PICTURE THIS: A folksy, self-consciously plainspoken Southern politician rises to power during a period of profound unrest in America. The nation is facing one of the half-dozen or so of its worst existential crises to date, and the people, once sunny, confident, and striving, are now scared, angry, and disillusioned.
This politician, a ''Professional Common Man,'' executes his rise by relentlessly attacking the liberal media, fancy-talking intellectuals, shiftless progressives, pinkos, promiscuity, and welfare hangers-on, all the while clamoring for a return to traditional values, to love of country, to the pie-scented days of old when things made sense and Americans were indisputably American. He speaks almost entirely in ''noble but slippery abstractions''-Liberty, Freedom, Equality-and people love him, even if they can't fully articulate why without resorting to abstractions themselves.
Through a combination of factors-his easy bearing chief among them (along with massive cash donations from Big Business; disorganization in the liberal opposition; a stuffy, aloof opponent; and support from religious fanatics who feel they've been unfairly marginalized)-he wins the presidential election.
Once in, he appoints his friends and political advisers to high-level positions, stocks the Supreme Court with ''surprisingly unknown lawyers who called [him] by his first name,'' declaws Congress, allows Big Business to dictate policy, consolidates the media, and fills newspapers with ''syndicated gossip from Hollywood.'' Carping newspapermen worry that America is moving backward to a time when anti-German politicians renamed sauerkraut ''Liberty Cabbage'' and ''hick legislators...set up shop as scientific experts and made the world laugh itself sick by forbidding the teaching of evolution,'' but newspaper readers, wary of excessive negativity, pay no mind.
Given the nature of ''powerful and secret enemies'' of America-who are ''planning their last charge'' to take away our freedom-an indefinite state of crisis is declared, and that freedom is stowed away for safekeeping. When the threat passes, we can have it back, but in the meantime, citizens are asked to ''bear with'' the president.
Sure, some say these methods are extreme, but the plain folks are tired of wishy-washy leaders, and feel the president's decisiveness is its own excuse. Besides, as one man says, a fascist dictatorship ''couldn't happen here in America...we're a country of freemen!''
. . .
While more paranoid readers might be tempted to draw parallels between this scenario and sundry predicaments we may or may not be in right now, the story line is actually that of Sinclair Lewis's 1935 novel ''It Can't Happen Here,'' a hastily written cautionary note about America's potential descent into fascism, recently reissued by New American Library in a handsome trade edition with a blood-spattered cover design.
Now....if the rest of this country would just stop and think. ;)
The Dawg
Its sad but some of the poorest and under educated people our the ones that are conservatives.There are lots of rich educated (or wanna be)people who are cons too but how can you be a con if you are poor ,the cons do nothing for the poor.Look at New Orleans,we here in rich Florida had help right away in most places after all of the hurricanes
neobud
You know Herb the sheople won't think about anything till their pasture is mud and they see the fence all around them. Then they will scamble for a plan and run to the first open gate......RIGHT INTO THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE!
green goblin
survival of the fittest my friends...be a sheep or be a wolf, the choice is up to you.
CanadianDAN
Yes, i am, forget this post it was just drunken rambling. MY BAD.
(Edited by CanadianDAN at 7:02 pm on Jan. 29, 2006)
neobud
You getting way out there Dan.
I do believe that there will be a nuclear attack somewhere in my lifetime. I don't know where or when but I do have an utter sinking feeling that something is VERY VERY wrong in the back of my mind. I can't shake it. I have had it for a few years. Before 9/11 even. Something just does not "feel" right about the world right now.
No I am not a crazy. It seems as though life is becoming more and more meaningless to people. I just can't get a grip on it or put my finger on the feeling. It does not effect my day to day living by any means only when I stop to ponder the current state of affairs. It is not depression or hopelessness or anything like that. You know that feeling you get right before a cop pulls you over and then it happens. The feeling you get that something really bad is about to happen and then the phone rings and it is bad news or anyting like that. That is the feeling I have towards this whole damn planet. It is weird.
