Bush vs. Hitler

[DuctapeFatwa]

Nazi leader Herman Goering once remarked that it was easy to lead people into war, regardless of whether they resided within "a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, a parliament, or a communist dictatorship." All that was required, Goering argued, is for their government to "tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to greater danger."

Many years ago, when I was younger and more idealistic, I would have viewed Goering's statement as an anachronism. After all, millions had suffered immensely during the nightmare of World War II, and it seemed that this historical imprint alone would have indelibly reminded people about the folly of blindly following leaders into war. Also (and despite Goering's assertion) democracy appeared to offer additional protections from this folly as well, particularly in wealthy, industrialized nations like America, where freedom of speech and press permitted the free exchange of ideas, which in turn served to balance emotion and reason, and exposed any lies used to rationalize an unjust war. While it is true that America still suffered through the Vietnam era, it did not do so unquestioningly, nor with a blind faith in the nation"s leaders.

But the coup by the plutocratic supporters of George W. Bush in the year 2000, coupled with the invasion of Iraq, changed all that, revealing how easily Americans can be manipulated, how willing they are to be lied to, and how vacuous the freedoms of speech and press have become when the bulk of information is filtered through corporate-controlled media that profit from jingoism, propaganda and dishonesty. But, perhaps most disturbingly, these events demonstrated that even though the words "freedom, democracy and human rights" are chanted like mantras by political leaders, many Americans have apparently welcomed, or at the very least are blissfully unconcerned about, the erosion of freedom, the abuse of human rights, and the nation"s growing transformation from a democracy into a neo-fascist dictatorship.

Although the quest for or preservation of "democracy" is often used as a justification for war, history has incessantly revealed that such a quest is often little more than a thinly-veiled attempt to install a puppet regime. Decades ago, the folk singer Phil Ochs, in his song COPS OF THE WORLD (the lyrics of which are still hauntingly relevant today), stated that in American lexicon democracy is simply another name for profits, and that in poorer, "third world" countries democracy normally consists of an imperialist power handpicking leaders for the local populace to "elect." The late Cuban guerrilla leader Che Guevara went even further, stating that in these impoverished nations democracies are simply facades established by imperialist powers to placate the masses, when in reality "third-world" governments, burdened with debt and dependent upon wealthier nations for basic necessities, frequently have to implement policies that appease their imperialist masters even if it means the suffering of their own people.

http://english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/98/387/11693_bush.html

[AntiCoup2K4]

1. I'd say that article about nails it.

And the fact that it comes from "Pravda" is the sickest irony of them all. If you would have told me 20 years ago I could believe Pravda over my own government, I would have laughed in your face. Too bad no right wingers would ever read this article, just for that reason :evilfrown:

[MoonRiver]

4. Pravda R US

n/t

[KFC]

2. LOL

Nice to hear the wisdom of Che.

[Cleita]

3. I don't know if many know this but when Hitler

knew that he had lost WWII, he ordered that everything in Germany that was still standing be demolished, that all crops and all stores of food and medicine be destroyed. He didn't want a single thing left that would enable the survivors to sustain themselves. He wanted all Germans to die if he had to die. Fortunately, his orders were never carried out.

I often wonder how far would BFEE go when the game is up and they are kicked out office. To what extent would they go to drag everyone down with them and to leave their successor with nothing but scorched earth to govern?