IGNORING THE REAL THREAT
It never ceases to amaze me how Americans can be fixated on the dangers of socialism, a movement that never made a serious in-road in the U.S., and overlook the growing danger of right-wing extremism, which has had a steady growth since Ronald Reagan. This growing menace is not being characterized here as some sort of silly little argument from a liberal. Call me what you will, but I am not a member of any movement of the left or the right. But creeping fascism, which is what extreme right-wing movements are, has made tremendous strides in the U.S. Few Americans know how many strides.
Secretly, clandestinely, insidiously, there is a real attempt in the United States to establish a fascist or fascist-like state. That is not just a word that I offer as an argument, I'm refering to real fascism. Developments in the U.S. over the last several decades have been very similar historically to what evolved in Germany and Italy just before Hitler and Mussolini came to power. And in both instances the primary moving force behind it all was corporate greed for money and power. Hitler used the term National Socialism [Nazi] to hide the anti-socialism of his benefactors and followers. Hitler also used the scare of international communism, the power of the Jews in Europe, and other motivating lies.
Naomi Wolf even outlined how fascism was moving forward with success in America. Her book THE END OF AMERICA: A LETTER OF WARNING TO A YOUNG PATRIOT was very clear in pointing this out. In that book and in a Guardian article in April, 2007 she listed ten steps that "can be witnessed in the transition of any democratic state to one of fascist rule." She saw in 2007 some clear evidence of what was happening along these ten steps in the Bush years. Here are the ten steps:
1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy. [Islam is the current favorite among the right-wing]
2. Create secret prisons where torture takes place. [Bush had several besides Gitmo worldwide].
3. Develop a thug caste or paramilitary force not answerable to citizens. [Tea party groups, etc.].
4. Set up an internal surveillance system. [a personal favorite of Dick Cheney]
5. Harass citizens' groups. [ACORN, Democracy Now, etc. have been harrassed]
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release. [A fav of the Bush guys]
7. Target key individuals.
8. Control the press. [every news outlet that does not support corporate greed is called unpatriotic]
9. Treat all political dissents to be traitors. [You were labeled either a patriot or a traitor]
10. Suspend the rule of law. [court cases are now pending and more to be revealed]
Do you see any pattern that developed in the past 30 years that fits that list? If not, you simply are not paying attention or will blindly goose-step to anything that comes from the right-wing.
Now comes a book that comes from an author who got inside the clandestine group of power elites called "The Family." Jeff Sharlet has written a recent book carrying that name. It shows how the right -wing has joined the religious fundamentalists to carry out a war to take over the U.S. and the world. I know, that seems preposterous exaggeration. Read the book. It will scare the daylights out of you with inside facts. Here is how the book is described in Wikipedia and elsewhere...
"The Fellowship [The Family] is an international organization founded in 1935, which since at least 1969 has been led by Douglas Coe. Its members include scores of U.S. Senators, members of Congress, White House and other executive branch officials, high-ranking military officers, corporate executives, the heads of religious and humanitarian aid organizations, and non-U.S. leaders and ambassadors. It has been described by prominent evangelical Christians as one of the most, or the most politically well-connected fundamentalist organization in the U.S."
"In public, they host Prayer Breakfasts; in private, they preach a gospel of 'biblical capitalism,' military might, and American empire. Citing Hitler, Lenin, and Mao as leadership models, the Family's current leader, Doug Coe, declares, 'We work with power where we can, build new power where we can't."
"In 2009, the Family received a spate of media attention when three prominent Republicans associated with the Fellowship were reported to have engaged in extra-marital affairs. Two of them, Senator John Ensign and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, were considering running for President in 2012 and their affairs were known to the Family several months before becoming public. The affairs of Ensign and then-Congressman Chip Pickering, R-Miss., took place while they were living at the C Street Center. All three voted to impeach Bill Clinton; Ensign and Sanford had called for Clinton to resign over his affair with Monica Lewinsky."
There are mostly Republicans involved in this dangerous cabal, but there are enough Democrats to satisfy even the most skeptical political apologists. Combining right-wing politics, fundamentalist religion, and corporate greed has made for a stew that is poisoning America. If you think I am politically prejudicial on these subjects, read "The Family" by Jeff Sharlet. He names names, give specifics, and offers first-hand and inside information about how close this is becoming to reality in the U.S. Read!
