Fear and Loathing

I'm not easily frightened. Honest. I have to say, though, that after reading this article on the 14 unifying threads of fascism, this article on the 10 signs of an impending U.S. police state, and this Boston Globe article on Bush's 750+ modifications/usurpations of Congressional law, I do get a bit weak-kneed. Let's consider the facts:

The 14 common characteristics of fascism are --

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism
2. Disdain for the importance of human rights
3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause
4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism
5. Rampant sexism
6. A controlled mass media
7. Obsession with national security
8. Religion and ruling elite tied together
9. Power of corporations protected
10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated
11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts
12. Obsession with crime and punishment
13. Rampant cronyism and corruption
14. Fraudulent elections

Admittedly, these 14 can in some cases be interpreted to apply to both parties. That does nothing to comfort me. I am of the strong opinion that the rampant corruption in our government is highly attributable to our two-party "wink-wink" system. Without more choices for voters, I fear that the political landscape will loom ever more barren on the horizon.

Ten signs that the U.S. is homing in on a police state:

1. The internet clampdown
2. "The Long War"
3. The USA Patriot Act
4. Prison camps
5. Touchscreen voting machines
6. Signing Statements
7. Warrantless wiretapping
8. Free speech zones
9. High-ranking whistleblowers
10. The CIA shakeup

Read the original article for details on each, but if you watch the news at all, or read up on current affairs, this list probably resonated strongly with you. Everything from Iraq, the resignations over touchscreen machines, the NSA, Porter Goss, and the invasion of privacy in the cybersphere should make us all think soberly.

Ten examples of Bush's "Signing Statements" since 2001:

March 9: Justice Department officials must give reports to Congress by certain dates on how the FBI is using the USA Patriot Act to search homes and secretly seize papers.

Bush's signing statement: The president can order Justice Department officials to withhold any information from Congress if he decides it could impair national security or executive branch operations.

Dec. 30, 2005: US interrogators cannot torture prisoners or otherwise subject them to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.

Bush's signing statement: The president, as commander in chief, can waive the torture ban if he decides that harsh interrogation techniques will assist in preventing terrorist attacks.

Dec. 30: When requested, scientific information ''prepared by government researchers and scientists shall be transmitted [to Congress] uncensored and without delay."

Bush's signing statement: The president can tell researchers to withhold any information from Congress if he decides its disclosure could impair foreign relations, national security, or the workings of the executive branch.

Aug. 8: The Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and its contractors may not fire or otherwise punish an employee whistle-blower who tells Congress about possible wrongdoing.

Bush's signing statement: The president or his appointees will determine whether employees of the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission can give information to Congress.

Dec. 23, 2004: Forbids US troops in Colombia from participating in any combat against rebels, except in cases of self-defense. Caps the number of US troops allowed in Colombia at 800.

Bush's signing statement: Only the president, as commander in chief, can place restrictions on the use of US armed forces, so the executive branch will construe the law ''as advisory in nature."

Dec. 17: The new national intelligence director shall recruit and train women and minorities to be spies, analysts, and translators in order to ensure diversity in the intelligence community.

Bush's signing statement: The executive branch shall construe the law in a manner consistent with a constitutional clause guaranteeing ''equal protection" for all. (In 2003, the Bush administration argued against race-conscious affirmative-action programs in a Supreme Court case. The court rejected Bush's view.)

Oct. 29: Defense Department personnel are prohibited from interfering with the ability of military lawyers to give independent legal advice to their commanders.

Bush's signing statement: All military attorneys are bound to follow legal conclusions reached by the administration's lawyers in the Justice Department and the Pentagon when giving advice to their commanders.

Aug. 5: The military cannot add to its files any illegally gathered intelligence, including information obtained about Americans in violation of the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches.

Bush's signing statement: Only the president, as commander in chief, can tell the military whether or not it can use any specific piece of intelligence.

Nov. 6, 2003: US officials in Iraq cannot prevent an inspector general for the Coalition Provisional Authority from carrying out any investigation. The inspector general must tell Congress if officials refuse to cooperate with his inquiries.

Bush's signing statement: The inspector general ''shall refrain" from investigating anything involving sensitive plans, intelligence, national security, or anything already being investigated by the Pentagon. The inspector cannot tell Congress anything if the president decides that disclosing the information would impair foreign relations, national security, or executive branch operations.

Nov. 5, 2002: Creates an Institute of Education Sciences whose director may conduct and publish research ''without the approval of the secretary [of education] or any other office of the department."

Bush's signing statement: The president has the power to control the actions of all executive branch officials, so ''the director of the Institute of Education Sciences shall [be] subject to the supervision and direction of the secretary of education."

So, am I just a paranoid fringe fanatic? Fear-mongering? No.

Don't get me wrong, I am not of the opinion that fascism is knocking at our door. However, I am of the opinion that if we see that bastard show up anywhere near our house, we ought to start firing out the window to scare him off. And, I doubt many would deny that these articles give us a keener perception of what lies just beyond our perimeter--even the shadow of a police state is terrifying, and when it's dark, and the wind blows just right, it seems to dance and jeer at us.

Consider these articles the first warnings from a BB gun. Let's hope fascism is easily spooked, or that November sees the departure of his shadow for a long time. Awareness is key, like G.I. Joe used to say...or wait, that was "and knowing is half the battle". Same thing.
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Technorati tags: Politics, Police State, Fascism