Face it... Americans are too comfortable with the idea of Fascism.

[MFrohike]

32. That word gets thrown around way too much

It's turning into a barrier to thought, much in the same way as "socialism," "liberal," and "freedom-loving" function. If you really want to make the point, shut up about Hitler and point out how the Patriot Act, which everybody just knows is for fighting terrorists, is used for far more mundane activities. Point out the fact that the Republican Party has finally been taken over by the John Birch Society (though this probably will just get a blank stare). Ask why the people who give material support to the primary homegrown terrorists of the last 40 years (anti-abortion wackos) aren't on a one-way trip to Florence, Colorado (hell, explain how that prison works and watch people's eyes bug out in horror). Ask people if they're aware that we imprison more people than China with a population 1/4 the size.

Concrete examples work best. Hitler's a dead horse these days. I think that if people see how the 4th amendment (and others) have been abused over the last 20 years, they will find that it does not play into their conception of fairness. Sure, some will cheer it on (and not every last decision is bad, just most of them and their general trend), but many will be horrified.