Fascism Rears Its Ugly Head

Germany lost World War I, but the war was fought on foreign soil, and that country was severely punished by the allied powers. The Germany of the post war era was economically ravished. German workers were generally poor peasants and workers, and they were hungry and jobless. In 1918 a group known as the Thule Society began to take shape. It was made up primarily of racist, anti-Christian, and anti-Semitic fringe elements. This group wanted to cleanse the human race of all that it perceived to be impure, and the Jews were considered to be at the root of the contamination.

The Thule Society began its rise to power by infiltrating the workers groups since it needed the support of the majority of Germans. Capitalizing upon an already intolerable economic situation worsened by the Great Depression, the Society, known eventually as the Nazi Party lead by Adolph Hitler, looked to find a scapegoat. What better group to blame than those whom the Party wanted to eliminate?

The Jews were blamed for all of the woes brought on by the Depression and the end of WW I. They sold Germany out to the west and brought on the great allied punishment. The German people fell for it and the Nazi Party, through deception, violence, political manuvering, and Hitler's great oratorical skills, assumed the reigns of power and began to put in place its "final solution"

There are troubling parallels to the roots of Fascism beginning to take shape in this country. The election of a mixed race president seems to have been the catalyst that brought an already simmering stew of racist and fundamentalist Christian groups together within a Republican Party reeling from a massive defeat. The tragedy of the World Trade Center and the ensuing ill advised invasion of Iraq fueled hatred for the Muslim religion. Illegal immigration from the southern Hispanic nations, together with an economic meltdown turned racist hatred toward yet another ethnic group.

This rag tag racist and Christian fundamentalist group has taken a page from the Thule Society by infiltrating a long time, accepted organization, the Republican Party. It has effectively appealed to the lower tiers of society and the racist element, which is scattered throughout all its layers. Through its currently splintered leadership, lies and innuendo have spewed forth on a daily basis across the Internet and the airwaves of radio and TV.

Unlike the early days of Nazism, the modern US version has had access to an element of media that has effectively reached millions. FOX News has become its mouth piece, aiding in the dissemination of the half truths and outright lies of the extreme right wing, while radio hucksters with large followings, such as Limbaugh have pounded those out of sight of TV. Daily, a barrage of misinformation on every aspect of government and society pounds the senses of those who seek confirmation of their greatest fears.

The President is characterized as a Muslim, born outside the United States, who is intent upon destroying all that has been built in this country since its founding. All of his followers are considered agents of the devil, prepared to destroy all Christian elements and to dilute the Caucasian race, in favor of Hispanics and Arabs.

Fundamentalist Christian churches have turned to politics, exhorting their followers to carry arms in defense of their religion and to pray for the President's death. They preach revolution and the spreading of their brand of the Christan gospel by force. One presidential contender, Huckabee, has talked of revising the U.S. Constitution to reflect the fundamentalist Christian ideology, while others talk of taking over the government and using the U.S. Army to spread Christian fundamentalism around the world. Already there are some indications of proselytizing by members of the armed forces in the Middle East.

An underlying thread throughout this Fascist-like movement is racism. Although is it usually denied, the evidence is everywhere. From the birthers to those praying for the death of president, there is no other explanation other than this disease that has eaten away at this country for so long. It is rooted in Christian fundamentalism from the days of slavery, when Bible quotations were used to defend that "peculiar institution." In today's world it is married not only to African-Americans but to Hispanics and Arabs as well. It is easy for this lunatic fringe to appeal to workers who have lost jobs that can be blame on Hispanics and to those who fear a Muslim invasion.

To date no clear leader has emerged. Several have spoken to the fringe issues. Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Jerome Corsi, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and Michelle Bachman have all reared their ugly heads. This past week in Georgia, Nathan Deal, a Congressman and candidate for governor, joined the fray. Others across the country have spoken out from so-called pastors to politicians. In Germany it was a lowly army corporal who rose to lead the murderous legions.

It will be up to mainstream America to defeat these roots of Fascism. In Germany the citizenry turned a blind eye to the murder of the Jewish population and the theft of its assets. Secretly, they reveled in that population being brought to its knees and claimed in the end that they knew nothing of the extermination of millions. What will it be in this country? Will we turn our heads to the mistreatment of Muslims and other minorities? Will we sit quietly by as gays are exterminated by fundamentalist fascists? We did it during WW II with the Japanese and throughout the 19th Century as the Native American population was decimated, and black Americans were held as slaves. Americans are quite capable of allowing bad things to happen to good people.

FOX and the Town Halls

This morning I was waiting in the BMW-Mini dealership for service and the TV in the waiting area was tuned to FOXLite News. I was amazed that during the 2 hours of waiting, FOX dwelled on the town hall meetings every few minutes, pushing home the GOP stance that everyone in the country is fed up with the Obama healthcare plan. They continuously played scenes of the violence and childlike actions of the GOP plants in these meetings. All the while the anchors, smirked and at times openly laughed, while pushing the GOP agenda.

