I am debating a Heritage Foundation guy on the radio today re: fascism

[WilliamPitt]

http://www.wypr.org/M_Steiner.html

I think you can listen from that link if you feel like it. Starting at noon EST.

They saw this article of mine:

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011706I.shtml

...and wanted me on. Wish me luck.

[Stephanie]

1. Give him hell.

Kick his ass.

[janx]

2. Excellent--

Good luck to you. Enjoy it! Have fun with it! :hi:

[mattclearing]

3. Excellent piece.

I'm sure you'll defend it well.

[ewagner]

4. Good Luck

keep your cool....

as my old Southern State Senator boss once advised me: "Son, never get in a pissin contest with a skunk."

[glitch]

39. Good advice! nt

[savemefromdumbya]

5. Keep up the good work!

[LeftNYC]

6. make us proud will...make us proud! nt

[xchrom]

7. sending you good ninja thoughts!

:mad:

[HereSince1628]

8. Like arguing Darwinism to Fundies. Be sure to get to an oxygen bar

afterwards. You'll need to clear your head of pollutants.

[blm]

9. Give em what for, Will.

[im10ashus]

10. You don't need luck!

You'll do just fine. Kick much ass!!! :kick:

[MrBenchley]

11. Be sure and mention the craven devotion to Chimpy

no matter what...the hallmark of a fascist dictator and his loyal subjects.

If you haven't seen Gleen Greenwald's essay on the subject,. you should.

"Now, in order to be considered a "liberal," only one thing is required – a failure to pledge blind loyalty to George W. Bush. The minute one criticizes him is the minute that one becomes a "liberal," regardless of the ground on which the criticism is based. And the more one criticizes him, by definition, the more "liberal" one is. Whether one is a "liberal" -- or, for that matter, a "conservative" -- is now no longer a function of one’s actual political views, but is a function purely of one’s personal loyalty to George Bush."

http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/02/do-bush-followers-have-political.html

[Billy Burnett]

12. It is a whispered fascism, not yet marching down your street ...

WRP -> It is a whispered fascism, not yet marching down your street ...


William, I beg to differ, it is driving down our streets in giant SUVs with Bush/Cheney stickers on the bumpers.



Best of luck to you. :)

[wtmusic]

13. Sic 'em Will

Show no mercy! :thumbsup:

[stop the bleeding]

14. sweet this will be good thank you

:yourock:

[johnaries]

15. Kick his fascist a$$!

I'd wish you luck, but you don't need it. You have enough intelligence and reason to mop the floor with him.

I'm looking forward to hearing you do it!

Can someone record it for posterity? Where's liveoaktx?

[EFerrari]

16. "I'm having a friend over for dinner."

Break a lip!

[Lasher]

41. Heh

My favorite quote of the flick.

[liberalnurse]

17. OMG! The Heritage Foundation.....

You have your work cut out for ya. You know, I just can't grasp why a religious group is permitted to actively lead the community and a nation in politics first and in the name of Jesus. They seem to make-up or mold the Bible to fit their political agenda.....

Is this going to be the tone of the debate? :popcorn:

[Cobalt Violet]

18. Thanks!

:kick:

[donheld]

19. Kick his ass Will

:kick:

[kentuck]

20. You got the facts on your side Will Pitt.

And facts are stubborn things, as Ronald Reagan said.. :)

[LynneSin]

21. Need me to Febreeze you first

:eyes:

[Lochloosa]

22. Give them hell....

I bet they have no idea what their in for. :evilgrin:

[mmonk]

23. Good luck

I'm sure you'll do good.

[Caution]

24. Be warned. You are at a disadvantage to start.

They have your article and he has prepared talking points specific to your article ahead of time without providing you with those points.

This is a pretty unfair "debate" if you ask me.

I would seriously recommend that you have many points that are not mentioned specifically in your article in order to pull him off his set agenda.

[fishnfla]

25. There was great article in a Toronto paper on the subject

I want to say the toronto star but I cant recall off the top of my head. It was real in-depth and quite detailed IIRC

might be worth a look

[Lasher]

26. Good for you, take it to 'em!

I'll be tuning in to cheer you on.

