Tuesday, February 21, 2012

This blog kills Fascists

Woodie Guthrie was a Red - he lived in the "Red Hill" district of Los Angeles in the 1930s (a neighborhood notorious for the concentration of radicals), and wrote a column for the Communist Party's Daily Worker newspaper.  He was a reliable Red, willing to be an apologist for the U.S.S.R.'s non-aggression pact with Hitler.

All that changed on June 1, 1941, as Operation Barbarossa saw the Nazi supermen storming across the border into Guthrie's Mother Russia.  He took some paint and wrote on his guitar: This machine kills fascists.

It's probably unfair to blame him for not recognizing that fascists fought on both sides of the Eastern Front.  Stalin paid lip service to the Socialist Dialectic, and the West's Useful Idiots (like Guthrie) let him get away with it, but the U.S.S.R. was fascist in all but name.  Non-Russians were second class citizens (as the population on Ukraine found out to their sorrow), the State controlled everything, and above all was the all-seeing, all-powerful fuhrer (well, General Secretary).

But Woodie knew how to get an idea popularized, and did.

We live today in a political world that people from Woodie's time simply wouldn't recognize.  The growth in the Leviathan State is steam rolling all before it - the War on (some) Drugs is crushing the Fourth Amendment, Kelo v. New London crushed the Fifth Amendment, Medicare is killing the Tenth Amendment.  Obamacare is killing the First Amendment.  The Second Amendment has - for now - fought off a series of restrictions from 1968 through 1994 that sought to kill it.  That battle is still raging.

On one side of those battles stand the People, trying to protect their rights as recognized in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.  On the other side are the fascists*, seeking to establish the Leviathan State above all.  Everything within the State; nothing outside it.  Thankfully without all the boxcar and Concentration Camp drama, but fascists nonetheless.

Both Dinosaur political parties are allied in the fascist struggle.  With the exception of the lack of furherprinzip (the embodiment of the People's Will in the person of a strong leader) and the lack of nationalism as an organizing principle (the two parties are somewhat divergent here, but only somewhat), all the fascist principles are prominent:
  • Subordination of industry to political direction (Sarbanes-Oxley, Military Industrial Complex, Solyndra)
  • Subordination of the People to political direction (public education, TSA, NDAA, No Child Left Behind)
  • Subordination of independent organizations to political direction (McCain-Feingold, Obamacare)
The system is not Socialist - the Government does not own the means of production, nor does it want to.  What it wants is for industry to fall into line, doing what it's told in return for favors and avoidance of punishment.  What the Government wants is for us to fall into line, doing what we're told in return for favors and avoidance of punishment.  What the Government wants is for independent organizations to fall into line, doing what they're told in return for favors and avoidance of punishment.

That system is fascist.

I'm afraid that I'm not big on the "compliance" part of this, and so must respectfully** decline our Governmental Overlord's offer.  And so, I'm going Woodie Guthrie.  I'd like to invite all y'all to join me.

This blog kills fascists, by pointing out who they are, what they do, and who it hurts.  This Land is your land and my land - not their land.  We are endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights, despite the best efforts of the fascists to take them away.  And so, here are the fascists:

(via Wikipedia)
Fascist.  Obamacare, gun running to Mexican Drug Lords (to blame American Gun Stores), nationalizing the auto industry, targeting Americans for execution without trial.  In 2008 he was looking like he had that furherprinzip swagger down pat; fortunately, that looks like it's a bit stale.








(via Wikipedia)
Fascist.  Romneycare, politics of personal destruction (negative campaigning), "saved" the Olympics by getting a huge Government bailout.  Buddies with Ted Kennedy.  Also more gay than Twilight, and so might be our first gay fascist President.











(Via Wikipedia)
Fascist.  Couch potato with Nancy Pelosi to get Cap 'n' Tax passed.  Talks a Freedom Agenda but is happy to "go along to get along".  Balanced the budget by cleverly causing the Internet bubble and convincing 50 year old Boomers not to retire.  Kind of too bad, because many of his ideas are strongly compelling from a personal libery perspective.  But actions speak louder than Youtube clips.







(Via Wikipedia)
Fascist.  What, you need it spelled out?  Seriously?  OK, big Government, big spender, wants to meddle in your personal business.  No friend of Fourth or Tenth Amendments, at the very least.











(Via Wikipedia)
Not a fascist.  He may be a Wookie, but he's the only non-fascist on offer here.  Of course that means that he doesn't have a chance as both political parties will unite to crush him.  He doesn't stand much chance, but is doing his part like Woodie Guthrie did, getting the message out.

The Tea Party?  Might be fascist, might not be.  Might get coopted by the fascists in the future.  There's a lot of money in fascist government, if you're the government.  Time will tell.

So what does all this mean?  It means that we need to get the message out, to sing the message from the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream Water.  The chains may sit lightly upon you (for now), but chains they are.  It was Woodrow Wilson (perhaps the first fascist President) who laid it out, starkly:
Conformity will be the only virtue and any man who refuses to conform will have to pay the penalty.
Sorry, no thanks.  Keep your nose out of my business.  I'll keep singing the anti-fascist song, thank you very much.  I'll call them for what they are, as we all need to: Fascists.  Nice fascists (maybe), but fascists nonetheless.  Both  parties.

Feel free to use the image, and sing the song.  This land was made for you and me.

