Fascism . . . a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader. (Merriam-Webster)
Fascism. . . .
1.”The Government is supreme and the country is all-encompassing, and all within it must conform to the ruling body, often a dictator.
2.”The country must grow and the implied goal of any fascist nation is to rule the world, and have every human submit to the government.
3.”Any type of questioning the government is not to be tolerated. If you do not see things our way, you are wrong. If you do not agree with the government, you cannot be allowed to live and taint the minds of the rest of the good citizens. (Benito Mussolini)
Some may ask, if the government is supreme in a fascist political structure, how does that differ from communism or socialism?
Communism and socialism are economic and political structures that promote equality and seek to eliminate social classes. . . . In a communist society, the working class owns everything, and everyone works toward the same communal goal.
There is a myth that communism and/or socialism is akin to fascism. Nothing could be further from the truth. Communism does not preclude a democratic process. In fact, it encourages it by empowering the people, all the people rather than just the elite class. Under a communist or socialist structure, there is no elite class.
Marx and Engels in their critique of capitalism pointed out that ruthless competition and heartless pursuit of money are immoral as they create exploitation of the masses by the very few privileged ones. As an alternative, they envisioned a classless society, without hierarchy, without currency, without personal property, where people would work in harmony, resolve their problems in friendly discussions, produce enough goods and services, and where each would contribute according to his abilities and receive according to his needs. This community-centered form of social order is called communism. (Henryk A. Kowalczyk)
Fascism is much more likely to occur and exist within a capitalist structure than a communist one.
Monday, the article I wrote, “Did Donald Trump Really Discover Fascism?” was published on Intrepid Report. I attempted to illustrate that the US has supported and entertained fascism for many decades despite its efforts in WW2 to defeat fascism.
I would like to use this opportunity to continue sharing my thoughts.
Before I start, let me state unequivocally that I strongly believe that Donald Trump is a fascist, racist, misogynist, narcissist who has provided legitimacy and a forum for members of the populace who are themselves fascists and white supremacists and who want to make America great again.
Translation . . . make America white again and deport from or refuse entry to this country for black and brown peoples.
But, let’s be honest, the movement of the US towards fascism did not begin with Trump’s administration. Although he is harsh and insulting, he is merely continuing the efforts of previous presidents to impose US domination.
If we examine, for example, the record of Barack Obama, we find overwhelming evidence that he was marching this country toward fascism. The difference being that Obama was intelligent, convincing or seductive, a good orator, had a sense of humor, had an attractive family, etc. In fact, he was seen by many as a “socialist,” a man who was looking out for the welfare of the people. Wrong!
It was in his administration that the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was signed into law, a law that endowed the president or executive of the United States with the power to determine who was a threat to the security of the US, capture him/her, imprison that person without time limitations, without charges being made or a trial to determine guilt or innocence. This act went even further and allowed for the execution or assassination of the targeted person and included, as potential targets, American citizens. In other words the president could now act as cop, judge, and executioner.
This act is one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation in US history.
Barack Obama is a constitutional lawyer who, I would assume, is cognizant of what actions or laws would be constitutional or unconstitutional. It appears to me, a naive uninformed, ordinary citizen, that when you eliminate due process and allow the power of life and death to rest in the hands of one person, especially one who is influenced by political pressures, it is unconstitutional.
As a result of the NDAA, Obama met every Tuesday with some of his advisors to establish a “Kill List,” a list of those “terrorists” who were to be targeted for death.
Most of the drone strikes, where hundreds, or even thousands, of innocent civilians were killed or rendered homeless, were victims of this operation. These innocent victims were merely labeled collateral damage.
Despite the danger and the threat this legislation imposed on our society, the people remained silent.
Also, during Obama’s reign, we have the militarization of police around the nation. Police were equipped with weapons that were manufactured for those going into war zones. In fact, truth be told, the government had declared war on the people. The number of deaths, predominantly people of color, at the hands of the police, rose sharply. This country assumed the characteristics of a police state.
It was during the Obama administration that there was a dramatic increase in the number of whistleblowers being criminalized for exposing crimes being committed within the government. It is interesting to note that those committing the crimes were not prosecuted while the whistleblowers were.
