Justice JP Stevens (Ret.) explains it all: Bush's presidency was first step toward fascism

[Donnachaidh]

http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/laura-harrison-mcbride/38872/justice-jp-stevens-ret-explains-it-all-bushs-presidency-was-first-step-toward-fascism

And now comes retired Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens to assure the nation that what we thought happened in 2000 really did happen: Five justices kowtowed to the obscene request of an over-reaching mob of democracy molesters to hand the presidency of the United States and leadership of the world as we then knew it to the least son of a family that made its fortune supporting Hitler, and acquired its US political currency when the pater familias worked as second-banana to the most banal leader in modern history, Ronald Reagan.

Huffington Post has reported that Stevens wrote, regarding the stay that allowed the execrable Florida recount/revision to take place, “What I still regard as a frivolous stay application kept the court extremely busy for four days." Stevens also noted that “no justice has ever cited the opinions that provided the basis for their ruling.”

Fascism at its best―by, for and in aid of the most lucrative heist in American history. A government was stolen, the wealth of the nation transferred into the hands of a very few ill-meaning men and women, and the noble experiment once known as the United States of America, and regaled as the first truly workable nominal democracy in history, was flung on the dung-heap of unbridled ambition by those of minimal intellect and even less ability.

Yesterday, I wrote that, “Oddly enough, the term communist is virtually never applied to the institutions negating the effects of elections.”

More at the link --

[fascisthunter]

1. Thank You for Saying It...

[pnorman]

2. K & R!!! x3!!!

n/t

[Octafish]

3. Now where would he get THAT idea?

[truebrit71]

4. When taken in sum total of all of the other liberties that have been stripped from citizens..

..since that 2000 coup, it has to be screamingly obvious to all but the blind what has happened, and continues to happen to this once great country, and the grand experiment in democracy that it once was...

[jwirr]

9. I would agree it is obvious but not to most Americans. That is because

most Americans are not informed. They go to work - sometimes to more than one job a day, when they get home they are tired and still have homes to take care of, children to take care of and hopefully have a little time for rest and relaxation. That leaves little time for educating yourself about what is going on other than a superficial "news" show or two.

In the sixties we still had time to learn things but today we have time for one thing: survival. What they do not know is that survival must include the education. The good news is that more are finally waking up - or at least I hope they are.

[cyberpj]

67. Add to that the reduction of real civics and history classes in schools, not to mention the Bush fam

also involved in one of the largest school book publishers with Queen (beautiful mind) Barbara pushing those books into the classrooms with who knows what absences and revisions.

Add to that the explosion of insane and stupifying cable tv shows, not to mention the conservative takeover of pretty much all major news outlets and there you go.

The history of that family is stupifying - as will be their future - presiding over the largest source of water in South America thanks to their purchase in Paraguay.

[uponit7771]

5. "no justice has ever cited the opinions that provided the basis for their ruling."

I think this is the reason people were up in arms, the USSC chose Bush for this reason alone

[amandabeech]

30. Take that Sandra Day O'Connor!

I wish that Obama would find someone like this guy, no disrespect to his recent picks.

Mr. President, you have been called a nice moderate Republican. \

This guy was appointed by Ford! A nice moderate Republican from before the time of Reagan!

Ask him for his choice before you nominate another justice! Use this guy's wisdom before he goes!

He's offering it to you on a platter!

ARGH!

p.s. too much time in west michigan cooped up with mother and no internet access. take today's ranting with a grain of salt.

[rhett o rick]

46. Low life O'Conner showed her true colors. When it came down to the nitty-gritty

she had to go with her class, and fuk the peons.

[rucognizant]

59. If you'd like to Thank her.......

Here is her cute little website for the education of kids into civics.

http://www.icivics.org/

[12AngryBorneoWildmen]

72. Thanks. I WILL hound her. nt

[rhett o rick]

74. I am sure she feels no remorse for the horrible thing she did anymore than Cheney does

about torture. Their class has a condition I call "class sociopathy". God gave them wealth so they can lead us lower classes.

[NRaleighLiberal]

6. It is so obvious. Curiously, most of my friends - many on the left - won't "go there".

Their organized, "patriotic" (I guess) minds - the whole "there can't be a conspiracy, because it is too hard to pull off" mindset of most of my friends won't allow themselves to utter the "F" word.

Our country is in serious trouble.

[defendandprotect]

13. Certainly IKE understood the conspiracy of MIC -- !!!

People are always frightened -- that's what FDR was always making clear --

and I'd suggest that's at the center of the thinking re those who just don't

want to examine these issues.

