Do I inhabit a fascist nation?

For various reasons I spend lately more time as an internet consumer than producer. 'Social' media, while suggesting productive engagement, works mainly to let time pass. Luckily I came across an old-fashioned webpage with some characteristics of fascism.

As I think most, if not all of them apply to Australia in 2015, I take the artistic freedom to provide some thoughts on each of the given points.

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

Australia celebrates their participation in wars as cannon fodder for either the British or the US Empire as national holidays. There's Anzac Day, Long Tan Day, something about Gallipolli, and 'Australia Day' celebrates the illegal acquisition of an entire continent by means of on-going genocide of more than 600 nations since 1788.

It's funny to see so many flags in this country, being a remote island nation. I would be surprised if island tribes bother coming up with a flag. What an ingenious meme of the Brits, using a piece of cloth as symbol of power. It's a piece of 'black' magic.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

The policy of indefinite detention for refugees, the policy of 'stopping the boats', incarcerating children in detention camps, the entire concept of 'off-shore detention centers', the planned removal of more than 150 remote indigenous communities in Western Australia, the data retention laws speak a very clear language here. Not too mention UN reports published about Australia's Human Rights violations.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

'Stop the boats!' was the official election slogan, islamophobia justifies many civil liberties restrictions. Sydney was the first place to stop air traffic for a hostage situation - the Sydney siege build up the vague concept of 'terrorism' as common threat, just like subscribed by Orwell in 1984.

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

Some Japanese fighter planes made it to the Northern Shores of Australia during WW2, but the invasion threat since then is quite minimal. That didn't stop the current government spending $12 billion on 58 fighter planes last year. Not too mention the increase in US military personnel in Darwin and in Pine Gap. Did I mention the Dawn parade for ANZAC day (or whatever let's celebrate slaughtering innocents for profits and call it just war holiday).

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

There was only one woman in the government's set of ministers. The PM himself, known to have a strong misogynic touch, announced himself as minister for women's affairs. Of course, gay marriage can not be tolerated. If you have a chance seeing an interview with PM when asked about homosexuality, you get a free time travel into the Dark Ages.

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

Media ownership works more than governmental influence in this case. Murdoch makes and breaks the political puppets of the corporatist system. However, 'national security' is now the get-into-jail-card for journalists who dare to have an eye on those in power. As one of the first ways to 'stop the boats', the current government declared any incidents with refugee boats a matter of national security, and effectively censored any non-government approved reporting.

Just two days ago, blocking of torrent sites increased the level of everyday censorship in this country.

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

Lots of elements threaten the 'Australian Way of life' - everyone could be a terrorist! Latest PR stunt I recall asked for the removal of citizenship for terror suspects, yet I certainly mentioned national security earlier here.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

The current PM not only promotes his take on Christian values (Would Jesus have let any refuge in? I don't think so.), but also likes to compare himself to the person praised by his follower as their 'saviour'. And while alleged child abuse was repeatedly used to justify the genocidal act of closing indigenous communities, stealing their children and reeducating them in 'white' families or in Christian orphanages, the PM still confirms his friendship with Bishop George Pell, a confirmed child abuser.

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

The mining industry pays hardly any taxes, doesn't employ many people, acts ecologically totally irresponsibly yet nevertheless directs many ecocidal decisions the government had chosen. The current PM went so far to claim that 'Coal is the future for Australia. Coal is the future for the world.' In WA, some of the oldest artefacts made by our current race have been destroyed to make a quick mining buck. 

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

Unions can now be held liable for perceived profit losses if they do their job and organise strikes or pickets. The union asking for adhering to safety standards, after a collapsing wall on a GROCON site killed a pedestrian, has to pay $3.5 million for the picket. Not an elimination of labor unions, just a suppression.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

The current government doesn't need a Ministry for science, so they abolished it. At the moment, severe funding cuts for art in community and education take place. No arrests yet, as far as I know.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

Law enforcement can now legally store all your communication meta data, inspect the communications if they deem it necessary, hack your communications devices, break into your house, create evidence, use created evidence against you. Anti-terror laws make everyone a suspect, the Magna Carta doesn't count for anything anymore.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

The PM's daughter, most likely as act of cronyism, got sponsored by a university. The employee bringing this act favoritism into the public got sued. I guess an investigation into the current treasurer will bring lots of evidence that this is more than hearsay. PS: The speaker of the house, Bronwyn Bishop, has been caught spending lots of taxpayers money for private pleasures. Of course, the current PM protects her.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

I'm really not sure about this one. Besides the manipulation of the Murdoch press, I can't vouch for open manipulation. Finally, a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel. I'm happy than happy to discuss this with anyone still believing in the fairytale of democracy in Australia.

Accidental news exposure

By quite some coincidence,

just don't give it any relevance,

I watched the TV news today,

which lead my mind astray.

