A Fascist America, in 10 easy steps is one scary read. Naomi Wolf:
It is my argument that, beneath our very noses, George Bush and his administration are using time-tested tactics to close down an open society. It is time for us to be willing to think the unthinkable – as the author and political journalist Joe Conason, has put it, that it can happen here. And that we are further along than we realise.
Essential reading for every American.
“Take a day and walk around! Watch the Nazis run your town! Then go home and check yourself — you think we’re singing ’bout someone else!”
As you say, a scary read – and it all applies to Tony Blair’s Britain too.
I knew that this administration was going to end our
freedoms before they stole the 2000 election.
911 made it crystal clear that they will stop at
nothing.
NOTHING!
Hoping that things will work out in the short term
is childishness. We have some bad times ahead.
BEER?
Yes please!
Frightening reading. And the Bush Administration isn’t the only gov’t doing this. It appears to be a prerequisite to be a member of the “War On Terror” club. Also, if you dig a little deeper into the history of those taking part of the Bush Administration, you’ll find that many of them reappear again and again in past Republican administrations as far back as Nixon (when they are not in the private sector robbing people blind). It can’t happen here? Sorry. It already has. The real question is: is the American soul worth saving?
Christ, they had things synched back when they killed Kennedy(s). There will be no democracy in America as long as the CIA stands and Secret Societies move about in the background. Let’s no forget that: “Some take the bible for what it’s worth when it says that the meek shall inherit the Earth well, I heard that some sheik has bought/bombed your country last week ‘N you suckers ain’t gettin’ nothin’…”
It can happen anywhere.
This stuff makes me sick & scared.
I know that in the Netherlands, with it’s coalition government and less political civil servants we will see a delay and get this in a milder version. But still: the US is the only ‘superpower’ in the world and regins us too.
The moment they come up with new terrorist acts our government bows down. Our airports have the same lists of unwanted passengers. They got them after the US sent back a few airplanes because there were people named on thos lists on boeard.
How did the US know? Because we sent them a passengers lists – illegally. No complaints from our government, just major sucking up.
Sick & scared.
Jeroen — you are absolutely right. Our governments are totally complicit with the Bush Administration. For instance, Maher Arar, a Syrian born Canadian citizen was detained by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service on September 26, 2002, (acting upon bugus information supplied by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police) during a stopover in New York en route from Tunis to Montreal. He was then deported to Syria where he was held in solitary confinement in a Syrian prison during which time he was regularly tortured for almost a year, until his eventual release and return to Canada in October 2003. Syria concluded that he had no terrorist links. A public inquiry in Canada exonerated Arar, criticized the RCMP’s handling of the file and concluded that there was no evidence that he was a security threat to Canada or a member of a terrorist organization. Furthermore, despite the inquiry’s exoneration of Arar, the United States has also refused to remove Arar from its watch list because of “his personal associations and travel history.”
It’s obvious the world cannot believe word one that comes from the current U.S. government. Sadly, the world cannot take the word of it’s own governments as well.
_____________ such an asshole! Yes we really mean it!
furthermore the RCMP raided the house Juliet ONeill, a journalist who first broke the story. Wikipedia: “The raid seized notebooks, files, hard drives and other materials.
In November 2004, Ontario Superior Court Judge Lynn Ratushny ruled that the sealing of the search warrants was unacceptable, although Justice of the Peace Richard Sculthorpe had given approval after the RCMP invoked the Security of Information Act. Judge Ratushny stated that the sealing of the search violated guarantees of a free press, freedom of expression and the public’s right to an open court system. She ordered that a redacted copy be released to the public.
In October 2006, Ontario Superior Court Judge Ratushny struck down Section 4 of the Security of Information Act, ruling that it was “unconstitutionally vague” and broad and an infringement of freedom of expression. All materials seized from O’Neill were ordered returned.””
Which is pretty much the current political/legal situation of Canada. The Parliament rammed in the AntiTerrorist bill into law without proper inquiry or follow up, much as our entry into Afghanistan was poorly planned given how ill-equipped our military was/is. The move into Afghanistan was criticized by top Canadian generals who resigned over it. All convictions/trials/actions committed under the AntiTerorrism bill have been overrulled by our supreme court much as it looks like the AntiTerrorism bill will not be renewed once it reaches expiry.
So despite our Conservative government (including the Liberal party that started this mess ala Tony Blair’s Labour Party) and our Leftist minority, our supreme court and our army have continued to act with rationale, ethics and common sense. Then again there is the North American Union to worry about… how do you Euro-Zappafans feel about the EU?
It’s Not A Very Nice Story: despite my TV-aversion I JUST happened to’ve had free cable at the time, so I saw the second hit live on TV on 9/11, & the secret word I immediately screamed was REICHSTAG … such are the comforts of having a good education. Imagine living the next 5+ years already being able to see every ugly little fucked up law the Cheney-Bush evil axis has excreted since then, slouching its way down the conveyor belt – licking its fangs & giggling – as of that morning.
Sick, huh?
(insert cute kitten JPEG here?)
That ONeill nightmare really showed how much Yankee Doodle Brand Brown Lipstick the RCMP likes to wear, alrighty … but that’s what I get for livin’ in a country with a bloody ESCAPE CLAUSE on its Constitution. We should’ve left it back in Blighty, minus the “Notwithstanding Clause” polyp. Uh-oh – no rewind button.
Maher Arar (sp?) was/is another real friggin’ warm soft sparkly moment in Canuckistani history: hey, FBI, ya want more innocent schmucks to secretly kidnap & “outsource” to a torture-camp? COME TO CANADA, baby!
“That’s right, folks! Don’t touch that dial!”