''What is in a Name?''

[OneAngryDemocrat]

''What is in a Name?''

By Del Wasso

In recent weeks, the cheerleaders who would like us to
believe that the occupation of Iraq is part of the greater War on Terror have been inaccurately referring to our Islamic fundamentalist enemies as, 'Islamo-Fascists', a new word in our lexicon.

While it is all too true that we are fighting fanatical Islamic fundamentalists in this ''War on Terror'', fascism is not really the term that would best apply.

Benito Mussolini, the founder of Italy's Fascist Party, defined fascism as ''Corporatism, for it is the marriage of government and Corporations.''

We should consider Benito Mussolini as an expert on the subject.

Unless Al Qaeda has started taking money from Exxon, Nike and McDonald's, fascism would NOT, therefore, appear to apply to our current enemies.

Maybe we should stick to the OLD word that referred to religious nuts - THEOCRATS. Personally, I didn't have a problem referring to our foes as Islamic fundamentalists.

We can only assume that those who chose to re-cast our enemies into the shape of yester-year's enemies are either ignorant of what fascism is, or, are purposefully using the word as a distraction - ''We CAN'T be the fascists, if THEY are the fascists!''

You see, besides fanaticism, some of the hall-marks of fascism are torture, pre-emptive and perpetual war, and domestic spying.

And, of course, a cozy relationship between government and corporations.

And that would best describe OUR current government.

[thingfisher]

1. corpratism

Mr. Wasso is right on!
Perhaps nothing has been more damaging to our republic as the legislation that enabled businesses to 'incorporate' thus becoming defacto 'citizens'. Corporate citizens soon became "more equal" than others by virtue of the wealth and influence they weild in society. Look at the Gilded Age which the current administration seems determined to revive.
The wedding of corporations with government was what Eisenhower was warning the US about in his famous farewll speech! To bad it came 20 years to late. It didn't take all that long for our corporate citizens to literally dominate the government, literally becoming the government as the revolving doors whirl round and round from one administration to the next:we see the same corporate faces going from board room to cabinet office and back again.
This is incipient fascism and it looks like we are well on the way to the full blown version!
It was weay back in 1965 that a freak named Frank Zappa warned the country to rethink the mantra, "It can't happen here..." Sometimes the true prophets are not recognized until it's to late.

[OneAngryDemocrat]

2. :)

I have submitted this little op/ed to my local newspaper - and they claim that they will be printing it, sometime in the near future.

Please visit my anti-war website, www.shockedandawful.com