BEYOTCH

Naomi Wolfe, the woman who was hired to teach Al Gore how to be a man in the 2000 election, has an out of this world screed in The Guardian about how America is becoming a fascist state. I need to take apart some of her arguments, so lets go:

First check out some of her preamble:

“Because we no longer learn much about our rights or our system of government - the task of being aware of the constitution has been outsourced from citizens' ownership to being the domain of professionals such as lawyers and professors - we scarcely recognise the checks and balances that the founders put in place, even as they are being systematically dismantled. Because we don't learn much about European history, the setting up of a department of "homeland" security - remember who else was keen on the word "homeland" - didn't raise the alarm bells it might have.”

And why don’t we learn about American History or Western Civilization anymore? Because of PC liberals just like you. So don’t pretend this is some George Bush plan to keep us all from wearing earth tones.

“1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy

After we were hit on September 11 2001, we were in a state of national shock. Less than six weeks later, on October 26 2001, the USA Patriot Act was passed by a Congress that had little chance to debate it; many said that they scarcely had time to read it.”

Now, why wouldn’t your Congressmen have scarcely read it? Maybe because they abdicated their responsibility? Maybe because they are lazy, obtuse, half-wits in earth tones who know how to get elected but have no idea how to lead? Or is it because they actually agreed with the "nightmarish "Patriot Act? Who are your representatives, Naomi? Morons, people you don't understand or liars?

“2. Create a gulag.

…But Americans still assume this system and detainee abuses involve only scary brown people (bolding mine) with whom they don't generally identify”

Don’t YOU ever accuse me of being a racist. YOU and your ilk are the racists in this. If I was a better Christian, another fault against me to you I’m sure, I wouldn’t have the disdain and anger I feel for you now.

"3. Develop a Thug Caste

… Thugs in America? Groups of angry young Republican men, dressed in identical shirts and trousers, menaced poll workers counting the votes in Florida in 2000.”

I can only imagine she-whose veins-course-with vinegar-and-water is talking about the pink shirted dweebs who insisted on witnessing the re-count (as required by law) in 2000. I hate this woman more and more.

“4. Set up an internal surveillance system

In Mussolini's Italy, in Nazi Germany, in communist East Germany, in communist China - in every closed society - secret police spy on ordinary people and encourage neighbours to spy on neighbours. The Stasi needed to keep only a minority of East Germans under surveillance to convince a majority that they themselves were being watched.”

Nobody is as surveillanced as the Europeans – they have video camera’s at every intersection and all over the Autobahn. What about that, beyotch?

“5. Harass citizens' groups

The fifth thing you do is related to step four - you infiltrate and harass citizens' groups. It can be trivial: a church in Pasadena, whose minister preached that Jesus was in favour of peace, found itself being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, while churches that got Republicans out to vote, which is equally illegal under US tax law, have been left alone.”

Which party consistently has candidates campaign in churches? Which President's detractors found themselves investigated by the IRS, especially if they accused the Gropenator of sexual misdeeds? Oh, yeah – it’s your party, Wolfey.

“6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release

This scares people. It is a kind of cat-and-mouse game. Nicholas D Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the investigative reporters who wrote China Wakes: the Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power, describe pro-democracy activists in China, such as Wei Jingsheng, being arrested and released many times. In a closing or closed society there is a "list" of dissidents and opposition leaders: you are targeted in this way once you are on the list, and it is hard to get off the list.”

If this is so prevalent and used to stifle defense, why hasn’t your boy mentioned here, Nicky Kristoff been detained? For years he has been a very vocal critic of the George Bush in the paper of record, the New York Times. Wouldn’t it make sense to shut him down? Huh? Anything, Naomi? Anything?

“7. Target key individuals”

ibid.

“8. Control the press”

Double ibid. With another beyotch thrown in for good measure.

“9. Dissent equals treason

Cast dissent as "treason" and criticism as "espionage'. Every closing society does this, just as it elaborates laws that increasingly criminalise certain kinds of speech and expand the definition of "spy" and "traitor". When Bill Keller, the publisher of the New York Times, ran the Lichtblau/Risen stories, Bush called the Times' leaking of classified information "disgraceful", while Republicans in Congress called for Keller to be charged with treason, and rightwing commentators and news outlets kept up the "treason" drumbeat. Some commentators, as Conason noted, reminded readers smugly that one penalty for violating the Espionage Act is execution.”

I would throw this back on Wolfe. If this isn’t treason, OK. So, what DOES constitute treason? I’m not saying it was treason, but I would like to know, what, if anything, is treason?

“10. Suspend the rule of law

The John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007 gave the president new powers over the national guard. This means that in a national emergency - which the president now has enhanced powers to declare - he can send Michigan's militia to enforce a state of emergency that he has declared in Oregon, over the objections of the state's governor and its citizens.

Even as Americans were focused on Britney Spears's meltdown and the question of who fathered Anna Nicole's baby, the New York Times editorialised about this shift: "A disturbing recent phenomenon in Washington is that laws that strike to the heart of American democracy have been passed in the dead of night ... Beyond actual insurrection, the president may now use military troops as a domestic police force in response to a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, terrorist attack or any 'other condition'."

Are you basing fact on an opinion piece? That’s stupid from step one, and gets dumber after that. This last bit proves to the world you are an idiot. Who can we take you seriously? If I didn't think you were out of your mind before this, this might just push me to pat you on your pretty head and say, "There, there, honey - it will be all right. The nice men in the white coats are here to help."