Fascism USA

Certainly since September 11, 2001 we have seen a dramatic increase in Nationalism. With Bush's declaration that we were "at war," the flags came out. The United States had been "attacked." What was interesting to me, was that I had never seen this in my life time. What I had seen was rampant ethnocentrism. The pervasive, socialized belief in the superiority of the US, and "Americans" in every area. Somehow, I do not believe that this was new with my birth in 1954. It was an ethnocentrism that is a deep seated part of this culture. A presumed sense of right that was transformed into "Our Nation right or wrong our nation." This was particularly true in the Bush marketing of the invasion of Iraq. This conversion from ethnocentrism to nationalism was reinforced with powerful labeling and fear. There was a defining of what the "patriot" thinks and does. "Patriots" support the President (no matter what). "Patriots" support the troops by supporting the war. "Patriots" do not question the received "story." "Patriots" suppress those who are not patriotic enough. Anyone who does not demonstrate this type of "patriotism" is a criminal and a threat to the nation, and has no right to the protection of law.

It has been said that the US has always had a rather hazy idea of who is a citizen. The differentiation between certain populations and a specific population goes to the beginning of the European colonization of the Americas. It, rested and rests, on racism. This is a racism that defines all people who are not "white" as less than human (or at least less human), and therefore not deserving of "human" rights. The indigenous people of the US were "less human." The African slaves were less human. The Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, were less human. This perception was institutionalized through the laws of the nation. While the laws have changed, the application of those laws still reflect that inherent distinction.

This too is an ongoing theme in the US, and perhaps across all societies. But the US has a penchant for making scapegoats. It is reflected through rhetoric that rings across the life of the US with ideas such as immigrants are taking "our" jobs, and the poor are sucking the life blood out of "hard working" Americans. Almost inevitably the scapegoats are portrayed as not "white" and war is declared - the war on poverty, the war on drugs, the war on crime, and now eternal war on terrorism. For some reason I have yet to figure out, we put Czar's in charge of these wars. Sometimes, the enemy is "white," or viewed as mostly white. Generally, in these cases they are also viewed as young (and possessing some economic resource) - the environmentalists, the punks, the hippies, the war protesters. An exception to this is the "unpatriotic." The are seen as "whites" who undermine the fabric of America in this struggle of life and death. I say "white" because it combines with the issue of who is "human" and who is a "citizen," and in the US construction those are "whites." These "whites" are perceives as traitors in a variety of ways, but at base they are seen as "race traitors." This idea of "race traitor" is not generally verbalized specifically, but it is implied. For example, when African Americans (primarily) were engaged in the civil rights struggle it was common to hear "send them back to Africa." In both the Vietnam war, and now in this one, I keep hearing various renditions of "America, love it or leave it." It is easier to expel (or intern/incarcerate) those defined as not being white, but white privilege still prevails with the choice to leave - rather than be expelled. Those not taking that choice are now defined as enemies of the state.

Little needs to be send about this one. The US has consistently poured money into the military since at least WWII. There is no challenger on the face of the planet (alone or in combination) that comes even close to the military might of the US. People here know that, but few know how wide that gap is because the justification for it is a persistent message of constant external threat. If you are "number 1" everyone will be trying to "knock you off." Bush stated this clearly when he gave the reasoning behind the events of 9/11/02 as "they" hating our way of life and our values. Therefore, there is ongoing support for diverting massive amounts of resources for military purposes. "They" hate us out there, and the "they" is the rest of the world - including our allies.

This is stronger at some points than others, but never really leaves. While it has become less blatant over the last thirty years, it has also become more so in others. Many current social problems such as poverty, crime, and the "breakdown" of the family, are laid at the feet of the feminist movement. If women hadn't been encouraged to step into the public sphere of work and politics; if women hadn't started putting their needs and desires ahead of husband and children; "we" just wouldn't have these problems.

It is impossible to understand the control of the mass media without understanding the protection of corporate power. We have arrived at a space in the US where the line between corporations and government is virtually indistinguishable. Corporations essentially write their own laws at this point. Both elected and appointed representatives (including the military) range back and forth from "service" to lucrative corporate jobs. A few of these have come to control the mass media of the United States. Their interests are the interests being reflected in law and policy. They are not so much under the control of a government elite, as their self-interest is the same as that elite. This is a more insidious form of control than is usually thought of where the media is an organ of the government. The shared interests and overlapping influences make the question of an independent "fourth estate" moot.

