Calling a Spade A Spade

[athelind]

In our critiques of the current Administration and the movement that pushed it into power, we have a tendency to back away from the "F-word" whenver anyone accuses us of being "alarmist" or invokes Goodwin's Law.

We shouldn't.

In a recent sermon from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Davidson Loehr provides the symptoms and historical context behind the word. It is not just a mud-slinging label, not merely a buzzword or a sound byte. It is an accurate definition, and it behooves us all to understand what the word really means, what it has meant in the past, and what it means for our future.

While the Church's own website, including the transcript of the sermon, is now mysteriously incaccessable, berbalang has provided the full text here.

I defy anyone to read the first thirteen points of his description, and continue to rationalize the actions and policies of the group currently holding power in this country as anything but fascism.

Comments

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

I trust you have read Orcinus' essay on this topic?

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

Galiel on Dailykos is also chronicling this.

When I consider the scope of this whole thing I'm just awestruck. It's been going on for decades, slowly gaining power, right under our noses, and there's nothing (I believe) that can be done about it now. We're all going to see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

[iridium-wolf.livejournal.com]

Wow. I'm borrowing that. Thanks very, very much for sharing.

[richardf8]

The Church's site is available again.

I didn't read the whole thing, because I agree with it and being reminded of it all will just make me either homicidal or suicidal.

[r-caton.livejournal.com]

I did read it. There is a preacher with his head screwed on right, no doubt about it.

But get out of debt? I doubt if I can....too many years at the limit...

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

The first thirteen points? All fourteen, if you ask me.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Combining this with a post from a week or more ago that I read from someone - can't remember who - would suggest that this is fascism with puritanism as the main religious force. Both definitions fit.

[pathia.livejournal.com]

1.) Went out of style because of fickle americans
2.) Those people who did Abu Ghrab are going to jail.
3.) This one is plausible.
4.) Our military is not getting a disproportionate amount of money compared to history, look it up.
5.) We're talking BUSH being sexist after someone like Clinton? Don't make me laugh.
6.) What censorship, what control? The government didn't even do anything to 60 minutes.
7.) Obsessed with national security? The guy who didn't want a homeland security department?
8.) Possible
9.) Possible
10.) Haven't heard of any union busting at all.
11.) Only professors I've heard of getting in trouble gave open rants for killing of Bush and/or gave money to Hamas and the like.
12.) We have no national police. Patriot Act I and II still have judicial oversight.
13.) Cronyism has been a fact of US politics from Day 1. This is nothing new at all.
14.) Don't make me laugh.


3/14 hmmm

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

1) I see american flags, God Bless America, support-our-troops ribbons, and other nationalistic stickers on every fourth or fifth car. In blue-state Massachusetts. Plus american flags on many a freeway overpass.

2) Well, except for the guy who wrote memos and legal briefs justifying it and calling the Geneva Convention 'quaint', and he's now the attorney general.

6) The government doesn't need to do anything when we have Fox News and an army of right-wing pundits. Besides, overt censorship is not as effective as demonization and ridicule.

7) The appearance of national security is more important than actual national security.

10) no need to bust unions that have no power anymore

11) What about the constant, unending stream of vitriol against the "elitist universities", "political correctness" and "campus liberals"? open your goddamn eyes.

14) So everything about the last three elections was fair, transparent and above-board? Don't make ME laugh.

You continue, after all this, to be willfully ignorant and refuse to see. Your blackwhite and crimestop are very well-developed. You are an excellent Outer Party member, you have my congratulations, and you're sure to be rewarded by the Republicans for your loyalty, until they decide hermaphrodite dragons are against God's laws.

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

until they decide hermaphrodite dragons are against God's laws

Allow me to say, sir:

WELL PUT.

[pathia.livejournal.com]

Error in assumptions. I did not vote for Bush.

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

I don't give a shit who you voted for, every comment I ever see from you on livejournal spouts this crap, call yourself a libertarian if you want to but you smell like an elephant to me.

[pathia.livejournal.com]

Of course, because the only time we interact is in left-leaning journals, duh =P

You never saw any of my posts celebrating Ashcroft's resignation then either because of this, huh?

[hitchkitty.livejournal.com]

2.) Those people who did Abu Ghrab are going to jail

From the article:
The people tend to look the other way or even approve of
torture

And our new Attorney General is one of them.

5.) We're talkinga bout BUSH being sexist after someone like Clinton?

You're gonna have to elaborate on that one. How, exactly, was Clinton sexist? And even if he was, this would refute the Good Old BOYS accusation how?

7.) Obsessed with national security?

Again quoting:
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

Can you honestly deny that this has happened?

11.) Only professors I've heard of getting in trouble gave open rants for killing of Bush...

Let's see here...professors getting in trouble for ranting against the administration. And you don't consider that an attack on free expression.

12.) We have no national police. Patriot Act I and II still have judicial oversight.

Congress has tried, recently, to push through a bill that would eliminate said oversight entirely. And in any case, the article said "...often a
national police force with virtually unlimited power...".

14.) Don't make me laugh

Hmm, let's take a look here:
use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries

It's called "gerrymandering". Look it up.

Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

I can only assume you slept through the 2000 election.

[pathia.livejournal.com]

You have a point with 5, but suffice to say I disagree with the rest and we're not going to do anything except yell at each other anyway so I won't bother.

[kolchis.livejournal.com]

And yet I have the feeling we'll see you again.

Interesting to see someone who fits the profile of the PIPA report, though... in denial or even delusional.

[pathia.livejournal.com]

PIPA report?

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I don't know if I would define Clinton as sexist. He didn't, after all, seek to keep his wife from practising law, or in any way put down the women who worked for him. He's a philandering jerk, certainly, but expecting some women to be sexual objects does not necessarily make one sexist, unless the attitude of "they're only good in bed" is present.

As for the other points, others have said more about them than I would.