It Can’t Happen Here. Right?

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Gene Howington

AmFascsubmitted by Gene Howington

At Vox, Matthew Yglesias has published an article titled “American democracy is doomed“. It is one of the best summations of both the problem of encroaching fascism and how we got to where we are now that I have ever read.  Yglesias comes to the only slightly hope tinged conclusion that:

“As dysfunctional as American government may seem today, we’ve actually been lucky. No other presidential system has gone as long as ours without a major breakdown of the constitutional order. But the factors underlying that stability — first non-ideological parties and then non-disciplined ones — are gone. And it’s worth considering the possibility that with them, so too has gone the American exception to the rule of presidential breakdown. If we seem to be unsustainably lurching from crisis to crisis, it’s because we are unsustainably lurching from crisis to crisis. The breakdown may not be next year or even in the next five years, but over the next 20 or 30 years, will we really be able to resolve every one of these high-stakes showdowns without making any major mistakes? Do you really trust Congress that much?

The best we can hope for is that when the crisis does come, Americans will have the wisdom to do for ourselves what we did in the past for Germany and Japan and put a better system in place.”

Read how he arrived at this conclusion here.

What do you think?

Source: Vox

Posted in American History, Constitutional Law, Fascism, Legal Theory, Oligarchy, Political Science, Politics, United States | 30 Comments

A Mark Fiore Political Cartoon Video: “America the Rudyful”

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro

Unknown copy 9By Elaine Magliaro

Last week, award-winning political cartoonist Mark Fiore wrote about failed presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani and remarks that he made about President Obama during a private dinner featuring Wisconsin Governor Scott  that was held at Manhattan’s Club 21. Fiore said he knew that the former mayor of New York City was “just crying out for attention…” Fiore added that “Rudy Giuliani saying “I do not believe that the president loves America,” highlights some deeper issues in the Republican party and our democracy in general.” The cartoonist said that although the event was dominated by the Giuliani rant, it “was hosted by some prominent trickle-downers who unfortunately still have loads of influence over Republican candidates…”

Fiore:

Let’s also not forget the undue influence a handful of billionaires have on our democracy, with the Koch brothers pledging to spend nearly a billion dollars on their personal political agenda.

Fiore continued by talking about the 2016 election season–which “is just getting started…” He noted that “it looks like we’ll be treated to more billionaires and more of the same this go round. So while Giuliani is looking to get some press in the hopes of upping his speaking fees and/or Fox News pundit potential, there are some real issues within these silly attacks that are savaging our Democracy.” Fiore pointed out that Democrats should also “be doing plenty of soul-searching about the corrosive influence of money in politics.”

America the Rudyful

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Posted in Barack Obama, Campaign Finance, Conservatives, Countries, Humor, Media, Politics, Propaganda, Short Video, United States | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

NEWSFLASH: David Petraeus To Plead Guilty In Connection With Disclosing Classified Information To His Mistress Paula Broadwell

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro
Former CIA Director General David Petraeus

Former CIA Director General David Petraeus

By Elaine Magliaro

Ryan J. Reilly of Huffington Post reported earlier today that former military commander and CIA Director David Petraeus agreed today “to plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of removing and retaining classified material, admitting to providing his mistress with that material while he headed the CIA.” Reilly said that the plea deal–the details of which were revealed in documents that were filed “in federal court in the Western District of North Carolina–means that Petraeus will likely avoid prison time.” He added that federal prosecutors “will ask for two years of probation and a $40,000 fine under the terms of the plea agreement.”

Reilly:

Petraeus was long believed to have given classified information to Paula Broadwell, a woman he had an affair with who also wrote a biography on the general. According to a court document laying out the factual basis for the plea agreement, Petraeus maintained eight “black books” that contained classified information, including notes from his discussions with President Barack Obama. He provided the books to Broadwell and delivered them to a residence in Washington, D.C., where she was staying in 2011.

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Posted in CIA, Courts, Crime, Government, Hypocrisy, Jurisprudence, Justice, Law Enforcement, Media, Politics, United States | Tagged , , , , | 28 Comments

Timothy Cardinal Dolan of New York Says Comparing ISIS to Christian Terrorists Is an “Accurate” Analogy

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro

images copy 3By Elaine Magliaro

Do you remember how some conservatives freaked out a month ago because of remarks that President Obama made before the National Prayer Breakfast? Here’s a little refresher for you from Luke Brinker of Salon:

…President Obama denounced those “who hijack religion for their own murderous ends,” citing, for instance, the Islamic State militant group, “a brutal, vicious death cult that, in the name of religion, carries out unspeakable acts of barbarism.” Given the group’s gruesome executions of its hostages and its utterly horrific execution of children, including the mentally disabled, one could hardly dispute the president’s characterization of its fundamentalist adherents.

Nevertheless, the president’s speech rankled conservative critics. Obama, you see, committed the grievous error of pointing out that brutality and violence have hardly been the province of any one religion.

“[L]est we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ,” Obama noted. ”In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ,” he added, referring to segregationists’ fondness for Biblical injunctions against interracial mingling.