We have more proven conspiracies than there are apples on trees --

What was Shakespeare writing about --

What's the history of the CIA --

What's palace intrigue --

On and on --


And the RW is always supplying these reasons/alibis why these issues shouldn't be

examined -- for instance re Global Warming -- i.e., "If what you say is true there

isn't anything I can do about it!"

Start by shutting down our nuclear reactors, for one!


And then there is the fear of ridicule -- people would rather close their minds than

be ridiculed -- !!! :rofl:


Imagine the ridicule when they figure out the true threat of Global Warming!!


How many Americans at this point could still have any trust whatsoever in government????


YIKES!!

[hifiguy]

Correct.

Ike was a general who understood the corruption and madness that stood between the soliders fighting a truly just war and the politicians who acted as middlemen trying to benefit themselves and their paymasters at the expense of those soldiers.

He was a consistent skeptic of the Pentagon's requests for more and more money because he knew it would be frittered away and passed into the pockets of the MIC's lackeys in government.

Ike was no saint, but he knew what the MIC's bullshit was all about and cut through it as Alexander the Great cut through the Gordian Knot.

[defendandprotect]

73. Unfortunately, what he said made little impact at the time ... though think JFK got the message ....

if he didn't already understand it.

JFK made Cold War laughable --

and the RW has been trying to recreate it ever since --

best they can do now is "terrarism" -- !!

[Dutchmaster]

26. The majority of people . . . .

. . . can not comprehend so much of their life as they know it and have known it being a lie. As such they utilize a defense mechanism called willful ignorance, to protect themselves. It is very common and people using it are not to be looked down upon. they are to be extended a hand, and comforted, and told "it's okay."

[calimary]

7. Kicking.

What I find myself saying repeatedly - "WE were right. Again."

And I don't like to use the word "right" a lot. Its whole meaning has been hijacked and perverted and I don't like reinforcing THEIR framing. "Right" now actually means WRONG in political contexts. The so-called "right" wing is anything but.

[Jester Messiah]

8. I would've said Reagan's presidency.

That stunt with the air traffic controllers was pretty damned fascist. It's taken a good while to come to fruition, but all the same players have been working behind the scenes regardless of who sits in the Oval Office.

[defendandprotect]

14. The only way the RW can rise is via political violence ....

How can anyone ignore more than 50 plus years of RW political violence

in America?


That's what assassination of liberal leadership is all about -- shifting power to the right!


Now they don't wait any longer for liberal leadership to rise to power -- they assassinate

them before they can rise to prominence!


Same has been true in Europe -- !!


Michael Parenti has been telling us this clearly --

"These people will put a bullet thru your head as quick as look at you!"

[bengalherder]

50. Exactly.

That is why the recent uprisings try to underplay the leadership...or even the existence of one.

[vets74]

42. Bingo !! Reagan's people conspired with PATCO's lawyers to kill the union.

All time winner for perverting government. Not that PATCO management did anything but betray the membership.

Ain't fascism/criminal_government fun ?

[EdMaven]

53. I agree. Reagan was a definite dividing line. The whole culture seemed to change shortly after the

election & it's been downhill ever since.

But Bush 2 was a sharp break as well after 911.

[saras]

10. Funny thing about conspiracies...

The leftists always say there can't be conspiracies because people can't work that well together (like leftists) while at the same time pointing out that rightists are often sheeple who do what they're told. Isn't there a sort of obvious disconnect there?

[Rex]

19. Don't know where you see that kind of stuff. I always see the right

wingers shout down conspiracies...strangely enough that turn out to be true. The fake ones they scoff at, along with the left.

[fascisthunter]

32. um... you don't speak for this Leftist, so no

your whole framing is garbage.

[valerief]

38. Uh, the righties ALWAYS say that. They also call us lefties tin foil hatters. nt

[defendandprotect]

11. The power to do 2000 was stolen on 11/22/63 -- they took our president and our people's government !

And we have not reversed that power shift since then --

Take it seriously -- these are the people/corporations who built up Hitler/Nazi's --

who overturned the ban on rearming Germany -- who gathered up gold for Hitler and

shipped it over -- and when the war ended shipped it back out -- and Nazi's along

with it thru Vatican "rat holes."

Allen Dulles also had a great deal to do with this -- as well as BFEE.

Ex Nazis's were brought into America by Dulles under "project Paperclip" --

they were used to found the CIA and funneled into the FBI and other government

agencies -- Werner Von Braun headed up Nasa.

Von Braun wanted to use NUCLEAR FUEL for the rockets -- JFK said NO!


Jim Marrs says that the same families/corporations who gave us Hitler now control our

press --

Al Gore tells us that "Congress is controlled by the oil and coal industries" --

and talks at length about our fascist press without actually using those words --

I'm calling it our Goebbels' style press these days!