This ties into number 4 above. Both the obsession with national security and the support for military supremacy have the same roots - fear. This fear has be refined to a tight point with the "war on terrorism." Now the US has not just nations against it, but a shadowy movement of "Islamist" terrorists who are "everywhere." Therefore, it becomes essential to strike not just outside US borders, but to redefine freedom within US borders. The "enemy" could be "anyone," therefore we must sacrifice liberty for safety. But in true racist form, most whites give not a second thought to such an erosion of constitutional protections because "they" are not potential enemies (or they like to believe they are not). The same arguments arise as those heard in the redefining of rights in other "wars." Namely, if you haven't done anything wrong why would you be concerned about letting the police into your home, or random stops on the road to check for alcohol or drugs, or mandatory drug tests from employers (or schools). "I have nothing to hide" is based in a sense of white privileged citizenship. "Others" are the targets, and "whites" are being protected from them. An old theme in the US.

What can you say to this when the US public generally has no problems with the idea that GOD speaks to George W. Bush, and that Bush is making policy and war on the content of those "messages." It is also reflected in the lack of response to Ashcroft's daily "prayer meetings" with his employees.

I would say that corporate power has been normalized and codified. The Bush administration is not the first where corporate interests have written the governmental policies that protect them, but it is the first where it has been so blatant, Further, that the that influence is argued to be "private," and not the business of the people. Hence, we have Cheney's refusal to release the notes and attendees of his energy plan meetings now before the Supreme Court. "Executive Privilege" is being declared over and over, followed closely by "national security" as reasons to not allow the people to know what is going on in their government. All of this to protect corporate power - including the corporate world of which the administration is an integral part.

The rights and voice of labor in the US is a long and bloody struggle. In recent times, the erosion of the gains of Labor started with President Reagan union busting the air traffic controllers (in my opinion). This reflected the beginning of the erosion of voice and undermined modern Labor organizing. Under Bush, the anti-union, anti-worker bias is clear. Bush has essentially reconstructed government agencies to minimize (if not eliminate) union representation. He has the Department of Labor writing policy manuals for employers telling them how to avoid paying overtime, and has put forward legislation to eliminate overtime protection for hundreds of thousands of workers. The safety standards - both environmental and worker - are being undermined as you read. All are part of the corporate wish list Bush entered the Whitehouse with. There is no question that corporate interests supersede not just the interests of the public in general, but workers in particular. Even Bush's immigration reform legislation places the power clearly in the hands of corporations - workers must be "invited" by an employer and have employers vouch for them; there is not path to changing status or citizenship; there is not protection (ultimately) from employer abuse.

Please note that the book is upside down. Not to mention that Bush proudly proclaims that he never reads a paper (or probably anything else than the Bible) and gets all his information from his "trusted" advisors. What more can you say? Of course, we also have Ashcroft spending $11,000 to "drape" the statue of Justice as an example.

The US has the highest incarceration rate of any industrial nation - including China. We have instituted mandatory sentencing, three strikes you're out, and support the death penalty. We are bombarded with fear campaigns about crime. The "criminals" and who people are told to be afraid of is primarily embodied in the person of "non-whites" who are over-represented dramatically for most crimes. This mentality of punishment has a very long history in the US, and one that isn't likely to change any time soon. It is a mentality of fear and control that interlinks with US racism, scapegoating, and imperialism through the use of military power.

Cronyism hardly describes the Bush administration - some of who have served together for over 30 years. I discussed this at length in Who are the Neo-Cons (UTJ 2/07/04). A quick look at that article will demonstrate what "cronyism" is all about.

Well, we had the botched election of 200- illegally decided by the US Supreme Court, and we have the upcoming election under a gathering crowd. The combination of "purging" of voters from the rolls with the debacle of electronic voting, and the illegal redistricting of Texas districts, are all examples of fraud. It makes me want UN election observers monitoring the 2004 elections in the US. What have we come to?