I think fascism can be reduced to four principles:

1.  Some people are better than other people.

2.  The better people can recognize one another as such.

3.  The better people should assume control of the state, using whatever means are necessary, including force, the threat of force, and terror, to get and keep that control.

4.  The power of the state, being under the control of the better people, should be total.  (Mussolini: ‘Everything within the state; nothing outside of the state; nothing against the state.’)

The principles characterize the Italian and German fascist regimes and that of the Soviet Union under Stalin, which I think can also be called fascist.

Nationalism and racism are often associated with fascism because they are theories about why some people are better than others, and therefore possibly useful to the project, but they are not the only such theories.

We are the new empire, replacing Britain, so obviously this guy must discredit Gandhi. Notice how conservatives have taken to talking about ‘American exceptionalism’ of late?  Meaning we are obviously better than the rest of the world. Never mind that we are starting to fall behind other countries in education, healthcare, life expectancy, standard of living, and just about everything except the ability to blow other people up. To be a good fascist you must believe in this!

Leefeller:

Lawrence Britt’s 14 Characteristics of Fascism (my comments in brackets):

1.  Powerful and Continuing Nationalism. 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. [Done!]

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights.
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. [Done!]

3.  Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause. 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. [Muslims, anyone?]

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. [Done!]

5.  Rampant Sexism.  Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy. [Done!]

6.  Controlled Mass Media. Sometimes the 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. [Done!]

7.  Obsession with National Security. Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses. [Done!]

8.  Religion and Government are Intertwined. 
Use of 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. [Getting there!]

9.  Corporate Power is Protected. The industrial and business aristocracy are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite. [Done!]

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. [Getting there!]

11.  Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts. 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 is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts. [Defund NPR, anyone?]

12.  Obsession with Crime and Punishment. 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.  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 for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders. [Done!]

14. Fraudulent Elections. Sometimes elections 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. Also, use of judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.  [2000, 2004]

If it lloks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck…LOL.

Peace.

Mannie,

Sadly for the rest of world and those of us who do not happen to have a proclivity to demand putting the screws to the populist, I believe these conservative ass holes have a half life of nuclear waste!

The simple fact the normal people in society want to live their lives in peace and not be in constant fear from attacks, but not from Al Kada (spelling} , but from the brown shirted conservatives, this smacks of McCarthy absolutism, destroying peoples lives and controlling people for demented pet peeves as assinged by their benefactors.

I think the conservatives are sick and even hate themselves and judge others as them selves.

After watching that pretzel head governor moron in Ohio rubbing his hands together with climatic glee after the Labor mural was taken down, shows a sort of demented conscription seemingly abnormal!  (unless I am the abnormal one?)

Labor is now a dirty word?

Leefeller:

It is, of course, a snowy day in June that you and I agree on anything.  LOL.  However, I am particularly glad that we agree on this issue.  And your comment about the swastika, while hyperbolic, is not entirely out of line: I have had that thought as well.

The question is how long the extremists on the right will be able to hold sway to any effective degree.  In Congress, they do have some newfound “pull,” but even Boehner is not always willing to kowtow to them.  (Look how outraged the TP was by what the GOP “gave up” in return for the extension of the Bush tax cuts…)  Among the populace, the TP’s “approval” rating seems to be trending downward, even among some GOP conservatives.

As bizarre as the following comment may seem, it may be the best possible thing to have people like Palin, Bachmann, Gingrich, Pawlenty et al out there trying to out-extreme each other; I doubt that it will ultimately work in their favor.  Of course, only time will tell.

Peace.

Mannie, this despicable tactic is being promoted full steam ahead,  clearly by observing what is going on in the Republican states. Lies and half lies promoted as truths!

The following comment is so bindingly clear, from my view!

“Meanwhile, the adults are fed propaganda in the form of lies, spin, obfuscation, etc. - again, mostly with respect to the attempted re-writing of history - through Beck, Palin, Bachmann, Fox News, etc.  And they shamelessly follow Hitler’s (not Goebbels’) dictum that “The most brilliant propagandist technique…is to confine [oneself] to a few points and repeat them over and over”

Simple observations of truth have no room in a curtained room of lies, so truth as reality is ignored those who would have us become what Hitlers Germany was!

Every time I see one of those ass holes speak,...... the swastika seems to be glaringly missing from behind them!

Hulk:

Among the many wonderful aphorisms coined by Richard Bach is: “Live never to be ashamed if anything you do or say is published around the world - even if what is published is not true.”  (Of course, once you are dead, you can no longer be ashamed anyway.)

What we are really discussing here is the dangers of revisionist history, as per Orwell: “Who controls the past controls the future.  Who controls the present controls the past.”

This is, of course, one of the main objects of the TP and extremist wing of the GOP: to “rewrite” history.  The Texas State Board of Education has been busy doing this with both American and world history in the books that our children and their children will “learn” from in school.  Meanwhile, the adults are fed propaganda in the form of lies, spin, obfuscation, etc. - again, mostly with respect to the attempted re-writing of history - through Beck, Palin, Bachmann, Fox News, etc.  And they shamelessly follow Hitler’s (not Goebbels’) dictum that “The most brilliant propagandist technique…is to confine [oneself] to a few points and repeat them over and over.”  [N.B. The oft-repeated line “If you repeat a lie often enough it becomes the truth” was never actually spoken, though it is the same basic principle.]

Peace.

One reason most of us never become famous is so we will never have to endure bogus reviews by the hate-mongering media. 

Per Marc Antony (via Shakespeare) “The evil that men do lives after them.  The good is oft interred with their bones.” 

Should we believe Andrew Roberts - a modern-day Brutus?  I surely hope Mr. Roberts never reviews Mother Teresa.

Andrew Roberts a notable historian in his own mind, proves the fact Republicans can have cards printed, labeling them as notable historians! It is nice to know Russ Limbaugh has notable brothers and sisters in the advanced shoveling of hate department outside the USA!

As Historians go, George Bush was a History Major in college, sometime around the time he was attempting to show his support of the war in Vietnam by serving ignobly in the National Guard. Years later as a politician of limited repute, George Bush was able to create both the Patriot Act and make sure the National Guard left the American Continent to serve his Patriotic duty! 

Conservatives tilted more to the right then their brethren like Andrew Roberts and others begs the question; how does one acquire the ability to become so enamored with hate? Now from my unreliable observation, it seems there is a definite connection between exceptional hate and exceptional stupidity,  which seems to show us,  that further tilted to the right conservationism pays well, after all Hitler was a notable historian among other things in his mind too!

monthofsundays, March 28 at 5:47 pm Link to this comment

A story that serves to reinforce my opinion of historian Andrew Roberts ... In the words of Johan Hari ...  http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-the-dark-side-of-andrew-roberts-1765229.html
*******************

Great. So now we know that Roberts is closely aligned with hard-core South African Springbok society, their equivalent of the American Nazi Party, and they were allied with Hitler in the 30’s and 40’s.  Is it any wonder that he harps on Gandhi’s supposed male lover as a German-JEW, not just a German?  Naturally he would find that “Jewishness” to be especially disgusting.

But his real point is to try to discredit Mohandas Gandhi and his work at a peaceful separation from Britain.  Look, he’s part of the same movement backed by the Murdoch crowd that is trying to remove Thomas Jefferson from the history books…Texas down, 49 states to go.  A Stalinist tactic, but instituted from the right, of making someone dead an “un-person”.

It’s the same people who tried to discredit MLK (remember the infamous Jesse Helms and his battles to prevent an MLK day, citing everything from King’s alleged infidelities to his accusation of King being a “comm’nist”?)

No matter how he tries to hide it, Murdoch is and always has been promoting a reactionary, fascist, racist state for his entire career.

Gandhi did more to help the world and his fellow man (and woman) in any single moment of his life than Andrew Roberts would do in twenty lifestimes.  Nuff said.  Peace.

My Goodness Andrew aren’t you jealous imagine if that jar of vasiline was for an Asshole like you.
pou pou to you .

Llingham, you don’t know it yet. the only relevant
observations as to a persons sexual proclivities are
those of first hand experience, and they should never
tell. what piffle.

A Zen saying has it that “a pickpocket only sees the pockets of a wise man.” 
Mr. Roberts wants to reduce Gandhi’s non-violence to repressed sexuality and
in the process reveals his own predilection to regard the higher potentials of
human beings in terms of their lower potential.  From such a perspective,
spirituality is synonymous with bodily preoccupation and selfless service is
merely arrogance.  Morality becomes the child of immorality,  and compassion
is born from selfishness and greed.  It is only plausible if human beings have no
real spiritual nature and if all spiritual teaching and striving is merely the
attempt to impose superstition and illusion upon oneself.

Since there are no doubt people who really believe this, and Mr. Roberts may be
among them, we have to suggest that it is better to ignore them than to react to
them.  This “ignorance” of turning away from ideas that debase human beings
and toward those which uplift us is not the same ignorance as one who only
sees through his prejudices.

His way, peaceful protest, was at odds to THEIR way: sidewinder missiles. I hate this quote,

  “Gandhi was therefore the archetypal 20th-century progressive intellectual, professing his love for mankind as a concept while actually despising people as individuals.”

As opposed to THEIR concept of despising mankind and loving the individual. The individual at all costs; freedom for mankind as long as it benefits certain individuals.

