It seems very ironic that in their current state of near absolute power, the Grand Ol' Party (i.e. neoconservatives) have tossed around the buzzword "fascists" to describe extremist Islamic groups hell bent on killing Americans like a sack full of worker pension funds. The first time I heard Resident Bush refer to the Iranian president as the head of an "Islamic fascist" government, I was perplexed, because I knew at that very moment on Iranian television, that president was probably referring to Bush as the head of an "American fascist" government. The thing that troubles me is that both of these mindless wonders are correct.
After studying the Hitler, Mussolini, Suharto, Franco, and Pinochet governments, Dr. Laurence Britt, a noted political scientist, wrote an article on fascism in which he identified 14 defining common characteristics. The scary thing is that the tactics used by Islamic extremists and the GOP fit into Dr. Britt's 14 points with terrifying equality.
1. Powerful and Continuing Expressions of Nationalism - The news (especially Fox News) can't show us Americans enough footage of the Iranian president, the leader of Hezbollah, and other Islamic wingnuts going off Hitler-style in front of a crowd of screaming minions. On the flip side, images of the Towers smoking in their first few minutes of destruction have almost become a "must have" for any neocon website, and nearly all right-wing radio stations have taken to playing the National Anthem every hour on the hour.
2. Disdain for the Importance of Human Rights - Islamic extremists will gladly trade human life for 72 virgins in heaven and martyred glory. American neocons will gladly trade human life for millions of dollars in oil revenue and no-bid rebuilding contracts.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - Without the words “Israel” and “Liberals” the fascists on both sides would be rendered mute, which would be a blessing. Think about it, the leader of Hamas duct taped to the same chair as Ann Coulter, both wearing S&M ball gags. It's a beautiful thought.
4. The Supremacy of the Military/Avid Militarism - This is such a disturbing aspect to me, because both groups are willing to let the welfare of their people suffer in order to arm. Look what Hezbollah did to Lebanon, and the U.S. is no better. We have spent over $465 billion on the war with Iraq, while 48 million American citizens go uninsured.
5. Rampant Sexism - Headscarves, female circumcision, inability to divorce, yeah, even the mainstream Muslims have explaining to do on this one. In the U.S. we get the polar opposite; we have convinced young women that taking control of their sexuality means slutting it up and hanging it out whenever and where ever you can, while at the same time passing laws that restrict reproductive rights and access to contraceptives. Isn't it sad that the Taliban is more straight-forward on their extremist sexist attitudes then we are!
6. A Controlled Mass Media - Between Al Jazeera and Rupert Murdoch we're all fucked on this one.
7. Obsession with National Security - It's only a matter of time before they ask you to turn your head and cough before boarding a flight. By the way, are we still on red alert or is it orange this week? Not so quick Islamic extremists, when was the last time you let a journalist stroll through your streets without giving a guided tour at gunpoint? That's what I thought.
8. Religion and Ruling Elite Tied Together - When you can use the excuse, "because G-d said so" to explain your way out of killing your enemy and starving your own people, then G-d is the last thing on your mind. Religion and government should stay as far away from each other as Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie at an “All You Can Eat” buffet.
9. Power of Corporations Protected – Osama bin Laden constantly rips on Western culture as evil, yet he doesn’t mind cashing the check for interest money paid from U.S. and European investments. Without the abundance of corporate oil money, Islamic extremists would be relegated to throwing rocks off the backs of fast moving camels. Fortunately, even Islamic extremist governments know the value of corporate investment, and protect it well. In the U.S., we've totally sold our democracy out on this one. Our country is owned by a string of corporations all of which have purchased our government bit by bit to the point where there is very little lawmaking that will not benefit a corporation in some way.
10. Power of Labor Suppressed or Eliminated - Although every political candidate wants the blessing of the AFL-CIO at this point, it's just a publicity stunt. Corporations have moved so many jobs overseas, and with the popularity of the "right to work" laws passing in most states during the Reaganomics Era the workforce's ability to play a major role in influencing the power structure no longer exists. On the other side of the world, the Islamic extremist governments have such tight controls on their population that any rallies not sanctioned by the ruling powers are quashed including worker demonstrations.
11. Disdain and Suppression of Intellectuals and the Arts - Have you seen the latest budget for the National Endowment of the Arts? It's disappearing quicker than the funds for music and art programs in public schools. The only thing vanishing at a more rapid pace than the art ed. money in the U.S. is the guy who drew those Prophet Mohammed cartoons for that paper in Denmark. By the way, is Salman Rushdie's phone number still unlisted?
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - In Iran they use a knife to cut off your hand for stealing, in the U.S. they splash your face all over the media so that when you are released you have to go under the knife and get plastic surgery in order to resume your life.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Without cronyism would Bush even have an administration? Without corruption would the Hamas or Saudi governments be able to operate?
14. Fraudulent Elections - I'm still drinking Pepto every time the memory of the 2000 election comes to mind. Oy Vey! It's funny to me that the president who is so hell bent on spreading democracy in the Middle East is the same guy who completely usurped our own democracy in his rise to power. As for the Islamic extremist elections, when you automatically nix more than half of your population's right to vote (i.e. women) then your election is fraudulent from the get go.
