THEO-FASCIST


















14 Signs of Fascism.

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. Usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often borders on xenophobia.

2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. Through clever use of propaganda, the population is brought to accept human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted.

3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. The most significant common thread among past regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people’s attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions.

4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism. A disproportionate share of national resources is allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute.

5. Domestic spying. Secret surveillance of and gathering dossiers on its own citizens.

6. A controlled mass media. Whether directly or indirectly, these regimes exercise power to ensure media orthodoxy. Methods include the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media are often politically compatible with the power elite.

7. Obsession with national security. National security apparatus is under direct control of the ruling elite. It is usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions are justified under the rubric of “protecting national security,” and questioning its activities is portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.

8. Religion and ruling elite tied together. Most of the regimes attach themselves to the predominant religion of the country and choose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. Propaganda keeps up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the “godless.”

9. Power of corporations protected. The corporate structure is a way to not only ensure military production, but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite are often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of “have-not” citizens.

10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated. Since organized labor is seen as the one power center that could challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate allies, it is inevitably crushed or made powerless.

11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts. Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them are anathema to fascist regimes. Intellectual and academic freedom are considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal.

12. “Normal” and political crime are often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used against political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of criminals or “traitors” is often promoted among the population as an excuse for more police power.

13. Rampant cronyism and corruption. This corruption works both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism.

14. Fraudulent elections. Common methods include maintaining control of the election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite.

^ Does any of this sound familiar?

GOD WILLS IT!




















Duh-bya brayed:

"God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them."

If there was a God I would be praying for him to call Duhbya home - though somehow I don't think God would have much use for him either...

Neo-Conned




















Hey George, here's a suggestion...

GO FUCK YOURSELF!

Take your Christian End of Times nonsense and shove it up your ass.

Jesus isn't going to save your ass, you are not going to sit by the right hand of God.

Somehow, (even if God wasn't a figment of mans imagination) I can't see him accepting a mass murderer into Heaven - unless he is also a practitioner of situational ethics like yourself.

Behind Blue Eyes...
























During the "All Star Panel" on the 7/19 episode of "Special Report with Brit Hume", the Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes turned the panel discussion, which centered around the Israeli/Lebanese conflict, to the concept of Israel sending ground troops into Lebanon (which is quickly becoming reality). NPR's Mara Liasson shot the idea down, claiming logistically this was an impossibility. When she brought up the high civilian casualties such an invasion would cause, even Barnes seemed chastised, but not Hume - who attempted to change the topic from civilian casualties in the most uncouth of manners.

ML: "Look, a ground attack raises incredible complications. I mean, Hezbollah is completely interwoven with the civilian population there. People keep missiles there in their homes, there's no difference between the military and the civilian population in that part of Lebanon."

BH: "Yeah, it's not like they wear uniforms."

ML: "No. And it would be a very, very high civilian toll. I think for Israel to do that..."

BH: "Or a toll on the apparent civilians."

Hume's interruption quickly diverted the attention from civilian deaths, bringing it back to Hezbollah as though civilian deaths weren't an issue. A look of shock spread across Liasson's face as Hume showed that he could not care less about the civilians in harms way, and wanted the viewers to quickly forget they were even brought up.

But don't take my word for it - watch this Whore of Israel perform for his masters.

Lord Haw-Haw























"Nothing is more tasteless, when set against the reality of death, than the hollow note of demagogy and false sentiment."
-- Christopher Hitchens

Once again Hitchens proves he is an effete fool and a Whore of Israel, the fact that he is now a proven liar, thief, and hypocrite is sauce for the goose.

I wonder how much AIPAC pays him to sell the rest of us out?

"Unconstitutional"

By GINA HOLLAND




















President Bush's penchant for writing exceptions to laws he has just signed violates the Constitution, an American Bar Association task force says in a report highly critical of the practice.

The ABA group, which includes a one-time FBI director and former federal appeals court judge, said the president has overstepped his authority in attaching challenges to hundreds of new laws.

The attachments, known as bill-signing statements, say Bush reserves a right to revise, interpret or disregard measures on national security and constitutional grounds.

"This report raises serious concerns crucial to the survival of our democracy," said the ABA's president, Michael Greco. "If left unchecked, the president's practice does grave harm to the separation of powers doctrine, and the system of checks and balances that have sustained our democracy for more than two centuries."

Some congressional leaders had questioned the practice. The task force's recommendations, being released Monday in Washington, will be presented to the 410,000-member group next month at its annual meeting in Hawaii.

ABA policymakers will decide whether to denounce the statements and encourage a legal fight over them.

The task force said the statements suggest the president will decline to enforce some laws. Bush has had more than 800 signing statement challenges, compared with about 600 signing statements combined for all other presidents, the group said.

Noel J. Francisco, a former Bush administration attorney who practices law in Washington, said the president is doing nothing unusual or inappropriate.

"Presidents have always issued signing statements," he said. "This administration believes that it should make clear ... when the Congress is getting close to the lines that our Constitution draws."

Francisco said the administration's input is part of the give and take between the branches of government. "I think it's good that the debate is taking place at a public level," he added.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said last month that "it's important for the president at least to express reservations about the constitutionality of certain provisions."

The ABA report said President Reagan was the first to use the statements as a strategic weapon, and that it was encouraged by then-administration lawyer Samuel Alito _ now the newest Supreme Court justice.

The task force included former prosecutor Neal Sonnett of Miami; former FBI Director William Sessions; Patricia Wald, former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; former Republican Rep. Mickey Edwards; and former Reagan administration lawyer Bruce Fein; and law school professors and other lawyers.

___

On the Net:

American Bar Association

Appearing on MSNBC, conservative pundit Pat Buchanan -- along with MSNBC host Chris Matthews -- slammed neoconservatives for what Buchanan described as Mideast 'warmongering' surrounding the crisis in Lebanon.

In a recent column, Buchanan also said that the Bush administration's unwavering support for Israel, as it imposes "deliberate suffering on civilians" and "collective punishment on innocent people" through its attacks on Lebanon, is "un-American and un-Christian."