A few years ago, political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt wrote an op-ed which listed his findings about the characteristics of a fascist state. He found fourteen similarities between all of the fascist governments he studied, from Mussolini to Pinochet.
It's frightening to read the list and to see how many of these fourteen items are evidenced in the Bush presidency. And with Halliburton and Blackwater, the intermingling of corporate power and government authority is an affirmation of Britt's ninth item on the list:
9. Power of corporations protected. Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of “have-not” citizens.
Now, there's even more reason to fear. Consider InfraGard, a quasi-public organization which links corporate entities to the FBI and the Homeland Securities, enlisting these entities as junior G-men in the "war on terror."
InfraGard is a bit of a private country club, where new members must be referred for membership by existing members, and where corporations receive alerts on potential threats even before state and municipal authorities. There's a chapter in your state. Here's the Connecticut website, but don't hope to find out too much, because you need to be a member to get the secure info. I did find out, to my dismay, that my bank is a sponsor. The next (and First Quarterly) meeting of Connecticut's InfraGard is February 28th at the New Haven Fire Academy. They're looking for a sponsor for their Continental Breakfast. If the Hartford Courant volunteers, does that mean they can attend and send a reporter?
I've walked my share of corporate corridors of power, and I can assure you that rampaging egos, ruthless sycophants, and power mad private security forces combine to create a potent and volatile mix which will only become more unstable when adding national security connections as an ingredient.
This is not good news for those of us who hoped our individual desire for freedom and liberty would eventually allow us to drive a wedge between corporations and government. But when politicians are funded by corporations, and when corporations are enlisted as part of a secret army, what hope do we have that we will hear the eventual knock on the door when the Blackwater chickens come home to roost.
It can't happen here? It is happening here.
But don't worry, they're only able to shoot on sight during a period of martial law.
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