domestic purposes

[BUGEYE]

LOL, I figured that was where this was going. 
We have a constitution.
The military is overseen by civilians.
those civilians are overseen  by the huge ARMY of civilians. (of course some are chicken)

Hope for the best.

[BUGEYE]

LOL, I figured that was where this was going. 
We have a constitution.
The military is overseen by civilians.
those civilians are overseen  by the huge ARMY of civilians. (of course some are chicken)

Hope for the best.

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 LoL,,,,The Constitution is abrogated. Have you ever noticed alot of discussion at GBO and elsewhere is about this abrogation.. Have you also noticed that currently alot of current discussion is about impending cancelation of the 2nd Amend, and whether troops and paramilitary will fire upon 'civilans'?  Apparently not.
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...TM7
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Yep I've read most of it.  and here's what I think will happen.  hussein will appoint two supremes.
some democrats will sue to make all privately owned guns illegal.  the SCOTUS will declare the 1st, 2nd and 4th (for now) amendments null and void.  they'll get to some more later.
and we will take down the stars-and-stripes and run up the hammer-and-sickle.
most jobs will be in government factories or living in communes raising food crops.

[BBF]

Add to it the very recent attempt by a NY ( DEM) congress critter to push for the elimination of the 22nd Adm.

[BUGEYE]

Add to it the very recent attempt by a NY ( DEM) congress critter to push for the elimination of the 22nd Adm.

He sounds like hugo chavez.  dictator for life.

[SharonAnne]

are we ready to shed blood, ours and theirs, to fight the reign of Hussein the first, Emperor of North America?

[BUGEYE]

are we ready to shed blood, ours and theirs, to fight the reign of Hussein the first, Emperor of North America?

Some are, some are chicken.

[Mike in Virginia]

Sharon, you ask a question I would ask you.  Are you to that point?  If half the nation would fight with you, are you ready for that?  Personally, I ain't.  Being chicken has nothing to do with it.  Being realistic is all of it.  The citizens can not fight the government.  It's too big.  We wouldn't last a week.  No government employee will resign their job to join in an effort that is doomed before it starts.  The U.S. citizen lives where he cannot survive without government services.  Sad, but true.

[AtlLaw]

are we ready to shed blood, ours and theirs, to fight the reign of Hussein the first, Emperor of North America?

Therein lay the quandry... "theirs" are "ours" and "we" are "they."   
 
This is not like the American Revolution.  That was against a foreign power.  Here we have are not against our own form of government, but the actions of our elected representatives!  The way our Republic was designed if we don't like the actions of those in power, we vote them out!  We get what we, or the voting majority, vote for... 
 
The only way these people can do what you fear is by subverting the Constitution.  And that will be done surreptitiously.  We will all go quietly into that night.
 
 

[BBF]

Perhaps all won't be going quietly but GO they will.

[BBF]

In large population centres, where I am it would be laughable.
Somehow and I may be optimistic with this, having multiple parties and observers at the polling station may just make cheating a bit more difficult.

[BBF]

In large population centres, where I am it would be laughable.
Somehow and I may be optimistic with this, having multiple parties and observers at the polling station may just make cheating a bit more difficult.

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 Yes, but when they go e-voting and online voting, cheating becomes facilitated. You think?
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..TM7

Absolutely, That e-voting etc doesn't change the fact that the persons who count the results are more important than the people who vote.