Thanks
Norm!

Herr Pee Wee Harper  Norman Farrell of North Vancouver is one of British Columbia's, no Canada's, BEST bloggers for many reasons and his posting yesterday that I am going to briefly discuss is just another example of why. One never knows what Norm will write about, but can always be confident that he will be thoughtful and do a very good job of connecting the dots. Sometimes he will simply share a good story, perhaps from his younger days, or his travels or his grandchildren. On other occasions he will mainly bring something already out there, but available in a venue not widely known or visited by some of his audience. Yesterday's post from Norm was an example of the latter as he primarily re-produced an article from a relatively obscure (to me at any rate, until this morning) website/blog/organization called the Council for Secular Humanism. In his post Verbal gymnastics? Maybe not, he brings to our attention a piece from 2003 titled Fascism Anyone?, by Laurence W. Britt.

One can go to the links above to read the original article or Norm's post from yesterday, but I just want to briefly do a stream of consciousness exercise with the fourteen points that Mr. Britt indicated were signs of fascism as evidenced by his study of "Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Franco’s Spain, Salazar’s Portugal, Papadopoulos’s Greece, Pinochet’s Chile, and Suharto’s Indonesia." As I went through the headings and their explanation, I just couldn't ignore how reminiscent this all was of today in the USA, Canada and BeeCee. I have a bunch of stuff to do today, so I'm just going to do this quickly with the headings and what they remind me of, a free association exercise.  

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism.

American exceptional-ism anyone? or Gordo's "Best Place on Earth"

 2. Disdain for the importance of human rights

the G20 Police Riots, NYPD, Gitmo, RCMP killings and beatings, Mehar Arar, Omar Khadr

3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. 

Joe Oliver and enemies of the Harper Economy, Peter Kent and "money launderers, Vic "smelly" Toews and child pornographers. 

4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism 

USA, USA, USA biggest military on earth, militarism rather than diplomacy and of course Stephen Harper never heard of an American war adventure he didn't think Canada should join in with!


5. Rampant sexism

MP Woodsworth and moment of conception "debate|" or start of life. The Republican "War on Women"

 6. A controlled mass media.

Post Media, Faux News, Rupert Murdoch

 7. Obsession with national security.
.Post 9/11 North America

8. Religion and ruling elite tied together. 

Stockwell Day, Stephen Harper, Mitt Romney, televangelists,  Utah's meddling in Gay Marriage issue in other states,   Creationism taught in US schools."One nation under God" in and out of the Pledge of Allegiance to Murca


9. Power of corporations protected 

Citizen's United, Bank bailouts, BP has made the Gulf more wonderful, SNC, BC LIEberals, 

10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated. 

Reagan firing the air controllers and everything since.......Lisa Raitt

11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts 

Latte sipping Librul Elites, etc. CBC cutbacks, CBC Symphony killed off, 

12. Obsession with crime and punishment 

USA has over two million people (mostly minorities) in prison, Harper's Omnibus Crime Bill

13. Rampant cronyism and corruption 

BC LIEberal Government,  BC Rail, Fish Farms, F-35, Tony Clements Gazebo World

14. Fraudulent elections.

G. Dubya Bush 2000, Treason Steven Harper 2011


Of course I could go on all day, but as I said earlier, I've got stuff to do...........