Under Obama, there were nine prosecutions of whistleblowers prosecuted under the Espionage Act, while prior to his administration there were only three combined.
It was during the Obama administration that there was government pressure and activity to criminalize dissent. Our right to peacefully assemble to protest was being challenged in various parts of the country.
Efforts to support the BDS program against Israel was and is also in the process of being criminalized. The rationale being, it is anti-Semitic to take action against Israel for its crimes against the Palestinian people because, while the Palestinians are being exterminated by the Israelis, such action against Israel is a sign of anti-Semitism. Does that make sense?
It comes as no surprise then, that the increase of US militarization around the world coincided with the curtailing of human and civil rights within the borders of the US.
Nobel Peace Prize winning Barack Obama expanded the US war effort from Afghanistan and Iraq, initiated by the Bush regime, to include Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan. It is estimated that under Obama’s leadership, more than 20,000 bombs were dropped in 2016 alone. The weapons industry has done well.
The blueprint for the US military involvement around the world can be found in a 1997 publication, The Project for a New American Century. This document, since the Soviet Union was no longer a deterrence to US imperialism, outlines how the US was to assume control of the world’s resources and markets and how there was a need for a strong US military to enforce this agenda.
Many of the signatories to this document became members of the George W. Bush administration and were involved in the lies and distortions fed to the people in order to attack Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11.
As an aside, it should be noted that in the document, Project for a New American Century, it is stated that, in order to get public support for an invasion of Middle Eastern countries, a new Pearl Harbor is needed. Miraculously, along came 9/11.
The struggle against fascism will not be solved by getting rid of Donald Trump. To do so, means that we will then be led by Michael Pence. Is that an improvement? Will our imperialistic goals be erased from our foreign policy agenda?
It’s not any one individual, it’s the system. Capitalism, imperialism, fascism, racism, all go hand in hand as part of a continuum.
SOCIALISM OR BARBARISM!
Dave Alpert has masters degrees in social work, educational administration, and psychology. He spent his career working with troubled inner city adolescents.
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Did Donald Trump really discover fascism? Part 2
Posted on August 23, 2017 by Dave Alpert
Fascism . . . a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader. (Merriam-Webster)
Fascism. . . .
1.”The Government is supreme and the country is all-encompassing, and all within it must conform to the ruling body, often a dictator.
2.”The country must grow and the implied goal of any fascist nation is to rule the world, and have every human submit to the government.
3.”Any type of questioning the government is not to be tolerated. If you do not see things our way, you are wrong. If you do not agree with the government, you cannot be allowed to live and taint the minds of the rest of the good citizens. (Benito Mussolini)
Some may ask, if the government is supreme in a fascist political structure, how does that differ from communism or socialism?
Communism and socialism are economic and political structures that promote equality and seek to eliminate social classes. . . . In a communist society, the working class owns everything, and everyone works toward the same communal goal.
There is a myth that communism and/or socialism is akin to fascism. Nothing could be further from the truth. Communism does not preclude a democratic process. In fact, it encourages it by empowering the people, all the people rather than just the elite class. Under a communist or socialist structure, there is no elite class.
Marx and Engels in their critique of capitalism pointed out that ruthless competition and heartless pursuit of money are immoral as they create exploitation of the masses by the very few privileged ones. As an alternative, they envisioned a classless society, without hierarchy, without currency, without personal property, where people would work in harmony, resolve their problems in friendly discussions, produce enough goods and services, and where each would contribute according to his abilities and receive according to his needs. This community-centered form of social order is called communism. (Henryk A. Kowalczyk)
Fascism is much more likely to occur and exist within a capitalist structure than a communist one.
Monday, the article I wrote, “Did Donald Trump Really Discover Fascism?” was published on Intrepid Report. I attempted to illustrate that the US has supported and entertained fascism for many decades despite its efforts in WW2 to defeat fascism.
I would like to use this opportunity to continue sharing my thoughts.
Before I start, let me state unequivocally that I strongly believe that Donald Trump is a fascist, racist, misogynist, narcissist who has provided legitimacy and a forum for members of the populace who are themselves fascists and white supremacists and who want to make America great again.