If I were the neocons the first thing I'd do is seriously consider suicide as a favor to society, but beyond that, I'd maybe rethink the whole idea of throwing around the term "fascism". When there are this many obvious connections in our own government, then we can't condemn others for employing the same tactics. No one is automatically evil, because they don't like the U.S. and good, because they do. Stalin was our ally during World War II and while he was smiling at President Truman in leadership meetings, his thugs were participating in the systematic murder of 20 million Russians.
Choosing your friends and knowing your enemies on the political world stage is never easy, but calling into question someone else's housekeeping abilities while your own place looks like a pigsty is just plain hypocritical.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
How to Buy an American President
Years from now history books will speak of this time in American politics. The sentence addressing this particular moment may begin as such: 'The downfall of democracy in the United States can be traced to the levels of corruption in the financing of elections.'
The McCain-Feingold bill addressing campaign finance reform in 2002 was a start, but it seems to be too little too late. As our country dives into the 2008 presidential election, we are already being inundated with glowing reports from the corporate media about how much money the frontrunners in each party are raising for their presidential bid.
To date, with only three months of fundraising, the top three Democrat and Republican candidates have raised a combined total of over $129 million. Here is the breakdown:
Individual Contributions
The 2008 presidential candidates have yet to release the names of individual contributors to their campaigns, but judging from previous years, telecommunications, banking, securities, and investment corporations will be front and center to purchase our next president. Principles from Time Warner, Vivendi, Microsoft, Walt Disney Corporation, BellSouth, and MCI, Inc. have dominated the list of individual donors giving over $50,000+ in a year. While principles from other industries such as banking, insurance, tobacco, alcohol, investments, pharmaceuticals, energy, transportation, and firearms are not too far behind.
PAC Facts
Real estate has been the backbone of the economy for the past six years. While interest rates were low and sub prime lenders ruled the roost, people were able to make money by flipping houses making even the tiniest of dwellings go for astronomical prices. This was exactly what real estate special interests paid candidates to do. Out of the Top 20 PACs who funded campaigns in 2005-2006, four were from the banking and real estate industries. The National Association of Realtors topped the list with a total of over $3.7 million to candidates. Four more of the Top 20 PACs were trade workers associations that specialize in building and construction.
Three of the Top 20 PACs were auto industry related, which makes a lot of sense when looking at our government's reluctance to introduce emissions standards legislation, and their casual lip service to blatant denial of global warming. The automotive industry, alone, contributed over $5.6 million to federal candidates in 2005/2006.
What Can One Do?
Much like a child sneaking a snack before dinner when they think mom isn't looking, politicians will try to get away with as much as possible. They think the citizens of the U.S. are too caught up in Anna Nicole's baby daddy or obsessed with which skinny starlet is appearing in public sans panties to care that the same major media corporations that have downsized our freedom of information by consolidating our media outlets are the ones slipping the big checks to the candidates.
Awareness is key, as is the need for grassroots political pressure. The little one won't be as blatant going for the cookie jar if they think mama is looking out of the corner of her eye. Become your lawmaker's biggest pest by writing emails and demanding change. Keep your awareness fresh by regularly checking up with the sites listed on this blogroll. Talk about this issue with your friends, and be open to the idea that neither the Democrats nor Republicans are looking out for you. Both parties have become entrenched in the Washington D.C. powertrip culture, and are completely out of touch with the average American. These parties are no longer willing to put the needs of their citizens above their own lust for money and control, and therefore they both no longer represent the will of the people.
Last November, citizens of this country untied to send a clear message that this war of imperialist aggression in Iraq was not something the citizenry wanted to finance. We no longer wanted to stand by and watch over 10,000 of our young people coming home with missing limbs and extensive psychological damage. We didn't want any more of our brave soldiers flown home in body bags, and we didn't want to bankrupt our children's future by pouring billions into a war machine dedicated to privatizing the Iraqi oil fields. We wanted the opposition party to come in and tell the current regime that the people were no longer going to stand by while they pursued an agenda of blatant self interest, and instead of adhering to our will, the Democrats have given Bush war funding above and beyond what he requested, and have taken impeachment off the table. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans represent the will of the people; therefore it is time to organize and pursue a true democracy with controls on the renegade capitalist ideals that have destroyed the very foundations this country was built on.
Every major change in our society has come through grassroots citizen's movements, and they work. We got out of Vietnam, secured voting rights for women, fought for civil rights, and are currently pressing the Bush Regime to leave Iraq. We love our country, but we hate our government, so now is the time to stand up, speak out, and do something about it. No more presidents for sale, no more capitalist regime, no more funding imperialist wars, and nor more Democrats or Republicans!
The McCain-Feingold bill addressing campaign finance reform in 2002 was a start, but it seems to be too little too late. As our country dives into the 2008 presidential election, we are already being inundated with glowing reports from the corporate media about how much money the frontrunners in each party are raising for their presidential bid.
