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.

[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