> Cops have been torturing people forever in the USA. And there were
> far greater violations of civil liberties in the past too - Lincoln
> suspending habeas corpus, Wilson & Palmer banning magazines from the
> mails, Palmer's raids. Let's not get carried away with the alleged
> novelty of the Bush years.
Fascism is an overabused term when it is used these days by liberal-leftists to describe the Bush government. Yes, Bush has fascist ambitions, but we are hardly living in a fascist or totalitarian country. There is plenty of dissent going on these days and the government is widely hated and disliked.
I was explaining to some younger radicals the other day why I prefer being an anarchist under Bush to being an anarchist under Reagan. I asked them to recall what the political climate was like in late 2001, with all of the flag-waving and worship of Bush. I asked them to imagine if that had continued up to 2007, with people still loving Bush and being for the war. They got my point.
That was what being a radical under Reagan was like.
Yes, Reagan was not as popular as people remember, but being a radical during that time was more of a challenge and you were more isolated. There weren't a variety of movements to feel part of, save the Central America solidarity, the anti-apartheid, and gay liberation movements. There was no Internet where you could argue with like-minded people at all hours of the day. The radical press was thriving more back then, but it wasn't as timely as today's websites.
> Most of this is as American as apple pie. It's been with us for most
> of the country's existence. In fact, a country founded on slavery and
> genocide can hardly plumb fresh depths, can it?
Right on. Things don't change as much as people want to believe. For example, look at how quickly the "inner racist" comes out in liberals when it comes to the immigration issue.
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