Brinker noted that the “right-wing reaction was swift — and, at times, nothing short of hyperbolic.”

Well, this morning on CNN, Timothy Cardinal Dolan–the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York and “one of the most conservative and outspoken Catholic leaders in the U.S.”– “echoed President Barack Obama by drawing a ‘parallel’ between ISIS and Christian terrorists.”

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Posted in Barack Obama, Christianity, Conservatives, Hypocrisy, Islam, Media, Politics, Propaganda, Religion, Short Video, Society, Uncategorized, United States | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Botanist and Bible Thumper Pat Robertson Says Drug Users and Drinkers Are Slaves to Vegetables (VIDEO)

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro
Pat Robertson

Pat Robertson

By Elaine Magliaro

Pat Robertson made the news once again this week. The televangelist/media mogul/chairman of the Christian Broadcasting Network/conman for Jesus told his viewers on Monday “that people who smoked marijuana, used cocaine or consumed alcohol had been enslaved by vegetables.” John Amato (Crooks and Liars) said he doubted “Pat Robertson would do very well on Jeopardy or any other game show or puzzle that asked for correct answers to posed questions because as a man of God, he just makes sh*t up.”

The host of the 700 Club said, “God gave you and me as human beings authority, he gave us dominion over everything on this Earth. Over all the animals, all the snakes, all the birds, all the plants, all the vegetables.” The founder of Regent University added, “Cocaine is the product of a vegetable, alcohol is the product of a vegetable, marijuana is a vegetable.” Robertson wasn’t done yet, though. “And yet, people are enslaved to vegetables. And you were made in the image of God. God made you in his image to reign and rule with him. He gave you incredible authority,” he continued.

Then the former Baptist minister asked, “Why would you become a slave to a vegetable? Why? Why would you do it?”

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Posted in Countries, Media, Propaganda, Religion, Short Video, United States | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Peggy Noonan: Clueless Political Pundit Claims That House Tea Partiers Represent The Thinking Of Almost Half Of The Country

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro
Peggy Noonan

Peggy Noonan

By Elaine Magliaro

I rarely watch the Sunday morning “nooz” programs these days. One reason is the clueless talking heads that are frequently invited on shows like Meet the Press and Face the Nation to provide Americans with their wisdom and insight. One of those political pundits is Peggy Noonan–or “Our Lady of the Magic Dolphins” as Charles Pierce refers to her. Her cranium appears to be filled with helium–or some gas that is lighter than air.  I think the old Pegster would be perfect for the starring role in a movie titled Clueless, The Senior Years.

Long ago in a galaxy far, far away, Noonan was a primary speech writer and Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan. “Our Lady of the Magic Dolphins” also worked as a speech writer for Vice President George H. W. Bush. According to Wikipedia, Noonan reportedly coined the phrase “a kinder, gentler nation” and popularized “a thousand points of light,” two memorable catchphrases used by Bush 41. Noonan was also said to have written the speech in which Bush promised: “Read my lips: no new taxes” during his 1988 presidential nomination acceptance speech in New Orleans.

I think Simon Maloy pegged Peggy perfectly in an article he wrote for Salon titled Peggy Noonan’s “wisdom”: Build Keystone XL so American boys will become men last November.

Maloy:

Peggy Noonan has one of the most high-profile jobs in American media. She’s a weekly political columnist for the Wall Street Journal, the country’s largest newspaper by circulation, which also hosts her irregularly updated blog. The Sunday shows seek her out when filling the ranks of their weekly pundit panels. She’s among the more influential commentators in American media, and the fact that she inhabits this perch despite being objectively terrible at her job should obliterate whatever faith you have in the concept of meritocracy.

Noonan’s chief failing is one that afflicts many pundits: She generally has no idea what she’s talking about. Her analysis is powered largely by her own warped perception of politics and policy, which she confidently ascribes to the rest of the country. Peggy Noonan always seems to know exactly what “America” is thinking, and this often results in her being hilariously wrong.

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Posted in Afghanistan, Conservatives, Countries, Democracy, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Government, History, Imperialism, Iraq, Media, Political Science, Politics, Propaganda, Society, Tea Party, United States, War, War on "Terror", World History | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Creationist Dr. Ben Carson Posits That Scientific Beliefs Might Just Be Propaganda (VIDEO)

Posted on March 1, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro
Dr. Ben Carson

Dr. Ben Carson

By Elaine Magliaro

Dr. Ben Carson, a possible 2016 Republican presidential candidate, is a retired neurosurgeon. He is reportedly the first surgeon to have successfully separated conjoined twins that were joined at the head. When he was thirty-three-years-old, “he became the youngest major division director in Johns Hopkins history, as director of pediatric neurosurgery. He was also a co-director of the Johns Hopkins Craniofacial Center.” Dr. Carson was educated at Yale and at the University of Michigan Medical School. Carson is, obviously, an intelligent, well-educated, accomplished individual.