In an interview a Republican Congressman was asked if the GOP was planting these mobs. Guess what his answer was? He did not give one. He simply said that during the Bush Administration Moveon and others planted people to disrupt meetings. In so many words, then, his answer was yes. Did the FOX anchor ask him a follow up to try to get a real answer? Of course not, he simply continued to feed the Congressman questions that allowed him to complete his false statements about the plan. And they call it "fair and balanced."

Today, in Douglas County, GA a town hall meeting was held to discuss federal highway plans with some neighborhoods in that area with Rep. David Scott. The meeting was set up by the local city manager. A Republican talk radio host and former candidate for senator had his listeners attend to disrupt the meeting. It wasn't about health care. It was about a highway. Needless to say, Sen. Scott was a bit upset.

This is not going away and the Republicans are doing their best to become the party that kills health care reform once again. The voters need to take note. One of Dubya's advisers has told Republicans that they are treading on thin ice. Republican polls have indicated that an overwhelming percentage of voters want reform. The GOP stands to lose even more ground with their mob tactics. Let us hope the door does not hit them on the way out.

Lou Dobbs on the Way to FOX?

Lou Dobbs has long railed against illegal immigration and has often had a valid argument. Recently, however, he made a move toward left field and the lunatic fringe. The latest ratings of his show, taken since he took up with the "birthers," have plunged. That is unfortunate, because the cable network news organizations need a balance, yet they are becoming more polarized. FOX, of course, has never had a balance.

If CNN eventually drops Mr. Dobbs, where will he land? FOX of course. That network usually picks up all of the fringe elements from CNN and others who will not have them. Glen Beck, Van Sustern , Hannity, North, Rivera; I could go on and on. Nevertheless, given his recent bit of lightheadedness Dobbs will make a good fit for this bunch of ne're do wells in the FOX lineup.

"...IT MAKES US LOOK BAD."

John Du Nugent, a white separatist, is quoted as saying in regard to James W. Von Brunn's action, "The white separatist community condemns this. It makes us look bad." Oh, Mr. Du Nugent, you did not look bad before? I suppose indiscriminate killing at a Holocaust museum is worse than proposing to rid the world of all non-whites, but not too much worse.

It is amazing that there are so many people consumed with such deep hatred for their fellow man, simply because he is different. There are so many reasons, they say. The Jews are trying to rule the world. African-Americans are subhumans with lower IQ's. Latinos are ruining this country. It goes on and on.

The Internet has given these people a bully pulpit to preach their hatred and to recruit those who are on the brink of insanity or are suffering from some woe, financial or social and need someone to blame. A simple search turns up pages of sites dedicated to hatred. Today's financial troubles, combined with an African American president, have fueled the hatred and given rise to wild conspiracy theories. Obama is a tool of Islamic terrorists. He was not born in the U.S. Jews control the finances of the country and have created the economic conditions that we face in order to consolidate their power.

It sounds far-fetched, but think about the emails you receive. Listen to Newt Gingrich, saying that Sotomayor is a racist and that her ankle injury is a fake. Then there is the Fat Blowhard, Limbaugh, and his buddies, Beck, Hannity, and O'Reilly, constantly railing and name calling, and inventing conspiracies. These are the so-called "legitimate" talking heads, not the white supremacists...or are they? They may not be directly connected, but their constant focus on the issues dear to these radicals pushes many viewers over the edge. I have friends, who are basically addicted to FOX News and right wing talk radio. They are heavily influenced by the half truths and out of context videos and comments.

Then there are the bloggers. It is so simple to put a spin on a comment or a speech and there are many readers, who are not smart enough to know better or they do not want to hear anything different. This fellow, Von Brunn, was apparently ahead of his time in the use of the Internet to spread his venom. Like the talk radio and FOX News addicts, there are Internet addicts, who spend far too much time searching and browsing and are easily swayed.

Homeland Security warned of anti-Semitic attacks and right-wing extremism and the right wing Republicans actually forced an apology from that Department. There is definitely a rise in right-wing extremism. It has been building for the last decade or so and has found a fertile ground in the current domestic and world situations. FOX commentator Sheppard Smith recently commented on the more venomous anti-Obama emails that he is receiving, saying they are getting scarier. We have not seen the last of these attacks. There have been two in the last two weeks, and unfortunately, they will most likely continue to intensify, as the hate mongers continue to ramp up their diatribes.

At some point the O'Reilly's and Limbaugh's of the world are going to have to take responsibility for their actions and realize that they are causing death and destruction. I hope they soon understand that their venomous talk is terribly counterproductive and even in some cases anti-American. It might be in their best interest to tone it down and look elsewhere for their big broadcasting bucks. There is no need for censorship, just responsible journalism from those to whom a sector of the public looks to for its "news."