To date, with only three months of fundraising, the top three Democrat and Republican candidates have raised a combined total of over $129 million. Here is the breakdown:
- Mitt Romney - $23,434,634
- Rudy Giuliani - $16,623,410
- John McCain - $13,087,559
- Hillary Clinton - $36,054,568
- Barack Obama - $25,797,721
- John Edwards - $14,031,662
Individual Contributions
The 2008 presidential candidates have yet to release the names of individual contributors to their campaigns, but judging from previous years, telecommunications, banking, securities, and investment corporations will be front and center to purchase our next president. Principles from Time Warner, Vivendi, Microsoft, Walt Disney Corporation, BellSouth, and MCI, Inc. have dominated the list of individual donors giving over $50,000+ in a year. While principles from other industries such as banking, insurance, tobacco, alcohol, investments, pharmaceuticals, energy, transportation, and firearms are not too far behind.
PAC Facts
Real estate has been the backbone of the economy for the past six years. While interest rates were low and sub prime lenders ruled the roost, people were able to make money by flipping houses making even the tiniest of dwellings go for astronomical prices. This was exactly what real estate special interests paid candidates to do. Out of the Top 20 PACs who funded campaigns in 2005-2006, four were from the banking and real estate industries. The National Association of Realtors topped the list with a total of over $3.7 million to candidates. Four more of the Top 20 PACs were trade workers associations that specialize in building and construction.
Three of the Top 20 PACs were auto industry related, which makes a lot of sense when looking at our government's reluctance to introduce emissions standards legislation, and their casual lip service to blatant denial of global warming. The automotive industry, alone, contributed over $5.6 million to federal candidates in 2005/2006.
What Can One Do?
Much like a child sneaking a snack before dinner when they think mom isn't looking, politicians will try to get away with as much as possible. They think the citizens of the U.S. are too caught up in Anna Nicole's baby daddy or obsessed with which skinny starlet is appearing in public sans panties to care that the same major media corporations that have downsized our freedom of information by consolidating our media outlets are the ones slipping the big checks to the candidates.
Awareness is key, as is the need for grassroots political pressure. The little one won't be as blatant going for the cookie jar if they think mama is looking out of the corner of her eye. Become your lawmaker's biggest pest by writing emails and demanding change. Keep your awareness fresh by regularly checking up with the sites listed on this blogroll. Talk about this issue with your friends, and be open to the idea that neither the Democrats nor Republicans are looking out for you. Both parties have become entrenched in the Washington D.C. powertrip culture, and are completely out of touch with the average American. These parties are no longer willing to put the needs of their citizens above their own lust for money and control, and therefore they both no longer represent the will of the people.
Last November, citizens of this country untied to send a clear message that this war of imperialist aggression in Iraq was not something the citizenry wanted to finance. We no longer wanted to stand by and watch over 10,000 of our young people coming home with missing limbs and extensive psychological damage. We didn't want any more of our brave soldiers flown home in body bags, and we didn't want to bankrupt our children's future by pouring billions into a war machine dedicated to privatizing the Iraqi oil fields. We wanted the opposition party to come in and tell the current regime that the people were no longer going to stand by while they pursued an agenda of blatant self interest, and instead of adhering to our will, the Democrats have given Bush war funding above and beyond what he requested, and have taken impeachment off the table. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans represent the will of the people; therefore it is time to organize and pursue a true democracy with controls on the renegade capitalist ideals that have destroyed the very foundations this country was built on.
Every major change in our society has come through grassroots citizen's movements, and they work. We got out of Vietnam, secured voting rights for women, fought for civil rights, and are currently pressing the Bush Regime to leave Iraq. We love our country, but we hate our government, so now is the time to stand up, speak out, and do something about it. No more presidents for sale, no more capitalist regime, no more funding imperialist wars, and nor more Democrats or Republicans!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
What Would Your Family Do With $4,100?
Would you like to take a Disney Cruise? Maybe spend a week with the family in one of those all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean? Perhaps you would like to work a few less hours, and just be able to relax at night and play a healthy game of Chutes & Ladders with the kids. How would an extra $4,100 be spent in your family's home?
Unfortunately, every family in the U.S. won't have the luxury of spending that $4,100 per year, because Congress and the Bush Administration has done it for us. The total spent for the Iraq War to date is $465 billion, which translates into $4,100 per family based on the U.S. Census' 2005 average number of households in the U.S.
If you would like a further breakdown of how much war money your community, city or state is spending, check out:
http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=61#down.
Remember, the next time a big pothole nearly takes out the front end of your car, the money that could have been used to repair went into a fund to kill Iraqis and make private war contractors rich.
Unfortunately, every family in the U.S. won't have the luxury of spending that $4,100 per year, because Congress and the Bush Administration has done it for us. The total spent for the Iraq War to date is $465 billion, which translates into $4,100 per family based on the U.S. Census' 2005 average number of households in the U.S.
If you would like a further breakdown of how much war money your community, city or state is spending, check out:
http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=61#down.
Remember, the next time a big pothole nearly takes out the front end of your car, the money that could have been used to repair went into a fund to kill Iraqis and make private war contractors rich.
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