Thursday, March 10, 2011
The End Of America
In The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot, Naomi Wolf takes a historical look at the rise of Fascism, outlining the 10 steps necessary for a Fascistic group or government to destroy the democratic character of a nation-state and subvert the social/political liberty previously exercised by its citizens:
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 book details how this pattern was implemented in Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and elsewhere, and analyzes and demonstrates its emergence and application in American political affairs since the September 11 events. She concentrates on the first four of those in this interview. Any aware person can easily fill in the last six.
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 book details how this pattern was implemented in Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and elsewhere, and analyzes and demonstrates its emergence and application in American political affairs since the September 11 events. She concentrates on the first four of those in this interview. Any aware person can easily fill in the last six.