CIA took money from any and every RW organization --- including the KKK.

CIA kept RW members of Congress in office funding their campaigns -- two I know of

were Sen. Strom Thurmond and Rep. Gerald Ford. Pat Buchanan has also gotten money

from them -- as well as Jesse Helms.


A few Dems in Congress at the time of the coup on JFK tried to investigate -- even

tried to investigate the CIA -- see the Frank Church Senate Hearings -- but I don't

think the records have ever been released.


Also keep in mind that the Dem Platform which JFK ran on called for NATIONALIZING the

oil industry -- and that JFK was ending the oil depletion allowance.

[MrMickeysMom]

44. Abso-fucking-lootly

That has been the case.

[Fire Walk With Me]

12. 50th Recommend!

[lucca18]

15. Get rid of Diebold voting machines...

Fair and honest elections.....what a great concept!!

[socialist_n_TN]

16. Well at least a sitting (at the time) SCOTUS justice

confirmed it. I wonder if anyone will argue that we're not a fascist government anymore?

[former9thward]

21. He did not confirm it.

No where at the link is there anything about Stevens saying the things the OP says he did. Made up.

[lunatica]

17. The last sentence is what I thought then and still think now

"It’s clear as a bell: the day the US Supreme Court issued a stay for the Bush Florida recount was the day the US began to be a nation ruled by jackbooted fascists in politician’s clothing."

As a Nation we've been living a lie since then. This is no longer a Nations of Laws based on the Constitution. The day they selected Bush was the day they voided the Constitution. All else is just pretense.

[Supersedeas]

24. the connection between that moment, the invasion of Iraq, & the debt crisis go hand in hand in hand

[Rex]

18. Well sorry but the blood is on your hands too.

Stevens should have thrown a fit in 2000 and stopped the Bush vs Gore case. IF it was that huge...evidently our democracy just wasn't important enough to save. This is what we get from a non-elected party of traitors. Stevens not included.

[ColesCountyDem]

64. How? n/t

[former9thward]

20. Extremely misleading OP link.

No where does Justice Stevens say anything at all about fascism or anything close to that. The article is mixing in her words with Justice Stevens to give hers credibility. Very dishonest.

[Initech]

22. The fact that W wasn't elected in the first place should've been the indicator!

[Enthusiast]

23. With that Bush v Gore decision this nation

has gone to shit. Think about it.

[mckara]

25. It was Obvious

[Uncle Joe]

27. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Donnachaidh.

[L. Coyote]

28. Government by the 0.00000167 percenters

300,000,000 Americans divided by five Justices overthrowing the Executive equals rule by 0.00000166666... percent of the People!

[Firebrand Gary]

29. K&R

[Dont call me Shirley]

31. The entire Bush-Walker family and co-conspirators need to be...

disappeared and imprisoned in the very black prison/torture centers they so gleefully created.

[fascisthunter]

33. The LEFT was RIGHT again

pretty damn good track record

[Raksha]

34. K & R - Thank you for posting this. n/t

[Scuba]

35. Just another leftist do-nothing.... oh, wait. Never mind. n/t

[certainot]

36. but they couldn't have sold it without UNCHALLENGED right wing talk radio monopoly

every aspect of the public perception of what was going on and the way the media treated it was heavily influenced by the fact that the GOp's think tanks had total control of 1000 of the biggest megaphones in the country and the recipients of the fucking over had no fucking clue as team limbaugh, the main reason tools like clarence thomas were anywhere near the supreme court, kicked their ass with excuse after excuse and rationalization and lie after lie made it all palatable to a huge area of the country (with a lot of senators).

[malaise]

37. K & R

Great post

[Nye Bevan]

39. Sandra Day O'Connor said that Bush was worse than Hitler.

(Just as true a statement as the OP..... in other words, not true at all).

[Major Hogwash]

40. So, what are we gonna do about it now? As in today?

Instead of rehashing the stealing of the 2000 Presidential election, how come we aren't do more to prvent it from happening again?
How come Diebold is still allowed to sell voting machines in this country?
And what the hell are we going to do about it, NOW, in the present tense???

[rhett o rick]

45. I hope these are rhetorical questions major. How do u suggest we remedy

the situation, vote? Write emails? We do not live in a representative democracy anymore. Almost all of Congress are in the pay of the oligarchs. How do we get them to reform themselves? The oligarch overlords are still letting us think we have a democracy, but their patience is running out. At some point they will get tired of the rabble cluttering the streets and clamp down. They have all the tools of a complete fascist state. I am surprised they have waited so long.

