If you read the 10 steps, it pretty much lays out the structure of fascism and tyranny comes into a country. But its not all downhill from here, the key to tyranny is basically embracing freedom and challenging the powers to be
I have written in caps what I think are ways out of this mess, would be curious how you the readers see the way out of this.
Here are the ten steps to tyranny, and what is happening here, today, that could be harbingers or disaster for American democracy.
1. Invoke an internal and external threat – This one is fairly obvious. The threat that we are constantly confronted with is “Islamo-fascism,” whatever that is. The Cowboy President would also have you believe that the ephemeral “War on Terror” is a never-ending, global fight that has to be waged, everywhere inside the United States and out, with no clear actors, and no clear path to victory.
LOOK FOR WHAT UNITES US AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL AND BUILD FROM THERE. ISLAMO-FASISM IS A LABEL, AND ANOTHER LABEL IS NEEDED TO ERASE THE EXISTING LABEL
2. Establish secret prisons – The US has already established “black site” prisons all over the world, and in those prisons, we hold individuals, who are victims of “extraordinary rendition” — a tactic where people are literally grabbed off the street and shuttled away as a prisoner to be “interrogated” about links to terrorists. Some of those grabbed include Americans. And, there is nothing stopping the Cowboy from declaring anyone an enemy combatant.
DEMAND THAT THESE PRISONS CANNOT BE RUN IN OUR NAME, NOT IN OUR LAND, AND NOT WITH OUR TAX MONEY
3. Establish external paramilitary groups – One word: Blackwater. The military contractor has augmented US armed forces in the war in Iraq, interrogated prisoners, and escorts dignitaries. But what you might not know is that Blackwater personnel were the first “boots on the ground” in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and now eyes providing outsourced security services in cities like New York City, for example. They already provide training for over 50,000 law enforcement personnel a year.
BRING ORDER/SURVIALENCE OVER THEM, NOT OUR CITIZENS
4. Surveillance of innocent citizens – The much too hastily-passed USA Patriot Act essentially gave the White House carte blanche to access your emails, phone records, library book-borrowing history, and financial records, all without your knowledge. And even if you do know, you can’t mention the investigation, under threat of criminal prosecution. So, you can’t even complain if you’re wrongly-targeted for surveillance.
CLAIM OUR RIGHTS, AND RETURN TO THE CONSTITUTION. THE ANSWER TO 1984 IS 1776.
5. Infiltrate popular movements – The US government has a history of infiltration into peaceful protest groups, most notably with COINTELPRO during the Civil Rights movement. Recently, the government has been infiltrating anti-war groups, trying to either destabilize the organizations or gain intelligence on their anti-war activities.
6. Engage in arbitrary arrest and release of citizens – The Military Commissions Act of 2006 limits the right of habeas corpus and has been suggested to be unconstitutional. It’s been used to detain American citizens who are suspected of being terrorist sympathizers. The law allows you to be held incommunicado for up to 36 months, simply on the determination of the president. It’s what’s called a status crime — and your status is determined by the Office of The President of the United States. You have no legal recourse to this extra-constitutional legal framework, and could be arrested — and subsequently released — at almost any time.
7. Target key individuals – The Cowboy President’s minions in state legislatures in several states put pressure on regents at state universities to penalize or fire academics who have been critical of the administration. Most recently, the administration removed eight US attorneys for what basically came down to insufficient political loyalty.
8. Control the press – Josh Wolf, a blogger in San Francisco, has been in jail for over a year for refusing to turn over video of an anti-war demonstration. Homeland Security filed a criminal complaint against Greg Palast, a reporter, claiming he threatened “critical infrastructure” when he and a TV producer were filming victims of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana. Palast had previously written a bestseller critical of the Bush administration. According to The Guardian newspaper in the UK, The Committee to Protect Journalists has documented multiple accounts of the US military in Iraq firing upon or threatening to fire upon unembedded (meaning independent) reporters and camera operators from organizations ranging from al-Jazeera to the BBC.
9. Cast dissent as treason – The Cowboy President has, at various times, called the New York Times “disgraceful” for leaking classified information. Republicans in Congress actually called for the Times’ publisher, Bill Keller, to be charged with treason as a result. Rght-wing commentators and news outlets (mainly Fox News) kept up the “treason” talk, and actively suggested that execution, the penalty for war-time treason, be the penalty, should Keller or fellow journalists who dare publish stories contrary to the administration’s wishes ever be tried and convicted of treason.
10. Suspend/subvert the rule of law – This is perhaps the most scary step to tyranny. The John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007 gave the president new powers over the National Guard, and an increased ability to declare martial law. This means that in a national emergency – which the president now has enhanced powers to declare – he can send one state’s National Guard, say Mississippi’s to enforce a state of emergency that he has declared in Maryland for example, over the objections of target state’s governor and its citizens. Let’s not even mention presidential signing statements that usurp the Congress’ power to legislate. According to noted conservative (and Bush-hater) Robert Fein, in approximately 800 cases, President Bush has both signed a bill and declared his intent to disregard provisions he believes are unconstitutional, the equivalent of a line-item veto which is itself unconstitutional. For instance, he signed the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 prohibiting torture, while simultaneously issuing a signing statement declaring his intent to ignore the law in order to gather military or foreign intelligence.
