Reply #2: K & R, with the hope that this gets wide dissemination

[Tansy_Gold]

I was watching a repeat of "Hitler and the Occult" on the History Channel this afternoon and was, of course, struck once again by the parallels.

The difference between the two, I think, is that Hitler made his play for total power while his star was rising and while he still had the masses in his thrall. If boooosh had grabbed the imperial reins in 2001, I think he might have made good on the threat to become an American emperor. Lacking a similar crisis, I don't think he can do it now because the American people have turned against him. More important, they've turned against him for many of the same reasons that could have held their support six years ago: boooosh's war has turned a brighter light many of his administration's other claims to fame and shown them to be tarnished as well.

Again, however, the qualifier is the crisis. Could the administration manufacture another crisis, similar to or even worse than 9/11, in such a way as to restore the mindless confidence of the masses in them? Could such a crisis overshadow the faltering economy, the shift of wealth, the worsening health care apparatus, the cost of education, the dismantling of civil rights? In the sixteen months between now and the '08 elections -- or even the eighteen months between now and the end of the prescribed boooooosh presidency -- can the administration carry out a truly MIHOP attack on the U.S. without being discovered and then maintain the level of panic that would be necessary to install martial law and stay in power indefinitely?

If the administration hadn't alienated a sufficient segment of the military, I'd think they might be able to pull it off, but I don't think the military is behind them much any more. Besides, too much of the pre-invasion military is now out of commission, either dead, seriously injured, or too pissed off to come when booooosh calls. The unknown quantity, however, is the private military infrastructure on Blackwater et alia. Could they tip the balance? :shrug: I don't know.

But I do think the fact that we are even having this conversation indicates how plausible the scenario has become. I don't think any of us would have considered it within the realm of remotest possibility in October 2000. But since the 2000 (s)election, almost anything has entered that evil realm.


Tansy Gold