|
Subject: Fascism from the Master Message: The American people have so little experience with fascism, and so little knowledge of history, that a little education in recognizing essential fascist techniques is in order. What better teacher than Adolph Hitler, the fanatical fascist dictator? Following the Nazi conquest of France, Hitler was faced with the dilemma of gaining the cooperation of the Vichy French police, who, while ostensibly on the Nazi side, were drawn from the population of the proud but defeated (and therefore potentially hostile)French people.
In the book Hitler Directs His War, a transcript details how the Nazi leader planned to gain the cooperation of the Vichy French police, by having them use "dirty methods". Himmler was given the task of making certain the Vichy French police used (warrantless) spying, torture, and other "illegal" methods in carrying out their work. This would include the deportation of French citizens to concentration camps for eventual execution. Hitler expressed confidence that once the Vichy French police were made "dirty", they would become lifetime allies of the Nazis, since the defeat of the Nazis would lead to their own imprisonment or execution.
Who has been made "dirty" by the Bush administration? There are certainly a number of high ranking officials in the State Department and the U. S. military who either knew of the torture of prisoners, illegal under the Geneva Convention, or who actively participated in it. These are now lifetime allies of the Bush administration, with war crimes trials awaiting them if Bush, or a continuation of the Bush regime,leaves power.
The telecommunications companies were made dirty, by participating in illegal warrantless wiretapping. Of course the executives of these media powerhouses knew it was illegal, but having a friend in the White House, with favorable prospects of everything from media deregulation to tax breaks, made the illegality easy to overlook (After all, when was the last time an executive of a major media corporation went to jail?). They are facing grim prospects if Bush leaves power and they have no immunity in place.
A few key members of the Democratic party leadership were made dirty, by being informed by the Bush administration of everything that was taking place, from illegal torture to illegal surveillance of American citizens. They cannot blow the whistle on the Bush administration without having what they knew and when they knew out come out. Impeachment is off the table for a reason, and its not because the Democrats are too busy passing a whole lot of things for Bush to veto, but because blackmail works. Who wants to enforce subpoenas, when the names of prominent Democrats may turn up in the documents?
Is there any way to peel the compromised away from the fascist state? Here is one idea. Instead of the usual practice of a having a few very low level people taking all the blame (the old couple of bad apples at the bottom of the barrel routine, which most people would recognize as laughably untruthful in this instance), how about granting immunity for information? Soldiers would be granted immunity if they revealed where their orders came from. This would narrow the field of prosecution to those at the top who were involved in formulating and giving the illegal orders. Telecommunications companies would be granted immunity, but only after they revealed every name and every contact they had with the Bush administration. As for the tainted Democrats, if they came clean with everything they had known, they could then ask for forgiveness from the voters. This would perhaps not be as hopeless for them as it sounds, since if Democratic party voters were not forgiving of stupidity, there wouldn't be a Democratic party. With the number to be prosecuted down to a few dozen, the fascist state would have too few friends to remain in power.
Viva la France!
Click here to go back to the main forums. If you have any questions, please contact the site administrator. Click here to go back to previous page.
|