10 Steps the goverment takes to close an open society

[Hoot]

The North Virginia Patriots show airs on http://www.rtrradio.com (Restore the Republic Radio) Monday-Friday 6-7 PM Eastern Time.

This week is a full week of dicsusing The End of America. Each day we will cover 2 of the 10 points and hear what Naomi Wolf has to say using audio from her movie The End of America. We will analyze and discuss the points below in detail.

Naomi Wolf is a best selling author becoming famous for her book "The Beauty Myth" (1991). In 2007 she wrote “The End of America”: Letter of warning to a young patriot. Here she outlines 10 steps necessary for a state to take control of individual lives.

1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy.
2. Create secret prisons where torture takes place.
3. Develop a thug caste or paramilitary force not answerable to citizens.
4. Set up an internal surveillance system.
5. Harass citizens' groups.
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release.
7. Target key individuals.
8. Control the press.
9. Treat all political dissents to be traitors.
10. Suspend the rule of law.

This book takes a look at the rise of fascism and how this pattern was followed in Nazi Germany and Italy. She urges Americans to take action and restore the constitution. If you look at history you can see a clear pattern for turning a free society into a dictatorship, she compares these steps to those taken by the Bush Administration after 9/11

[Hamer]

cool

I want to hear her points.

[CatherineBleish]

Yeah! I'm glad you guys are doing this! Time for the right and left to start working together. Her speech on this topic (on youtube) was one of my initial introductions to truly questioning what is happening here in our country!

[Alawn]

She always forgets the 11th step because she has a left bias. Getting rid of our guns so we can't protect ourselves. This is the most obvious of all steps and she always forgets it even when people point it out to her. It is not just that George Bush is evil. A lot of this stuff was done during the Clinton years. They will continue to happen with Obama.

[Hoot]

Bumping my own thread!

[knarfxii]

I will be listening!

Brian Frank

[Truth Warrior]

Identifying Characteristics of Fascism
by Laurence Britt
25 July 2004
[/URL]


Laurence Britt identifies social and political agendas common to fascist regimes. His comparisons of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile) yielded this list of 14 identifying characteristics of fascism. [The notes have been added.]
Powerful and Continuing Nationalism. Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays. [[URL="http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#1"]1 (http://www.doublestandards.org/shockwave/fascism14.html)]
Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights. Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of 'need.' The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc. [2 (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#2)]
Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause. The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc. [3 (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#3)]
Supremacy of the Military. Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. [4a (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#4)] Soldiers and military service are glamorized. [4b (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#4)]
Rampant Sexism. The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high [5a (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#5)], as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation [5b (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#5)] and national policy.
Controlled Mass Media. Sometimes the media are directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media are indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common. [6 (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#6)]
Obsession with National Security. Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses. [7 (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#7)]
Religion and Government are Intertwined. Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions. [8 (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#8)]
Corporate Power is Protected. The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite. [9 (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#9)]
Labor Power is Suppressed. Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed. [10 (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#10)]
Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts. Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. [11 (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#11)] Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
Obsession with Crime and Punishment. Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. [12 (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#12)] There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
Rampant Cronyism and Corruption. Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders. [13] (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#13)
Fraudulent Elections. Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. [14a (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#14)] Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections. [14b (http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html#14)]
http://www.doublestandards.org/fascism1.html

[Hamer]

Nice Truth Warrior, thanks for the link.

[ItsTime]

Wolf is clueless. She has endorsed Obama. If she learned her history correctly she would understand that an Obama like figure is used to usher in fascism/socialism. While the crowds around him cheer, just like they cheered Stalin, Hitler and so on.

[LibertyEagle]

http://www.newswithviews.com/Vieira/edwin83.htm

[Truth Warrior]

Nice Truth Warrior, thanks for the link. You're welcome. ;) :)

[JosephTheLibertarian]

cool

I want to hear her points.

You just read them. Or not?