How to bring down a democracy: the steps toward totalitarian rule, in the order followed by Hitler and the Nazi Party SEE IF THEY SOUND FAMILIAR.
1. Improvise an attack (or take advantage of an attack) on the country
2. Declare the country under attack by an enemy; real or improvised
3. Force legislation that limits civil liberties and gathers broad powers unto government
4. Brand dissenters and peacemakers as unpatriotic and browbeat them into submission
5. Keep the fear factor high to make the public easier to manage
6. Institute massive propaganda campaigns using state-controlled no-longer-free media and fear of government retribution
7. Law enforcement and government personnel are used to spy on, control and break dissent 7. Institute the equivalent of a national homeland security department, overseen by one person with unlimited powers
8. Confiscate all firearms from the citizenry
9. Institute the mass murder and imprisonment of any who resist the new ideology.
10. Launch pre-emptive strikes into other countries in an attempt to spread the new ideology
Sound familiar? It should, its not only the direct path of Hitlers rise to power, but also parallels the events starting with and following 9/11. President Bush was very familiar with the game plan, as his Grandfather and his Grandfathers father-in-law were supporters of Hitler and Nazism, both before and after the war.
Of course, theyve skipped a couple of the items on the list, but theyll get to them if theyre allowed to remain in power, because it will be the only way for them to retain power.
The Reichstag Fire: the funeral pyre of German democracy parallels 9/11 and the loss of American civil liberties
http://www.essortment.com/all/nazireichstag_rghx.htm
THE BEST REASON TO VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA THIS ELECTION YEAR
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Palin, McCain and the Weeks Ahead
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McCain-Palin must deepen those doubts by pounding away on questions about Obama's character, judgment and values. Drawing on Obama's own record and statements, they need to paint him as a big spender, class warrior and cultural elitist; they need to say he's never worked across party lines or gotten his hands dirty solving big issues. But the duo must also give voters reasons to support them. They must crystallize a positive, forward-looking vision so people who see Obama as unqualified have something to hang on to. It can't be a laundry list of positions. McCain-Palin must offer a narrative about what they will do to help America see better days, especially on kitchen-table concerns.
McCain must launch these themes in the two remaining debates. Knockouts are welcome but unlikely and unnecessary. Introducing a theme and sticking to it day after day worked this past July, when McCain successfully depicted Obama as a celebrity taken with his own press notices. The GOP nominee did it right in the first debate when his assaults were formal and indirect ("Senator Obama has the most liberal voting record …") while Obama was personal and direct ("John, 10 days ago you said …").
McCain and Palin should also respond to key misstatements by Obama-Biden, but only to flip the discussion back to Obama's own deficits. They should not chase rabbits: that would only occupy time better devoted to who can fix the big stuff broken in Washington and reach across the aisle to work for the American people by putting country first.
The election still favors Obama. But Sarah Palin's debate performance, and the passage of the economic-rescue plan, may bookend a bad couple of weeks for McCain. He has a month to turn things around. It's doable; but it won't be easy.
Rove, the former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to President Bush, is a NEWSWEEK Contributor.
© 2008
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