Ten Steps to Tyranny
As I listened to The Brian Lehrer Show on the internet this morning, I was truly frightened by what the guest had to say about the potential for tyranny in the very near future, here in the United States.
The guest, Naomi Wolf, recently penned a book The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot, which is basically a call to arms for citizens of the United States. Ms. Wolf is an excellent writer whose well-researched views are presented clearly, and in this case, with absolutely sobering effect. Her basic point is a comparison between the present-day government of the United States, and that of the Weimar Republic of pre-World War II Germany. It's interesting to note, the Weimar Republic was a parliamentary democracy, duly elected by Germans, who watched as their government systematically moved towards Hitler's dictatorship.
Basically, she chronicles the ten steps that occurred prior to the rise of the Nazi's, and shows that those same 10 steps are in process here, and now. Looking at these ten steps should make everyone reading this post extra-vigilant, active and aware of the tenuous nature of what passes for freedom today, and how quickly it can be lost.
Here are the ten steps to tyranny, and what is happening here, today, that could be harbingers or disaster for American democracy.
As Americans turn towards the rampant consumerism of the holiday season, and look on quite leisurely to Dancing with The Stars, Britney Spear's latest meltdown or the foolish antics of Paris Hilton, the foundations of democracy are being fatally corroded.
When the "established right" makes the extreme right's idea's and viewpoints legitimate, then you've reached a tipping point in the stability of government. We've reached that tipping point, where immigrants are demonized, where hate is based on religion, and where dissent is somehow unpatriotic, in a country founded by dissenters.
And give this thought, as you ponder the future -- which is your future -- of the United States: the most conservative principle of the Founding Fathers was distrust of unchecked power.
The guest, Naomi Wolf, recently penned a book The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot, which is basically a call to arms for citizens of the United States. Ms. Wolf is an excellent writer whose well-researched views are presented clearly, and in this case, with absolutely sobering effect. Her basic point is a comparison between the present-day government of the United States, and that of the Weimar Republic of pre-World War II Germany. It's interesting to note, the Weimar Republic was a parliamentary democracy, duly elected by Germans, who watched as their government systematically moved towards Hitler's dictatorship.
Basically, she chronicles the ten steps that occurred prior to the rise of the Nazi's, and shows that those same 10 steps are in process here, and now. Looking at these ten steps should make everyone reading this post extra-vigilant, active and aware of the tenuous nature of what passes for freedom today, and how quickly it can be lost.
Here are the ten steps to tyranny, and what is happening here, today, that could be harbingers or disaster for American democracy.
- Invoke an internal and external threat - This one is fairly obvious. The threat that we are constantly confronted with is "Islamo-fascism," whatever that is. The Cowboy President would also have you believe that the ephemeral "War on Terror" is a never-ending, global fight that has to be waged, everywhere inside the United States and out, with no clear actors, and no clear path to victory.
- Establish secret prisons - The US has already established "black site" prisons all over the world, and in those prisons, we hold individuals, who are victims of "extraordinary rendition" -- a tactic where people are literally grabbed off the street and shuttled away as a prisoner to be "interrogated" about links to terrorists. Some of those grabbed include Americans. And, there is nothing stopping the Cowboy from declaring anyone an enemy combatant.
- Establish external paramilitary groups - One word: Blackwater. The military contractor has augmented US armed forces in the war in Iraq, interrogated prisoners, and escorts dignitaries. But what you might not know is that Blackwater personnel were the first "boots on the ground" in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and now eyes providing outsourced security services in cities like New York City, for example. They already provide training for over 50,000 law enforcement personnel a year.
- Surveillance of innocent citizens - The much too hastily-passed USA Patriot Act essentially gave the White House carte blanche to access your emails, phone records, library book-borrowing history, and financial records, all without your knowledge. And even if you do know, you can't mention the investigation, under threat of criminal prosecution. So, you can't even complain if you're wrongly-targeted for surveillance.
- Infiltrate popular movements - The US government has a history of infiltration into peaceful protest
groups, most notably with COINTELPRO during the Civil Rights movement.
Recently, the government has been infiltrating anti-war groups, trying
to either destabilize the organizations or gain intelligence on their anti-war activities.
- Engage in arbitrary arrest and release of citizens - The Military Commissions Act of 2006 limits the right of habeas corpus and has been suggested to be unconstitutional. It's been used to detain American citizens who are suspected of being terrorist sympathizers. The law allows you to be held incommunicado for up to 36 months, simply on the determination of the president. It's what's called a status crime -- and your status is determined by the Office of The President of the United States. You have no legal recourse to this extra-constitutional legal framework, and could be arrested -- and subsequently released -- at almost any time.
- Target key individuals - The Cowboy President's minions in state legislatures in several states put pressure on
regents at state universities to penalize or fire academics who have
been critical of the administration. Most recently, the administration removed eight US attorneys for what basically came down to insufficient political loyalty.
- Control the press - Josh Wolf, a blogger in San Francisco, has been in
jail for over a year for refusing to turn over video of an anti-war
demonstration. Homeland Security filed a criminal complaint against Greg Palast, a reporter, claiming he threatened "critical infrastructure"
when he and a TV producer were filming victims of Hurricane Katrina in
Louisiana. Palast had previously written a bestseller critical of the Bush
administration. According to The Guardian newspaper in the UK, The Committee to Protect Journalists has documented multiple accounts
of the US military in Iraq firing upon or threatening to fire upon
unembedded (meaning independent) reporters and camera operators from
organizations ranging from al-Jazeera to the BBC.
