American Fascism-Lite

The 10 steps that all fascist states take according to Naomi Wolf:

1. Invoke an internal and external threat
2. Establish secret prisons
3. Develop a paramilitary force
4. Surveil ordinary citizens
5. Infiltrate citizens' groups
6. Arbitrarily detain and release citizens
7. Target key individuals
8. Restrict the press
9. Cast criticism as "espionage" and dissent as "treason"
10. Subvert the rule of law

Now, this is a pretty good list. If we are actually seeing these things in America, we should be worried regardless of the causes. She claims that while we have seen some of these things in the past, never before have they all been in effect simultaneously like they are now. For example, Lincoln suspended writs of Habeas Corpus during the Civil War and we have faced very real threats before, both external and internal.

I love conspiracy theories so I got sucked into this book, but a few of these items don't really stand up to scrutiny. I don't see a paramilitary force like Ms. Wolf does. I don't think you can compare Hitler's SA or SS and Mussolini's Arditi to Blackwater. Hitler's Storm Division (known before 1921 as the "Gymnastics and Sports Section") assaulted perceived enemies of the Nazis, harassed Jews, brawled in meeting halls, and destroyed Jewish businesses on the famous Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass). It was a way for the Nazi leadership to intimidate the German people without responsibility for the violence. The SS was created as a paramilitary force, answerable to Hitler and not the German people. This is not Blackwater. Blackwater is terrifying and should be dismantled for different reasons. It's not the SS.

Blackwater is a contractor to the State Department in Iraq (they actually have operations in 9 countries, including the USA) and do things like protect diplomats and support American troops. They are civilians, so they're not subject to military tribunals. Right before the CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) dissolved in 2004, it declared Special Order 17 which prevents all US troops and contractors from being subject to Iraqi laws. So, the question is: What laws are Blackwater subject to? Who has the authority to try them for crimes? Well, I'm not sure. But lawsuits have been brought against Blackwater by Iraqis and Americans alike and are now being tried in US courts. But all of this is different from the extra-legal status of the SS. I don't buy that they're comparable. If they are comparable, then it's only from Iraq's point of view. Actually, from an Iraqi point of view, that comparison is probably spot on.

Naomi Wolf doesn't make the mistake of declaring fascism in America. She holds back and says that we have "symptoms" of fascism, but that we're not quite there. It's more like fascism-lite. We have tolerably weak versions of these 10 symptoms and that's why its dangerous to our democracy. I don't think Americans would stand for a paramilitary force patrolling our streets, but we will tolerate a paramilitary force patrolling the streets of Baghdad. We wouldn't tolerate torture in the Medieval sense, but it seems like we will allow torture-lite. I guess it's just up to Americans to decide where to draw a line.

Technorati tags: Naomi Wolf, The End of America, American Fascism, Blackwater