This weekend, Dr. Carson suggested “that religion was necessary for testing scientific theories because the science could be ‘propaganda.’” In an appearance earlier today on Meet the Press, NBC’s Chuck Todd asked Carson “how science could coexist with his conservative Christian principles.” Carson responded, “A person’s religious beliefs are the things that make them who they are, gives them a direction in their life. But I do not believe that religious beliefs should dictate one’s public policies and stances.”

Carson continued by saying, “I find, a very good measure of correlation between my religious beliefs and my scientific beliefs — people say, how can you be a scientist, how can you be a surgeon if you don’t believe in certain things?” he continued. “Maybe those things aren’t scientific. Maybe it’s just propaganda.”

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Posted in Astronomy/Astrophysics, Climate Change Deniers, Climatology, Conservatives, Creationism/Intelligent Design, Denialism, Evolution, Media, Political Science, Politics, Propaganda, Religion, Science, Society, United States | Tagged | 11 Comments

The United States Is Not a Democracy: Michael Gould-Wartofsky on How the 1% Has Rigged the Game

Posted on March 1, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro

mister-moneybagsBy Elaine Magliaro

Michael Gould-Wartofsky is the author of the book THE OCCUPIERS: The Making of the 99 Percent Movement, which was recently released by Oxford Press. Gould-Wartofsky is a PhD candidate in Sociology at New York University, holds a BA in Government from Harvard University–and was one of the first social scientists on the ground at Occupy Wall Street on Sept 17, 2011. He has written for The Nation, Monthly Review, Salon, and Mother Jones.

This morning, Gould-Wartofsky published an article at Salon title This is not a democracy: How the 1 percent rigged the game. The subtitle of his piece is Money is speech, dollars have more influence than people — it’s time to be honest about the plutocracy we live in. I think many people who frequent Flowers for Socrates will be interested in reading the article.

Gould-Wartofsky said there are no easy fixes within the framework of our present political system, “in which the market is king, money is speech and dollars speak louder than words.”

NOTE: I’ve posted a couple of excerpts from and a link to the article below the fold.

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Posted in Campaign Finance, Conservatives, Countries, Democracy, Economic Policy, Economics, Government, Justice, Labor Movement, Liberals, Libertarians, Media, Neoconservatives, Neoliberals, Oligarchy, Politics, Propaganda, Ronald Reagan, Society, States, Tea Party, Wall Street | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Presidential Hopeful Scott Walker Compares Taking on Peaceful Wisconsin Protesters to Fighting ISIS

Posted on March 1, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro
Governor Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin)

Governor Scott Walker
(R-Wisconsin)

By Elaine Magliaro

The “goggle-eyed homunculus hired by Koch Industries to manage their midwest subsidiary formerly known as the state of Wisconsin”—aka Scott Walker—made quite a splash last Thursday during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Matt Taibbi (Rolling Stone) said that Walker was surging in popularity thanks to his performance at CPAC, “where the union-busting governor inspired raucous applause with his ‘I was a dick in Wisconsin, and I can be one in Washington, too!’ stump speech.”

Jonathan Martin and Maggie Haberman (New York Times) reported that the governor of Wisconsin “spoke before a standing-room-only crowd, was repeatedly bathed in loud ovations, received only a handful of softball questions after his remarks, and avoided any direct criticism of his potential Republican rivals.”

Taibbi described Walker’s address as “a broadside against a litany of conservative bugbears, from Planned Parenthood to the media to tax day to the subversive act of voting without a photo ID, etc.” He noted that Walker’s “money line” came during a Q&A session when the “goggle-eyed homunculus” was asked how he would take on radical Islamist terrorists. That’s when the tough-talking governor compared fighting ISIS to standing up to pro-union protesters who demonstrated at the state Capital in Wisconsin in 2011. Walker spouted with pride, “If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world.”

Right, Scotty, “taking on” protesting teachers, nurses, and other public employees is akin to fighting the bloodthirsty members of ISIS who go around beheading people. OY!

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Posted in Campaign Finance, Conservatives, Countries, Economic Policy, Education, Fascists/Corporatists, Government, Government Propaganda, Justice, Labor Movement, Media, Oligarchy, Political Science, Politics, Propaganda, RNC, Society, States, Tea Party, United States, War on "Terror" | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

UPDATE in the Case of Tamir Rice: The City of Cleveland Claims That the Twelve-Year-Old’s Death Was Caused by His Own Actions

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Elaine Magliaro
Tamir Rice

Tamir Rice

By Elaine Magliaro

Eric Helsig (Northeast Media Group) reported yesterday that the city of Cleveland had responded to a lawsuit filed by Tamir Rice’s family “with several defenses, including that the 12-year-old died and his family members suffered because of their own actions.” In its response, the city said that Rice’s shooting death by a Cleveland police officer last November and “all of the injuries his family claims in the suit ‘were directly and proximately caused by their own acts, not this Defendant.'” Helsig said that the city also claimed that the 12-year-old’s shooting death was caused “by the failure … to exercise due care to avoid injury.”

Helsig said the lawsuit, which was first filed last December, was amended in January after Tamir’s family hired new attorneys.

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Posted in DOJ, Equal Rights, Justice, Law Enforcement, Local Government, Media, Racism, Society, United States | Tagged , , , , , , | 33 Comments