After watching "The War on Truth" on Booknotes last night BIG Q?

Is our government really being run by renegade military and intel cabal controlled by corporate interests and PNACers about which our Presidents know very little?

Nah, I tend to think that if military and intel secretly ran the government, they'd have made a better job of it than bushco

IF the military and intell were running the government, then there would be solid evidence (faked) linking Saddam to 9/11, the conquest and occupation of Iraq would have gone much better, so much so that the invasions of Iran and/or Syria would be doable, Afghanistan would be a puppet state and not disolving into chaos...

Oh, yes, things would be bad... the draft would be running, civil liberties would be crushed without any help from congress, and the internet would be silenced... but at least it wouldn't be run by idiots.

On the one hand, you might feel glad that they aren't that smart. But then again, you remember that with this regime, more people die from the fuckup than the intial act.

:dilemma:

If they were competent, we might never get them out of power.

Q – There have been reports of people being fired from ISI, Pakistan Gov. for possible involvement in 9-11, these are referred to as failed states. It seemed one part of their government was unable to control or know what another part was up to. Using this to compare, is the US also a failed state?

A – Very possible, that’s why disclosure and transparency are so important. “In the interests of national security, the process must be deconstructed, looked at, and investigated.”
Now US and other corporations have moved into Libya, and are working with Kadafi, this man we claim is a terrorist of the worst kind.
“Clearly the government has failed us.” This is what unites all of us, anti war, conspiracy believers and theorists.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4217869&mesg_id=4231488

This Regime doesn't give a damn about democracy. Capitalism is the only concept that matters to them. They are driven to destroy the Middle Class.

FASCISM

Dr. Laurence Britt, a political scientist, wrote an article about fascism which appeared in Free Inquiry magazine -- a journal of humanist thought. The article is titled 'Fascism Anyone?', by Laurence Britt, and appears in Free Inquiry's Spring 2003 issue on page 20.

Dr. Britt studied the fascist regimes of:
* Hitler (Germany)
** Mussolini (Italy)
*** Franco (Spain)
**** Suharto (Indonesia)
***** Pinochet (Chile)

He found the regimes had 14 things in common, and he calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism.

The 14 characteristics are:

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, 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. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.

6. Controlled Mass Media -- Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or through sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in wartime, 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 is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.

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 who 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 the assassination of) opposition candidates, the use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and the manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

I don't know how involved the military and intel folks would be on their own, or whether they're just doing the bidding of their masters. But yeah, it's real, and that pretty well describes it, IMO.