Lasher

[Hissyspit]

27. You can use Dr. Britt's 14 Traits of Fascism to expand

the conversation, Will. Bushco fits the bill on all of them, but, as you reveal with the theme of your article, is sly about many of them:

http://www.rense.com/general37/char.htm

Fourteen Defining
Characteristics Of Fascism
By Dr. Lawrence Britt
Source Free Inquiry.co
5-28-3


Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread
domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

[astonamous]

28. Sound fun...I will try to catch it. You will know you have them

when they put their fingers in their ears and start singing...La,la,la,la,la!

Trudy

[UnwillingSkeptic05]

29. Excellent article

Enjoyed that one.
Here's to hoping you rub his nose in some truth. :toast:

[stop the bleeding]

30. Great article! I like how you used Eco's statement to lay out your points

this last paragraph says it all.

We must disenthrall ourselves from the idea that our institutions, our traditions, the barriers that protect us from absolute and authoritarian powers, cannot be broken down. They are being dismantled a brick at a time. The separation of powers has already been annihilated. It is a whispered fascism, not yet marching down your street or pounding upon your door in the dead of night. But it is here, and it is laying deep roots. We must listen beyond the whispered fascism of today to the shouted fascism of tomorrow. We must look beyond the lies and the myths, beyond the dogmas by which we sleep.

Thanks Will,

has this article been posted here on a separate thread yet???

[The Witch]

31. Good luck Will, know your goals

Decide in advance what you want to accomplish with the debate -- to rile him up, to force him to concede on some points, to avoid jumping at the obvious nags -- and go for it.

[MadisonProgressive]

32. You have the following advantages, Will

1) You are articulate
2) You know the truth

Just keep your cool, no matter how absurd, and your common sense and good heart will provide you with your answers.

Oh, and remember your audience! It isn't the Heritage Foundation!

[H2O Man]

33. Do well, Mr. Pitt. n/t

[More Than A Feeling]

34. Will there be a transcript? n/t

[sinkingfeeling]

35. Go get 'em, Will. This country needs to take a long, hard look at

itself and where we're headed!

[rasputin1952]

36. You have all the fun, but to be sure, you are not up against any

great mind there. When I debate, I like to see some parity between me and my opponent.

Kind of sad when all of the cards are stacked on your side...:)

[underpants]

37. Good luck-just stick with the black and white definition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism

Fascism is also typified by totalitarian attempts to impose state control over all aspects of life: political, social, cultural, and economic. The fascist state regulates and controls (as opposed to nationalizing) the means of production. Fascism exalts the nation, state, or race as superior to the individuals, institutions, or groups composing it. Fascism uses explicit populist rhetoric; calls for a heroic mass effort to restore past greatness; and demands loyalty to a single leader, often to the point of a cult of personality.

Merriam-Webster defines fascism as "a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition"<1>. The American Heritage Dictionary instead describes it as "A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism."<2>.

[sam sarrha]

38. here are 2 links that are fantastic....

http://www.couplescompany.com/Features/Politics/Structure3.htm

http://www.anotheramerica.org/fascism.htm


dont let them give you crap about calling Bu$hitCo Nazi's, the Nazi's were just symptomatic of a Fascist Corporate government.. they weren't the problem the take over of the government by corporations was the start of the Nazis.. they were a symptom of Corporate Fascism

when the corporations bought out the publishing companies they rewrote the defination of Fascism.. it is different than what what most had 8 or 10 years ago.. now it is just a comment about ..government of Itlay 1934 to..

a major power of the RepugNuts is redifning words.. like actually turning Liberal into a 4 letter word

[donco6]

40. I take it he's on the PRO side? eom

[johnaries]

42. will's on now! kick!

[Nabia2004]

43. taking calls now

Bummer, I missed the first half hour.

[Armstead]

44. Great job Will

Maxe your points well. Especially the argument that it happens gradually one step at a time.