* Before anyone freaks out, I guess I need to point out (again) that you can be a fascist without gassing Jews and that sort of thing. Mussolini (the Father of Fascism) didn't.  Franco didn't.  Peron didn't.  Oh, yeah - FDR didn't, although he did put Japanese-Americans in Concentration Camps.  But they were nice Concentration Camps, and FDR was a God Among Men.  A fuhrer, you might say.  That's what they teach in school. 

** OK, that was sarcasm.  Nothing respectful at all there, actually.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

One of the best posts I've read. Well though out, reasoned and factual. Thanks for a great read this morning.

ASM826 said...

Okay, I'll out myself. I was planning on voting for the Wookie already. You just helped reinforce that decision.

I'm going with Arlo Guthrie, though. Alice's Restaurant. There's 2 of us. it's a movement.

Borepatch said...

No need to thank me, SGB, it's all part of the service. ;-)

ASM826, I left off the 8x10 color glossies with the circles and arrows. Damn.

Anonymous said...

There are three types of people in the world. Those that can count, those that can't and those that don't.

Oh, actually, I meant:

The productive, the exploiters and the herd.

Alan said...

The Wookie is my Congresscritter.

So far, he's the only one I could vote for. Unfortunately, Texas is in the middle of a redistricting fight so who knows when we'll actually have an election.

bluesun said...

Is it ok if I think my blog only annoys them?

Ken said...

My absentee ballot, complete with vote for the Wookie, sits on my desk as I type this.

Rick C said...

I don't think I can bear voting for Ron Paul, so I'll probably write in the Sarahcuda.

Rev. Paul said...

As SGB said, one of the best explanations of this topic that I've read. Well done.

And yeah, I'm bringing the shovels, rakes, and other implements of de-struction.

Aretae said...

You're done with the polite euphemisms? "Corporatist"

Good on ya.

ASM826 said...

You endorsed him. Yes you did, Borepatch, yes you did. By elimination.

Borepatch said...

All right, you caught me. ;-)

Six said...

On the money BP. I'm in, posted and linked to.

Anonymous said...

There's alot of truth in there BP - but I don't like the way you are throwing the 'fascist' label around. You sound exactly like a liberal that goes round accusing everyone they disagree with as being a 'racist'.

Call me a fascist if you will - but freedom that isn't tempered with responsibility isn't freedom at all.

Chuck Kuecker said...

Damn, that was good. I've linked this in my blog.

To "anonymous" - your comment about freedom and responsibility is true - but how does that invalidate anything that was said in Borepatch's post?

Jake (formerly Riposte3) said...

Gary Johnson.

Unfortunately, while Ron Paul may not want the federal government in our bedrooms or churches, he also objects to keeping the state governments out.

Sure, he's not a fascist, but it seems he's not a great friend of liberty and personal Rights if you happen to hit his squick factor, or if you're not the right religion, as long as it's not the FedGov doing the oppressing.

Borepatch said...

Anonymous, the problem with using the term "fascist" is that to most people it means "death camps" (or to a lesser extent, "right wingers").

I use the term technically and descriptively here. Strong centralization of power, with opposing power bases (individuals, the church, etc) being marginalized, everyone told to support the State Or Else - all of this is the fascist modus operandi.

The Czar of Muscovy said...

Dear Sir! I most strenuously object to your mischaracterization of Mitt Romney as "America's first gay president."

As you know, James Buchanan claims this title; Mitt has to accept second. Again.

Toaster 802 said...

Quoted and linked at http://greenmnts.blogspot.com/2012/02/spread-this-far-and-wide.html

Outstanding.

Blue said...

Good one, BP.

Those who claim to want Liberty but oppose Paul blow my mind. With Liberty comes responsibility.

Oh wait, I just answered the question I was going to ask...

It's the responsibility thing, isn't it?

Hate to break the news but, it's the responsibility thing that has lost us our liberty. "We ain't got none" We quit being responsible a long time ago. Proof? Look where we're at today and then ask yourself what you did to try to prevent it. :)


Besides, Paul without a good number of like minded folk in the congress would be like, well, like obama or Santorum or Mittens or any of the other members of the political machine, one of whom will certainly be our next President. Nothing would get done except through the signing of unconstitutional Executive Orders. And Paul won't do that. Why not? Because he believes in The Constitution. And guess what? He's THE ONLY ONE who believes in The Constitution. And he won't be elected because of what? He's a kook? (He's not) No, because he is a Libertarian. Libertarians believe in the concept of Liberty. Liberty requires responsibility. Amerikans do not want to be responsible. That would interfere with the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, MLS, NASCAR... Which ones did I miss?

Meet the new Boss. He's the same as the old Boss. We won't get fooled again. LOL.

Sadly, I think that there is only one inevitable ending to this story... It ain't gonna be pretty.

Thanks for the space to rant, BP.

Stay safe.

:)

Tacitus said...

To be fair, Woody did have a progressive (bad pun) neurologic disease that slowly drove him insane. Huntington's disease is a really bad actor. I find him a sympathetic character in that sense. And other than the switcheroo on the Russo-German non aggression pact Woody was in general consistent in his convictions.

Tacitus

Ed Darrell said...

You don't know Woody Guthrie well enough, I fear.

Chuck Pergiel said...

OK, fascist #1 is Obama, Romney is #2. I think #3 is Newt, right? But who are #4 & #5?