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Democratic War Cry: Buddy, can you spare a dime?
Republican War Cry: Let ‘em Eat Dirt!

And the money keeps rolling in.

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14 Characteristics of Fascism – We Have Them All

With the four horseman of hubris (Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and Bush ) in full gallop, shouting their war cry of 'Islamic fascism' and systematically misquoting and demonizing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ~ it's time for America to review the 14 characteristics of fascism and, in the process, face our own growing neocon fascist state.

Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each – And America has all of them.

By Allen L Roland

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism -- Fascist regimes tend to make 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.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights -- Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, 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.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause -- The 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, Islamic fascists, etc.

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.

5. Rampant Sexism -- The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media -- Sometimes to 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.

7. Obsession with National Security -- Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined –- Governments in fascist nations tend to use 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.

9. Corporate Power is Protected -- The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

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.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts -- Fascist nations tend to 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 and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment -- Under fascist regimes, the 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 -- Fascist regimes almost always are 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 in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections -- Sometimes elections in fascist nations 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. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

An Appeal to the people of Chile.

Por favor, vote el día de elecciones! Su voto es muy importante! -

i put this message in the Chile publication figuring they speak
spanish, too...kewl?

Sarah Palin: Just Another Republican Hypocrite

Death by Palin – Demand for Private Jet Bankrupts Republican Campaign

Back in the day, when Sarah Palin was running for governor, one of her big talking points had to do with the extravagance of then Governor Frank Murkowski.  You see, he bought a big fancy private jet (which citizens of Alaska dubbed The Bald Ego).  Murkowski got a little too big for his britches with that fancy jet, said the good people of Alaska.

And Sarah Palin, who was just regular people like you and me, decided she’d have none of that.  Wild indulgences like a 2 million dollar jet just didn’t mesh with her “commomsenseconservative” values. Why, she even bought her own clothes at a consignment store for crying out loud!

She campaigned hard against the jet, and even mentioned how she’d put it on eBay during that famous speech when she was tapped to be John McCain’s running mate in 2008.  She didn’t mention that nobody actually bought it after four tries, and she ended up selling it at a loss, but hey.  It’s the thought that counts.

Well, our down home gal has come a long way since then.  Recently she went down to Georgia to campaign for Karen Handel in her Republican runoff election with Nathan Deal in the governor’s race.  And it’s a little visit that the Handel campaign won’t soon forget.  Why?

…because they are still literally paying for Palin’s visit. Palin’s demand of a $92,000 private jet and a $13,000 hotel room left the campaign $83,000 in debt.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “Handel’s campaign paid an Ohio jet charter service nearly $92,000 and her latest campaign finance report shows it was for the Palin event. Handel also paid an additional $13,000 in expenses to the InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead for the event. Handel’s quarterly report shows her campaign committee to be $28,000 in debt, with another $55,000 in outstanding expenses.”

Palin’s newly changed feelings about private jets aside, here’s the point of note:

Handel lost. Sarah Palin bilked the Handel campaign out of over $100,000 and left them defeated and in debt. In a race that Handel lost by only 2,579 votes, do you think the campaign is second guessing their decision to spend six figures on a jet and hotel rooms for Sarah Palin?

That money could have been used to aid the get out the vote effort on Election Day instead of meeting Sarah Palin’s need to be treated like an A-lister?

The big question is why didn’t SarahPAC pay for this? Why did Palin force the Handel campaign to foot the bill? She was campaigning for a Republican candidate, which is exactly the kind of expense that a PAC can legally pay for.

The answer is that Palin didn’t want to pay the bill because then she could not get the first class treatment that she feels entitled to. She did not want private jet and expensive hotel to be on SarahPAC’s disclosure report, so like any good crook, she ENRONed it up, and moved her elitist tastes off her books.

Ad urging Latinos not to vote angers Democrats

By Stephanie Condon

CBS News--Oct. 19, 2010--The Nevada Democratic Party is lashing out at a conservative Hispanic group over an ad the group is launching that urges Latinos, a critical Democratic voting bloc in the state -- to stay home on Election Day.

The group Latinos for Reform is launching a 60-second ad today in Nevada. The spot urges Latinos to abstain from voting in order to punish Democrats for failing to deliver on immigration reform.

"Don't vote this November. This is the only way to send them a clear message," a narrator says in the ad. "You can no longer take us for granted."

The ad will air in Spanish on Univision, according to Politico. (An English-language version is posted above.) It features, among other Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is in a tight and nasty Nevada Senate race against conservative Republican Sharron Angle.

An Appeal to the African-American Community

I sent this e-message to the NAACP this morning:

I am a white woman who actively supports our President.

Right now he needs the African-American vote. ALL of you

MUST vote. This is NOT an exaggeration.

PLEASE!  PLEASE!  VOTE  THIS  ELECTION DAY!

Your vote will literally save the day!