From the Annals of Retired Fascist Baby Names

Staff / Truthdig Nov 25, 2008 The Movimento Sociale-Fiamma Tricolore party in Italy has offered to pay $1,940 to parents who name their children after Benito Mussolini or his wife Rachele. The "purely casual" name game is meant to address low birthrates and not fascist nostalgia, according to the far-right party. Sure. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gingrich on ‘Gay and Secular Fascism’ in America

Staff / Truthdig Nov 18, 2008 Not only did Bill O'Reilly play a big part in constructing the notion of an ongoing culture war in America, but he's determined to be the No. 1 embedded reporter on its front lines. Here, he talks to Newt Gingrich about the recent anti-Proposition 8 demonstrations around the U.S. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Austrian Rightist’s Postmortem Outing?

Staff / Truthdig Oct 24, 2008 Two weeks after the death of Joerg Haider, former leader of the far-right Austrian Freedom Party, media attention has moved from Haider's fascistic political life to his personal life, with the politician's sexual identity undergoing a bit of a queering, much to the surprise of his ultranationalistic supporters. Haider was a 58-year-old married father of two. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Digging Into Franco’s Bloody Reign

Staff / Truthdig Oct 17, 2008 An acclaimed Spanish judge has ordered the unearthing of some of the unmarked graves of the tens of thousands who were killed during the first two decades of Gen. Francisco Franco's fascist rule of Spain, formally declaring the repression by Franco and associates as a "crime against humanity." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

America’s Political Cannibalism

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Oct 13, 2008 It is no longer our economy but our democracy that is in peril. Financial collapses lead to political extremism. The rage bubbling up from our impoverished and disenfranchised working class, glimpsed at John McCain rallies, presages a looming and dangerous right-wing backlash. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Fueling the Fire of Real Change

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Sep 29, 2008 The coals of radical social change smolder among the poor, the homeless and the destitute. As the numbers of disenfranchised dramatically increase, our hope, our only hope, is to connect intimately with the daily injustices visited upon them. Out of this contact we can resurrect, from the ground up, a social ethic, a new movement. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Rome’s New Mayor Strikes American Celebs From VIP List

Staff / Truthdig May 6, 2008 Hollywood stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney and Nicole Kidman are now personae non gratae in Rome, according to the Italian capital's new mayor, Gianni Alemanno, a former fascist who thinks American stars shouldn't be hyped at Rome's annual film festival at the expense of Italian actors and directors. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Berlusconi Wants More

Staff / Truthdig Apr 11, 2008 Silvio Berlusconi, billionaire, media mogul and former prime minister of Italy, is calling for voters to give him a substantial majority of parliament seats as he vies a third time for the country's most powerful office. The elections, to be held Sunday and Monday, will decide whether the country is led by a center-left coalition or Berlusconi's right-wing "Freedom Folks." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Spain’s King Tells Chavez to ‘Shut Up’

Staff / Truthdig Nov 12, 2007 King Juan Carlos of Spain had apparently had enough of Hugo Chavez when he said to the Venezuelan president: "Why don't you shut up?" The public scolding took place at the 22-nation Ibero-American summit in Santiago, Chile, and was precipitated by Chavez's attempts to paint former Spanish prime minister and Bush supporter Jose Maria Aznar as a fascist, which is a touchy term to use in front of the man who ended nearly four decades of fascist rule. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Colbert and Wolf Talk Fascism, Blackwater, Vodka

Staff / Truthdig Sep 22, 2007 For his part, Stephen Colbert doesn't see Naomi Wolf's point about Blackwater USA's recent shameful shenanigans in Iraq somehow heralding a fast-approaching era of fascism in America. Instead, the faux-pundit believes the trend is more toward "a bull market for shooting people" these days. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Russians Get a Lead in Beheading Case

Staff / Truthdig Aug 17, 2007 Russian authorities have arrested a student for allegedly posting a video of the apparent execution of two men by a neo-Nazi group, although authorities still don't know who recorded the video or carried out the attack. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush’s Grandfather Linked to Fascist Plot

Staff / Truthdig Jul 26, 2007 Back in the 1930s a general by the name of Smedley Butler exposed a plot to overthrow the government of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and install a fascist oligarchy backed by some of America's most powerful business leaders and conservatives. Prescott Bush, grandfather of George W., was among those linked to the plan. BBC Radio investigates. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )