John Fascist Kerry

Remember that Bands Against Bush site? They've got a post linking to a list of 14 characteristics of fascism. I've seen this list before, and it's often used to "prove" that George W. Bush and his administration are fascist. This is no exception for the BAB visitors, as they leave comments like:

Is it just me, or does Bush have every single characteristic of a Fascist?

However, much like a personality test with responses like "I sometimes feel left out" or "I don't think I'm as successful as I should be," these characteristics are so vague that virtually any political figure is a fascist if you really want them to be. Since the LLLs go into it already believing that Dubya is a fascist, their biases make them more likely to interpret his actions in that context (I knew those sociology and psychology classes would pay off eventually).

Therefore, I will now use the list to "prove" that Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry is a fascist. Join me, won't you?

The 14 characteristics [of fascism] are:

Powerful and Continuing Nationalism

Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottoes, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

Well, let's look at some pictures from Kerry's website and see if he meets these criteria...

Oh, here's a good one

And another

Look, another one

And look what he's wearing in this picture

Looks like signs of a nationalist regime to me. I'm worried already. What other characteristics are there?

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.

Hmmm...Let's take a look at some of Kerry's earlier statements:

They told the stories at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, tape wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the country side of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravage of war...We watched the U.S. falsification of body counts, in fact the glorification of body counts. We listened while month after month we were told the back of the enemy was about to break. We fought using weapons against "oriental human beings," with quotation marks around that. We fought using weapons against those people which I do not believe this country would dream of using were we fighting in the European theater or let us say a non-third-world people theater...

Sounds like fascism, doesn't it? What else should we look for?

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.

Oh, man, that sounds just like Kerry. He's been using Bush and his administration as scapegoats for the entire campaign. He even called them "the most crooked, you know, lying group of people I've ever seen." Looks like we're 3 for 3 so far.

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.

Holy crap, that's 100% Kerry! Have you heard all the crap his campaign has been spewing about him being in Vietnam, and how he's a better choice because the current president wasn't in Vietnam? It sounds like Kerry meets the "military service is glamorized" requirement for fascism.

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.

This one may be a little tougher. You see, Kerry claims to be a women's advocate. But did you see how his daughter was dressed at that film festival? She was playing right into evil traditional gender roles! I bet Kerry encouraged her. And talk about homophobia and anti-gay legislation! Kerry is opposed to gay marriage! Yep, he's definitely looking like a fascist at this point.

Controlled Mass Media

Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

Well, when he made his little "did the training wheels fall off" statement, the press decided to make it "off the record." That sounds suspicious to me. And the New York Times clearly supports him. In any case, this article will tell you all you need to know about Kerry and media control. It'll get worse under his administration. I guarantee it. You'll only be able to get news from KNN.

Obsession with National Security

Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

Are you kidding me? His website has an entire section dedicated to "homeland security!" He even says that we're not safe enough now. That fearmonger! This is getting really scary. I didn't know Kerry was such a fascist. What else have we got here?

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.

Holy crap, there's another one! Kerry has no problem saying he's Catholic, even though he supports abortion and voted for the war (before he voted against it)! He's manipulating the public!

Corporate Power is Potected

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.

Two words: Heinz Corporation.

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.

Looks like he's trying to eliminate them entirely. At least in this country.

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.

Hostility to academia, huh? Well, Kerry is opposed to school vouchers. That means that he only wants people going to approved schools. And have you noticed that his website has no special section dedicated to the arts? Furthermore, when was the last time you heard him say anything about intellectuals or artists? I don't think he has much respect for them at all. That's close enough for me. After all, he is only a candidate. Once he's president, we'll see all kinds of censorship.

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.

Once again, Kerry's looking very fascistastic. Look at his crime page. Among other things, he wants to make it harder to obtain firearms (can't let the populace get too powerful), he wants to add thousands more police officers to the force, he wants to make homeland security a police operation, and he voted for the PATRIOT Act. Also, he used to be a prosecutor! He dedicated his life to "crime and punishment." Wow, this is eerie.

Rampant Cronyism and Corruption

Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and 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.

Interesting:

In the past 15 years, lobbyists have given Kerry nearly $640,000, the most of any senator. Many represent telecommunications and financial companies with business before his Senate committees. His top campaign donors include corporate lawyers and the financial industry.

Here's more:

Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., whose largest campaign contributor lobbies on behalf of telecommunication interests, pushed the legislative priorities of its clients in the wireless industry on several occasions...Kerry, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, has sponsored or co-sponsored a number of bills favorable to the industry and has written letters to government agencies on behalf of the clientele of his largest donor.

Nope, no cronyism here. Only one more characteristic to go. Let's see it:

Fraudulent Elections

Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

Let's see here...Kerry was planning on manipulating the nomination process so he could get more campaign money. He backed down, of course, but who's to say what he would do once he had executive power? I'm pretty sure he fits this requirement too.

So, now you know the truth: John F. Kerry is a fascist. At least according to a woefully simplified and generalized list.

Vote Bush.

Posted by CD on June 1, 2004 05:15 PM
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