We've been fighting Bush all our lives and didn't know it

[Elidor]

This rapacious corporatism has reared its ugly head again and again through all the days of our republic. Repeatedly it has been beaten back, by men like Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt, by individuals like Eugene Debs and Mother Jones, by saints and sinners, young and old, rich and poor. We fight this fight again and again and again.

And we will go on fighting it long after Bush and his gang of thugs is gone from power.

Our great experiment in Democracy has one fatal flaw: resurgent cyclical corporate fascism. And it's stronger now than it ever has been. Thanks to the system of which Bush is only the most palpable symptom, Big Money now writes our laws and breaks them at will. Big Money decrees war in our names, sticks us with the bill, and tells us to like it. The United States of Enron.

We will go on fighting it for the rest of our lives. And we will never quite win, but at least we can strive to keep it at bay. At least we can make the beast too ashamed or too afraid to show its face in broad daylight anymore. We can drive it underground where it belongs, and reclaim the land for ourselves.

God, I sound rah-rah. I don't mean to. Just some thoughts on the fate of capital-D Democracy. It's like a muscle - use it or lose it.

[skooooo]

1. I agree, although...

...I'm not sure it hasn't been worse before. Historians?

[madrchsod]

9. it was worse before

in the use of violence against labor. now the corporations just move overseas or across the borders. they no longer kill american workers they kill the third world workers. Haiti is a shining example of this policy

[skooooo]

10. exactly...

...it seems really bad because we're living it. It could get a lot worse. Let's hope it doesn't.

[Elidor]

13. Oh, yes, much worse before - but now, with their new Consolidated Grip(tm)

They are stronger than they've ever been, in that they are more firmly entrenched with their near-total control of our lives.

[skooooo]

14. ..not to mention the technology at their fingertips...

:-(

[salinen]

2. Very aware you are

"resurgent cyclical corporate fascism". Yeah! happens all the time.

[DaveSZ]

6. I agree completely with the initial poster

We've been through this before.

Teddy Roosevelt helped keep it at bay, but it reared its head again and we received the Great Depression as a result.

Then came FDR.

Everything was going along nicely until Reagan.

Reagan made it ok to be greedy, racist, and intolerant again.

Because of Reagan, we got the DLC and Clinton.

Then finally, came Bush.

Now we have two corporatist parties that look out for Big Business instead of the people.

[Elidor]

8. It does, really

I don't know what the period is, maybe once every 60-70 years, with smaller cycles marking every conservative presidency. It might not even have a stable period.

And by corporate fascism I mean that instead of the state supporting the corporations, the corporations control the state. Which they do.

Shit, it's one thing to read op-eds calling the US a fascist state. It's quite another to realize it's true. We have our work cut out for us.

[stavka]

3. ...I've known it all my adult life.

I couldn't articulate why I didn't like his father, but they fortify a certain position

[sam sarrha]

4. this realm is called 'Samsara'.. the nature of this realm is suffering,

suffering happens , :hurts:

[skooooo]

15. ...suffering can be minimized tho..

if we don't let evil people rule us.

[theivoryqueen]

5. Price of Freedom Eternal Vigilance?

I am starting to comprehend the gravity of that statement

[madrchsod]

7. i total agree

with what you said. people look back at the iww-the wobblies- and laugh at their idea. they were spot on one hundred years ago..we have won many battles but sad to say we have lost the war....

[Tamiati]

11. Commonality

So what do all of these corporations share in common??

Have we talked about the secret society, their wish to "control" the masses, resources and more??? How long as the plan been in place??

Any comments??

[Elidor]

16. lol

It's not a "wish" to control the masses - business IS "the control of the masses." That's it's inherent mission, taken to its logical conclusion.

[Booster]

19. This brings up another post I read.....

that Bush is pushing to have ALL Americans mentally tested and if they are in need of medication, the government will see that we get it. My question is, is this possible and how in the Hell could they inforce such a thing? Who would pay for the tests and who would pay for the medication? Come to think of it, guess I should have read the entire article and maybe the answers were in there - going to find it again and read it. But talk about ruling the masses; with the right medication, we would all love Bush (maybe not a bad thing - the medication, not loving Bush).

[thebigmansentme]

12. amazing

It's amazing that we can put man on the moon, robots on Mars, topple despots and conquer nations but can not stop the Bushes. Simply amazing!

[BeFree]

18. Just wait

We will stop the bushes. Come November yer gonna see it stopped dead in it's tracks....

Oh, it'll fight dirty to try and survive, but the People will have spoken, and it ain't gonna be "Screw us some more",no, it's gonna be, "That's it, yer outta here. Take yer slimy, secretive, no good smelly fascist squatting asses out of our Whitehouse!"

[caffefwee]

17. We'll be fighting him even after he's out of office

The damage he's done will be with us for years. From the deficit that hangs over future generations to the mess he's created in the Middle East.

[unkachuck]

20. I definately agree....

We can't even begin to seriously think about taking out Democracy back without first confonting the corporate-fascist-money-grip of our political system....

There is no way I can see around them, execpt for raising and financing a political movement through the internet....before they buy it up and render the internet impotent too....

This is the only medium people can communicate over with a minimum of corporate fascist censorship.....they own everything else....and they'll be coming after this next....