We may not call it as such, but Fascism is alive and well in our nation.
There are two unabashed fascist regimes in this world. The first is the Arab World. In places like Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran, Syria, and Sudan, religion and Arabism is above all else most important. The service to one’s god, to religion, and to the dogma of the Koran trumps all other priorities, including basic human right, women’s right, religious rights, and due process of law.
One is expected to exalt the virtue of Islam. These countries have codified the Koran as the rule of law. There is no such thing as free speech. Any and all speech must be within the purview of the Koran. There is no such thing as freedom of religion. Although you may not be imprisoned for being a Christian or Jew, life is made very difficult for you. Women must be covered; they cannot drive cars; they have no say in their reproductive rights, and generally cannot hold a political or leadership role. More importantly, violating the law (i.e. the Koran) is punishable by everything from stoning to imprisonment to death to all of the above. However while the Arab world is working hard to amend their horrible fascist traditions, America is running hard and fast to affirm our own. Think about what America has become since 9/11.
Following the tragedies of 9/11, many Americans were willing to accept the suspension of civil liberties in the interest of safety. Freedom of speech was reserved only for those who supported Bush. Due of process of law was suspended (and is still suspended for many; think of Guantanamo Bay and Jose Padilla). The FBI, CIA, NSA and other intelligence agencies were given unprecedented powers to arrest and detain suspects without even the clichéd "phone call." If you have a Muslim or Muslim sounding name, you were most likely put on a terrorist watch list. Our leaders declared that the United States has a unilateral and unchecked power to invade and occupy another nation if we believe them to be a threat to our national birthright (also known as the Bush Doctrine). But perhaps the most telling symbol of America Fascism is when President Bush himself came out and said, "You’re either with us or against us."
I know what you’re thinking right now. You’re probably saying, "That was in the past." Bush made that statement six years ago. We have since learned our lesson, just look at Bush’s approval rating. I would tell you that you are wrong. America may disapprove the way Bush is doing his job, but the legacy of fascism which started long before him is stronger than ever. Bush and his ridiculous statement are only a symptom of the problem.
If there is a singular event that ushered in modern American Fascism, it would be the day the Supreme Court ruled on Roe versus Wade. Before Roe v. Wade, American Fascists were content to stand on the sideline of American politics, feeling good in their sense of moral superiority. The philosophical leaders of conservative movements before Roe v. Wade were men like Barry Goldwater and Kevin Phillips. They preached the ideology of small government, low taxes, and strong defense. They believed in a free marketplace of ideas and a country in which the individual was provided the opportunity to realize his/her potential without an oppressive force of government. They saw the Soviet Union and Communism and were fearful of a state where the average life was orchestrated by legislators and bureaucrats. And in the context of this idealistic, free and open society, religious leaders like Jerry Falwell who had failed to preserve segregation instructed their congregations that "Preachers are not called to be politicians, but soul winners."
For a time, Falwell and his brethrens were content to spew their hateful rhetoric to sympathetic ears while sitting on the margins of our society. However, the ego of a fascist needs a canvass larger than any sized church. With the end of segregation, they needed a new cause. A cause that would once again place in the front pages of newspapers, draw the attention of cameras, and place them on a stage where they can feed on their own sense of self-importance. Roe v. Wade became their new culture war and cause de-jure.
Falwell and his cohorts declared themselves the generals of this new culture war. They spoke with the kind of hate and passion that we reserve for men like Hitler and the Nazis. Falwell railed against gays, desegregation, interracial marriages, abortion, and for practical purposes declared America as the new Babylon. However, despite his lunatic convictions, he didn’t have a national stage or TV cameras in front of him. He and his brethrens were not the political force that we now know them to be. They were simply a cadre of crazies spread throughout America disparate and unorganized. It wasn’t until the IRS threatened to take away their tax-exempt status that they came together under the auspicious and ostensible issue of abortion to form the political juggernaut we now call evangelical conservatives.
From sea to shining sea, evangelicals both decent and not so decent were convinced that America would be made or broken by the issue of abortion. Small churches that had never participated in politics were suddenly called into action. In 1979, Falwell, Robertson, and other evangelical hawks formed the Moral Majority to push what they called a "pro family" and "pro America" agenda. With that, modern American Fascism was born. The next year Reagan was swept in office.
In less than a decade, evangelicals had demonstrated a political will no other group in the American history had ever demonstrated. They were organized, discipline, and above all, were convinced they were doing god’s work. Over the next three decades, they converted America to an unabashed Christian nation. Then, these "good Christian Americans" got drunk on their new found power and gave themselves permission to rid America of anything that didn’t look like them.
Evangelicals demanded on a Supreme Court that reflected their values, creationism in public schools, prayer and Christian symbols in public areas. And in 1994, they achieved a political victory perhaps greater than the election of Reagan to the White House. For the first time in 40 years, Republicans took over both houses of Congress. The evangelicals had now firmly arrived as an unquestioned political force.
Despite their political success, they were antsy and angry at a Democratic president who stood between them and complete domination of the American political system. President Clinton stood as a stalwart fighting to preserve what remained of America. So when they couldn’t beat him on the issues, they relentlessly attacked his character. They figured if they couldn’t pass their agenda with Clinton in the White House, they would ensure he couldn’t pass his either. Then came the 2000 election.
In George W. Bush, they saw a man who represented everything they saw of themselves. He was a professed "born again." He spoke openly and widely of his acceptance of Jesus Christ, opposition to abortion and gay rights, and promised to protect Israel at all costs. Falwell said of Bush, "I am such a strong admirer and supporter of George W. Bush that if he suggested eliminating the income tax or doubling it, I would vote yes on first blush." The "W" was their second coming.
With the evangelicals in firm control of both houses of Congress, George W. Bush’s election was a unification of their promised political trinity. No one could stop them now. The constitution became not the abiding principle that defines America, but a flimsy document whose value depended on its ability to support the conservative cause. The entire American intelligence apparatus became not defenders of liberty and justice but a tool to spy and track those who opposed the conservative agenda.
The McCarthy mantra of "Un-American" was given new life again not by the fringes of our society but by the very leaders who we elected to represent the best of ourselves. Dissent, no matter how passive, idealistic, or altruistic became a crime. "You are with us or against us." No middle ground, no marketplace of ideas or open society where an American can grow to his/her potential. America is no longer an open and free society but a dogma ruled by demagogues. We have become a nation of fascists who fear and hate anything and anyone that doesn’t look like us. We have become a nation that desperately seeks purity and willing to do anything to purge the impure. We may not call it as such, but Fascism is alive and well in our nation.