Irish Rebel: February 2006

what me worry?

Go and read this essay on personal responsibility.

You can tell a man by the clothes he wears

Got Oil?

Who woulda thunk!

Even William F. Buckley has come to the conclusion that Operation Fuck Things Up (Iraq) aint gonna work. I mean a thinking Republican? Thought that was an oxymoron. Next thing you know someone in Washington is going to start impeachment proceedings, cause the shrub is never going to accept the inevitable and get out. Spreading democracy, My Ass!

Sunday, Sunday

Do you watch the Sunday talk shows? If you do then read this.

Receiving end

The link below is to a blog that is written by a young lady who lives in Iraq.
She can give you an idea of what its like to be on the receiving end of all that "Freedom" and "Democracy".

PHEW!, Boy am I glad I'm a Liberal!

Our Misleader

Thats right, President W, Waste that is, name me one thing he has done right in five years. He gave tax breaks (to the rich, not us normal folk), he gave us the medicare part D program, which took affordable medicine away from the poor and gave enormous profits to the drug companys, he caught Osama, NOT!, he invaded Iraq and destabilized the mideast, he broke the law by spying on us, he broke the law by torturing people, he took a budget surplus and turned it into the biggest budget deficit in history, he denies global warming while the icecap melts and global climate change causes death and destruction, he ignored New Orleans for five days after Katrina while people died. And he lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies.

Skippy is framing them!

He's making a list and checking it twice

found this link on politikybitch blog

The Beach Boys "KOKOMO" redone by the freewayblogger

This is were we are

Fourteen Defining Characteristics Of Fascism

Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes.

Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:

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

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. 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.

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. 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.

9. Corporate Power is Protected - 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.

10. 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.

11. 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 and letters is openly attacked.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.