10 Steps to Fascism

Naomi Wolf has written a book "The End of America: A letter of Warning to a Young Patriot" which outlines the 10 steps that every fascist dictatorship adopts when closing down a democracy. Hitler, Mussolini, Mao etc all followed the same recipe.

1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy.
   
   
2. Create secret prisons where torture takes place.
   
   
3. Develop a thug caste or paramilitary force not answerable to citizens.
   
   
4. Set up an internal surveillance system.
   
   
5. Harass citizens' groups.
   
   
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release.
   
   
7. Target key individuals.
   
   
8. Control the press.
   
   
9. Treat all political dissidents as traitors.
   
   
10. Suspend the rule of law.

The Bush administration in the US has ticked all 10 boxes. This leaves us in no doubt where America is headed.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=RjALf12PAWc

45 min lecture

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=bGgmnEL4KXQ

good 5 min summary

What about Australia? I can see we tick off at least 6 boxes. I don't know if we have a secret torture prison, it's a secret! Did Dr Haneef get roughed up? What do you reckon? I can't identify a para-military guns-for-hire company like Blackwater in Australia, doesn't mean that the government hasn't got contracts in place with similar companies. Rule of law is still in tact but no doubt the government has a mechanism for declaring martial law under certain extenuating circumstances. All is needed is the appropriate triggering event.

Over-reacting? Read today's news.

http://www.watoday.com.au/national/police-spying-on-activists-revealed-20081015-51k0.html?page=-1

Police Spying on Activists Revealed

"VICTORIA Police's secret intelligence unit has infiltrated Melbourne's activist and community groups for two years to gather information on protests against the Iraq War, Japanese whaling and a weapons exhibition....."