- Cast dissent as treason - The Cowboy President has, at various times, called the New York Times "disgraceful" for leaking classified information. Republicans in Congress actually called for the Times' publisher, Bill Keller, to be charged with
treason as a result. Rght-wing commentators and news outlets (mainly Fox News) kept up the
"treason" talk, and actively suggested that execution, the penalty for war-time treason, be the penalty, should Keller or fellow journalists who dare publish stories contrary to the administration's wishes ever be tried and convicted of treason.
- Suspend/subvert the rule of law - This is perhaps the most scary step to tyranny. The John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007 gave the president new powers over the National Guard, and an increased ability to declare martial law. This means that in a national emergency - which the president now has enhanced powers to declare - he can send one state's National Guard, say Mississippi's to enforce a state of emergency that he has declared in Maryland for example, over the objections of target state's governor and its citizens. Let's not even mention presidential signing statements that usurp the Congress' power to legislate. According to noted conservative (and Bush-hater) Robert Fein, in approximately 800 cases, President Bush has both signed a bill and declared his intent to disregard provisions he believes are unconstitutional, the equivalent of a line-item veto which is itself unconstitutional. For instance, he signed the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 prohibiting torture, while simultaneously issuing a signing statement declaring his intent to ignore the law in order to gather military or foreign intelligence.
As Americans turn towards the rampant consumerism of the holiday season, and look on quite leisurely to Dancing with The Stars, Britney Spear's latest meltdown or the foolish antics of Paris Hilton, the foundations of democracy are being fatally corroded.
When the "established right" makes the extreme right's idea's and viewpoints legitimate, then you've reached a tipping point in the stability of government. We've reached that tipping point, where immigrants are demonized, where hate is based on religion, and where dissent is somehow unpatriotic, in a country founded by dissenters.
And give this thought, as you ponder the future -- which is your future -- of the United States: the most conservative principle of the Founding Fathers was distrust of unchecked power.
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Well this was a very thought-provoking blog post! Thanks for allowing me to exercise my brain this morning...
I honestly can't imagine the US as a tyranny. I imagine the public would go crazy. I know I would. LOL. Perhaps, I am living in denial.
I would have liked to hear your thoughts on what we, as Americans, can do to avoid this tyranny. Did Naomi Wolf offer any guidance...?
BTW, I have another blog, Sage Writes Poetry: http:poshsagepoetry.blogspot.com.
Feel free to peruse when you get a chance...
Sage
@Sage
I honestly can't imagine the US as a tyranny.
I'm sure that Germans, pre-Hitler, Italians pre-Mussolini and pre-fascism Spaniards thought the same. It can happen here, too.
I would have liked to hear your thoughts on what we, as Americans, can do to avoid this tyranny. Did Naomi Wolf offer any guidance...?
I didn't include too much of my own thought, in the interest of brevity. You know some of us have very short attention spans.
My sole thought at this moment is that Americans need to stop ceding their rights to the government. Simple, right?
The long and short of it all is that since 9/11, many Americans -- well, let me be more clear -- white Americans and some misguided African-Americans, afraid of another attack, have been willing to allow government excess in return for apparent safety.
Many of us have said "well, federal government, you do whatever you need to do to catch the awful terrorists, and keep us from suffering again. I'm not doing anything illegal, so please, feel free to tap my phone, read my mail, check my bank account, and monitor my internet usage...just keep the Arabs away from my bible and my SUV...I want my freedom!"
It's been oft said, when you sacrifice liberty for security, you ultimately get neither.
We can start reclaiming our freedoms by demanding a repeal of the USA Patriot Act. We can demand that our senators and congressmen vote AGAINST wire-tapping without court order, extraordinary rendition, and torture. Tell them, either vote against erosion of the constitution or you'll not get my vote come election day. If enough people did just these things, we'd start making a difference.
Lastly, stop living in fear. Yes, we were victimized, but this isn't Israel, Palestine, Iraq, or even England during the heyday of the IRA. We've been attacked exactly ONCE by foreign terrorists since the end of the Revolutionary War. That's a pretty good track record. And we didn't have to live with Big Brother peering over our shoulders to have such success.
Thanks for the insight. Great points...
I think you're right about 9/11 scaring the pants off of many Americans. I mean, we hear about terrorism and see it on television, but it's never been in our backyard...literally.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said: We need to stop living in fear. You know for a hot minute, I wasn't trying to get on a plane?!
You know for a hot minute, I wasn't trying to get on a plane?!
LOL...Well, I don't like airplanes either, but for a completely unrelated reason. Heavier than air flight is an unnatural thing...If God wanted us to fly, we'd have wings. Remember Icarus??
Anyway, sorry for my (sadly) true confessional digression. :)
A bit of apprehension is one thing. That is what you had after 9/11 regarding flying.
No, different is the wholesale surrender of one's rights as a citizen. That is what many in this nation are allowing to occur.
I'm even starting to reconsider my anti-gun position. Hell, each of us might need to keep that firearm, 'cuz we may need that well-regulated militia to fight against jack-booted thugs, government thugs, someday soon.
Great post...and I'm with you on the anti-gun position. We already have one. Just can't trust anyone these days... LOL.