Despicable.

Whatever Mohandas K. Ghandi’s sexual proclivities and
his ideas regarding sex were a tad bit strange, this
piece of tripe called a ‘review’ of a book, is
nothing more than a slanderous piece of manure.
This is the standard operating procedure of any of
the outlets owned by and operated by Rupert Murdoch.
His idea of unbiased journalism and a news
organization which is run for the benefit of the
people is quite apparent. We have as examples, the
Fox Channel, and now the Wall Street, which news
organization and opinion/editorial section is now run
for the benefit of those members of the oligarchy
which contribute heavily to the Repuglithug party.
We know now that the WSJ, that esteemed paper, will
be run for and operated by the minions of Rupert
Murdoch. This was the fear of those in the
journalistic associations. Yes, the WSJ is now
another mouthpiece of the Repuglithug Party.
Dog, bless Amerikkka.

A story that serves to reinforce my opinion of historian Andrew Roberts ... In the words of Johan Hari ...  http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-the-dark-side-of-andrew-roberts-1765229.html

So what’s the point?

Who doesn’t hate mankind and love individuals?  Mankind has been capable of the worst atrocities while individuals have been capable of brilliance.

Who cares if he was gay?  Is that supposed to reflect on his moral goodness?

God.

So why all the defensiveness, then?  I would think Gandhi’s personal oddities would be unimportant.  He loved mankind, but hated individuals?  Only the first part is difficult to understand.  I imagine most of the people who accomplish anything significant in the world are pretty weird; as someone said, you can’t get very far if you spend all your time looking over your shoulder (so as to be like everyone else).  As most people seem to.

Whatever you call anyone and whatever lyrics you quote from some song..

This man was a thorn in the side of those who deserved not a thorn.. but a Nuclear blast.. if anyone ever really DESERVED that type of punishment.

Can we see the ole remnants of the English Empire rearing its ugly head, my, with all the press about their prince getting married and such.

Down with the Crown.

You know the difference between a liberal and a conservative may be; conservatives fret and worry make a big deal about what other people do in their personal unprivileged non conservative lives, which has nothing to do with anything affecting other people,.... while liberals don’t give a shit?

Next thing we’ll learn is that Mother Teresa was a practicing lesbian——maybe that crucifix she wore had another purpose!

And all the sinners’ saints.

“according to Roberts”

Enough said.  Just one of those not-so-rare commentators who cannot become famous on their own merits so they have to sensationalize some aspect of a famous persons character, often incorrectly.

This book reviewer is treating the subject of Gandhi as celebrity gossip.
If Gandhi managed to inspire so many people with the concept of non-violence, 
he achieved way more than this writer will ever do.

If it is true Gandhi was all that is alleged… so what?

ALL HAVE FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.

Yet, this does NOT and should not take away from the movement he lead his enslaved and colonized country out of….

Yet another lackey supporting the Empire.. shame on you!  You, most likely, are more than a sexual weirdo… more like a deviant in all ways of the word.

We need another Gandhi in Amerika…. or better an army of them!

And where is today’s Napoleon?

I read the whole review, and it is one of the most mean-spirited things I have ever read. Another right-wing ideologue trying to demean anything or anyone not neo-conservative. When he talks about “actually despising people as individuals”, he should take a look at himself.

Well, this ought to discredit nonviolent resistance from now on forever.  And whose purposes does that serve?  GRYM will be ecstatic!  Thanks for nothing.

There seems no limit to the despicable heights some people will obtain to attack someone, which has absolutely nothing to do with; in this case Gandhi; accomplishments.

Only the WSJ could allow a review that so deliberately twisted, mangled and mis-interpreted facts, many of which are known.  The reviewer even contradicts himself and claims a fact cannot be true because otherwise his thesis (that Gandhi was a totally gay man devoted to a German Jewish man—the low-level implications are there as well. Why is it necessary to point out that he was a German Jew when if he had been a German Lutheran it wouldn’t have been stated?)

The reviewer also deliberately mixes up statements and actions from the young Gandhi with the older one, not seeing a pattern of intellectual growth.

No, the reviewer is determined to discount all of Gandhi’s achievements, exaggerate and extrapolate beyond fact his well-known sexual views, and, ultimately, as he says, to say that ALL progressives who want a better world fundamentally HATE actual people.

It is nothing but a rabid, bigoted TeaPartyer’s view of the world, trashing anyone and anything of value that doesn’t worship wealth and power in a way even Ayn Rand couldn’t accept.

Why do we feel the need to destroy people who bring
about great change? People are not perfect and are
rarely even “normal” (whatever that means).

Stop already! He brought about great things and set the
tone for future change. Does it really matter what his
private life and demons were?

that’s nice. i’m glad.