Is It Fascism Yet? is a collection of blogs I wrote beginning in January 2011 to
shed some light and try to understand the dangerous changes this country is
undergoing. I've revised and updated the blogs and included over 70
photographs, which I took while attending Occupy Wall Street rallies and other
recent demonstrations as well as 21 powerful images by the insightful political
satirist, Tracy Knauss. My articles have
been published on: Dandelion Salad, OpEdNews, Reader Supported News,
Progressive Activist Voice and NationofChange and several made it to the #1
position.
My blogs incorporate, among other
things, the ever growing threat of fascism in our country, our illegal unjust
wars, the military industrial complex, the corporate coup, the right wing
agenda and the collusion of the corporate media, the dismantling of our rights
and the Constitution, the Democrat's and Obama's capitulation to the right, the
so-called debt crisis, the shock doctrine, Wall Street and the too big to fail
banks, the Occupy movement and police brutality and Occupy Wall Street to name
a few.
When I was about 11 years old my
father, a highly decorated Colonel in the U.S. Army who fought in three wars:
WWII under Patton, Korea and Vietnam, took me to Washington, DC to the Lincoln
Memorial where he read the Gettysburg Address off the walls to me. "Four score
and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation,
conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created
equal." These powerful words fell from his lips into my heart.
My father had a deep abiding love
for this country and he instilled that love in me. Although we were estranged
for many years due to our opposing political views over the Vietnam War, I've
come to understand we were both fighting for the same things just from a
different perspective.
My writing's are also a call to
action. We must all stand up to the corporate forces of darkness that threaten
our very existence and say, "Enough! No more! Not on my watch!" We are one and together we can ignite change.
We deserve to live in a clean, healthy, peaceful world but it is up to us to
make this happen.
"But remember, this power of the people on top depends on the
people below. When people stop obeying, they have no power." Howard Zinn
Here's an excerpt from the book. Enjoy!
IS IT FASCISM YET?
Originally published January 28, 2011
Occupy Wall Street, Times Square
Recently, I boarded the C train in New York City where I
encountered a woman who looked to be in her late 70's sitting on the subway bench
wearing a t-shirt which read: IS IT FASCISM YET? That really got me to
thinking.
Okay, granted maybe I'm hyper sensitive because I'm an
Army brat who went to high school in Germany. Or maybe it's
because my father was a highly decorated Colonel in the United States Army who
fought in Patton's 3rd Army in WWII, Korea and Vietnam to
protect our democracy. Or perhaps it's my interest in history. I'm
currently reading "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich." Whatever the reason,
let me assure you this is difficult for me to say, but I'm beginning to
think America's starting to look more and more like a (gulp) fascist state.
But before we freak out and jump to any conclusions, let's take
a deeper look, shall we? Fascism is defined as "a radical and
authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to organize a
nation according to corporatist perspectives, values, and systems, including
the political system and the economy."
Sound familiar?
In early 2010, the Supreme Court passed by a vote of 5 to 4 the
"Citizens United" case, giving corporations (including those with foreign interests)
the same rights as individuals (personhood). This ruling allows
corporations to contribute unlimited money to political campaigns without
having to disclose anything. Or how about the Wall
Street bailouts where our taxpayer dollars were given away to the very
people who gambled, lost billions and sunk the global economy.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
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