[Amonester]

54. Yeah, but remember, the ONLY thing they don't want is...

to LOOK bad.

And it's kind of 'teaRing them apaRt' somewhere, in$ide...

[rhett o rick]

75. I doubt it. THe have what I call "class sociopathy"

They were given power by God to lead us in the lower classes.

"They dont want us to die, just dont care if we do".

[Hubert Flottz]

41. "Bush's presidency was first step toward fascism"

I understood that the day it happened...12/12/2000...the day the United States of America died.

[vanboggie]

55. Ditto

And when they stole Ohio and Kerry didn't fight, my fears were confirmed. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut for weeks because I knew this country was done for.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

58. That's the sign I put in my car window, RIP AMERICA, 1776-2000

[bertman]

43. I did not REC this thread because I think Justice Stevens is off in his call of when the

first step(s) of fascism took place. They were taken years ago-- damn near 48 years--when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated by a cabal of militarists, intelligence operatives, and industrialists.

The Supreme Court's installation of Bush 2 was just one of the more blatant acts in the 21st century.

Any way you cut it, we're there.

[dorksied]

47. These words are one more nail in the coffin, isnt it? We're being poisoned by fascists.

[Doctor_J]

48. Strange that it's gotten worse over the last 11 years, and yet

we haven't done one fucking thing about it. Not a single building blown up, not a single fascist taken to the guillotine, not a single shot fired in the direction of the culprits.

One downside to the internet is that posting on it has taken the place of actually doing something.

Rec

[sabrina 1]

56. It isn't the internet, it was the Political Party we belong to who dropped

the issue and refused to do anything about it. It became taboo to even talk about it. The media dropped the subject altogether and everyone was told to 'look forward'. Which they had no choice BUT to do. And then there was 9/11 and no one dared to bring it up again after that.

[cyberpj]

69. Exactly - "... 9/11, and no one dared to bring itup again after that" Just as they planned - a new

Pearl Harbor - to fire up patriotism during their attempted takeover of Middle East oil.

[davidwparker]

49. The USA is not over. The clock just was turned back to

the robber baron era. The people will rise again. The 99%'ers is a good thing.

Move your money to a credit union or local bank.

[rucognizant]

61. Money? WHo has any?

[blkmusclmachine]

51. No, no, no. JFK in Dallas was the opening salvo. It grew exponentially with

"Morning in America" and Gingrich's "Contract on America." The General Public only began to wake up in the years following 9/11.

[peace frog]

62. Nov 22, 1963

Coup d'etat in America.

[hifiguy]

76. +1 nt

[hifiguy]

52. Justice Stevens is a great American

who believes in everything that made this country what it once was. He is a wise, good and brave man. May his voice of conscience continue to be heard for many years to come. We need many more like him. :patriot:

[HCE SuiGeneris]

57. Why now?

Could we not have escalated this information in a more expeditious manner? Thanks, but where the fuck was this information when it counted...?

Strangleholds happen because of cowardice.

[cyberpj]

70. Absolutely! This is exactly my first thought. Too little too late. Must be fearing death now. nt

[Bonobo]

60. With the illegal killing of US citizens, which step is Obama? nt

[Firebrand Gary]

63. K&R

[valerief]

65. Uh, yeah, we knew that, but thanks for telling the rest of the world. nt

[randr]

66. I would like to suggest to Retired Justice Stevens

that there is a reason that Justice's are appointed for life. It was not the intent to see them retire.
The assumption that their collective wisdom grows has been seen many times in our nations history. I do not know if there was ever another time that we had so many ex justices in retirement that if still active would be saving us from our decent into fascism.

[Vattel]

71. He and Souter were the best.

They, and to a much lesser extent Scalia, were the Court's civil libertarians.

[leveymg]

68. KNR. Fascism is Us. As All-American as Apple Pie, as Stokely once said.

[AntiFascist]

77. Is it ok to use the 'F' word now? n/t

[rhett o rick]

78. In 2008 the oligarchs were ready for full on fascism. They decided that it was too soon.

So they had Bush/Cheney bow out, much to their displeasure as they were prepared to extend their reign. The Oligarchs decided to quell the growing unrest of the masses by allowing Obama to win. They ran sure losers like McCain/Palin. They told Rove, hands off voting manipulation. But on the way out Bush/Cheney set fire to the economy. And the republicon party was instructed to obstruct legislation to an obscene level. The Oligarchs were trying to avoid the revolt that is happening today. It would be many times bigger if we had a republicon administration.

Of course this is my 2 cents and guaranteed to be worth every penny.

Some among us will say that Obama won because the system still works, democracy still exists. Well, that's exactly what the Oligarchs want you to believe.