Translation . . . make America white again and deport from or refuse entry to this country for black and brown peoples.
But, let’s be honest, the movement of the US towards fascism did not begin with Trump’s administration. Although he is harsh and insulting, he is merely continuing the efforts of previous presidents to impose US domination.
If we examine, for example, the record of Barack Obama, we find overwhelming evidence that he was marching this country toward fascism. The difference being that Obama was intelligent, convincing or seductive, a good orator, had a sense of humor, had an attractive family, etc. In fact, he was seen by many as a “socialist,” a man who was looking out for the welfare of the people. Wrong!
It was in his administration that the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was signed into law, a law that endowed the president or executive of the United States with the power to determine who was a threat to the security of the US, capture him/her, imprison that person without time limitations, without charges being made or a trial to determine guilt or innocence. This act went even further and allowed for the execution or assassination of the targeted person and included, as potential targets, American citizens. In other words the president could now act as cop, judge, and executioner.
This act is one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation in US history.
Barack Obama is a constitutional lawyer who, I would assume, is cognizant of what actions or laws would be constitutional or unconstitutional. It appears to me, a naive uninformed, ordinary citizen, that when you eliminate due process and allow the power of life and death to rest in the hands of one person, especially one who is influenced by political pressures, it is unconstitutional.
As a result of the NDAA, Obama met every Tuesday with some of his advisors to establish a “Kill List,” a list of those “terrorists” who were to be targeted for death.
Most of the drone strikes, where hundreds, or even thousands, of innocent civilians were killed or rendered homeless, were victims of this operation. These innocent victims were merely labeled collateral damage.
Despite the danger and the threat this legislation imposed on our society, the people remained silent.
Also, during Obama’s reign, we have the militarization of police around the nation. Police were equipped with weapons that were manufactured for those going into war zones. In fact, truth be told, the government had declared war on the people. The number of deaths, predominantly people of color, at the hands of the police, rose sharply. This country assumed the characteristics of a police state.
It was during the Obama administration that there was a dramatic increase in the number of whistleblowers being criminalized for exposing crimes being committed within the government. It is interesting to note that those committing the crimes were not prosecuted while the whistleblowers were.
Under Obama, there were nine prosecutions of whistleblowers prosecuted under the Espionage Act, while prior to his administration there were only three combined.
It was during the Obama administration that there was government pressure and activity to criminalize dissent. Our right to peacefully assemble to protest was being challenged in various parts of the country.
Efforts to support the BDS program against Israel was and is also in the process of being criminalized. The rationale being, it is anti-Semitic to take action against Israel for its crimes against the Palestinian people because, while the Palestinians are being exterminated by the Israelis, such action against Israel is a sign of anti-Semitism. Does that make sense?
It comes as no surprise then, that the increase of US militarization around the world coincided with the curtailing of human and civil rights within the borders of the US.
Nobel Peace Prize winning Barack Obama expanded the US war effort from Afghanistan and Iraq, initiated by the Bush regime, to include Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan. It is estimated that under Obama’s leadership, more than 20,000 bombs were dropped in 2016 alone. The weapons industry has done well.
The blueprint for the US military involvement around the world can be found in a 1997 publication, The Project for a New American Century. This document, since the Soviet Union was no longer a deterrence to US imperialism, outlines how the US was to assume control of the world’s resources and markets and how there was a need for a strong US military to enforce this agenda.
Many of the signatories to this document became members of the George W. Bush administration and were involved in the lies and distortions fed to the people in order to attack Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11.
As an aside, it should be noted that in the document, Project for a New American Century, it is stated that, in order to get public support for an invasion of Middle Eastern countries, a new Pearl Harbor is needed. Miraculously, along came 9/11.
The struggle against fascism will not be solved by getting rid of Donald Trump. To do so, means that we will then be led by Michael Pence. Is that an improvement? Will our imperialistic goals be erased from our foreign policy agenda?
It’s not any one individual, it’s the system. Capitalism, imperialism, fascism, racism, all go hand in hand as part of a continuum.
SOCIALISM OR BARBARISM!
Dave Alpert has masters degrees in social work, educational administration, and psychology. He spent his career working with troubled inner city adolescents.