I heard the prime minister rant

we in Canberra can do what we want,

within in the law, within the law,

clinging to a desperate straw.

Parliament makes law, nothing else,

yet fascism puts on its hipster belts,

with a leader turned into a dictator,

obvious to the attentive narrator.

Yet I wonder if anyone will care,

or wait for yet another nightmare.

Lawless police

Today, another protest against the detainment of Bradley Manning, and the crimes against humanity committed by the US government exposed by Wikileaks, took place in front of the US consulate in Melbourne.

As it was already the third time we managed to organise this legal form of political protest, basically a sit-in, we were familiar with some people involved, like the friendly and sympathetic receptionist, and some of the police. The building manager had changed since we've been there last time. While he seemed less angry than the last one, he still didn't like political protest in 'his' premises.

The last sit-in lasted three hours, so this time we were well prepared to enjoy ourselves while being there. We had some music and food, and prepared some little scenes and speeches to make it a joyful happening. The cause, however, is less funny - Obama's drone war, Bradley Mannings incarceration for years, most of it in solitary confinement, declaring Wikileaks and its confederates as 'Enemy of the state', the Grand Jury against Assange, who is held hostage in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

Learning from their last experience, whoever was responsible to enforce mob law on civil protestors, decided on a faster course of action. And yo a more intimidating and finally violent approach. Police observing the protest initially were quite edgy, carried their guns and actively engaged in house-keeping, removing the flyers we patched to the doors of the embassy.

CIRT (Critical Incidence Response Team), the muscle of the corporate impostor government, arrived with more troops in riot gear, squads from a variety of police stations got into their gloves, ready to rough up the protest.

As I have some good reasons not to get into violently enforced laws, I took care of the belongings of some of my friends, left the building and awaited for the inevitable unlawful eviction. I positioned myself in front of the door, sheltered from the rain and got my camera ready. One of the police clowns approached me and ask me to move on, which I politely declined initially.

'Move away!', 'Sorry, sir, you got no right to ask me to move on'. 'It's for you own safety, it could dangerous for when we remove the protestors.' 'So you're intending to do something dangerous?' 'I don't engage with your semantics.'

The police officer then asked me about the things I put down temporarily, suggested I could join my mates to be forcefully removed, so I moved a couple of metres away, into the rain, still waiting for the eviction.

I dropped the things I took care of next to a table belonging to the cafe next door, still in good sight of the four police clowns readying themselves for some action. One of the youngest of them came over and asked me for ID, which I politely declined with: 'I don't think I'm obliged to give you my ID.'

He moved back, and when I dropped my cigarette butt (I know, smoking is bad, littering as well, but, hell, I got nervous and uncomfortable), one of the clowns marched over to me: 'Give me your ID, I have to fine you for throwing away burning litter!' Luckily, I got backup in the ensuing attempt to contract me to accept a fine, and managed to remove myself from police, put the belongings of my mates into the car and chill for a while.

When we went to debrief into a cafe opposite the embassy, things escalated again. Our independent journalist demanded to identify the cop that pushed him during the eviction, and got done badly. As we still could see what happened, most went back to look after him, and they arrested a young woman, pushed several others to the ground, and took her and the journo on a ride.

Similar to other evictions, they simply drove them off the scene and dropped them somewhere in St. Kilda on the side of the road. When we regrouped with the arrested, the woman had gone into shock, and lay on the pavement in the rain. By the time ambulance arrived to take care of her, people with video evidence could show the medics how police had assaulted her.

The amount of laws broken by police, and their attitude was mostly shocking. In first place, removing the protestors from the inside of the building was unlawful - places of business are similar to public space, and removing someone wanting to talk to a representative of the US consulate in front of it, causing neither damage or danger to persons and property, not even following any sort of protocol, is unlawful.

The rough handling of some the protestors technically is assault, and arresting someone nominally, without a charge, and just dropping them off somewhere constitutes basically kidnapping. The Stanford Prison Experiment has shown convincingly that entitling people with a uniform effectively removes them from personal responsibility, and often of empathy, and turns them into beasts.

While we did our best to alleviate the psychological harm and trauma inflicted, and the bruises caused by brutal handling won't last for long, it's simply unacceptable to have people ostensibly representing the government acting like the muscle of the mafia.

We stood up to injustice in non-violent, lawful ways, and the authorities came down on us like thugs of a fascist, impostor government. Because that's what they are. They get paid to inflict injustice on regular people, while we do it to stand up for a healthy, just society. It's kind of sad that it takes some of us getting beaten up to make a tiny media blip, especially if it's just in Murdoch press.

Yet without resistance, the next generation will be born into inescapable servitude, and no one will remember the god-given right to freedom, so many people in history have fought for. And as we are aware of the policy of intimidation to enforce pretend law, we will not give up.

Swift destruction of human rights

Scope of Application
Conduct Pertaining to Terrorism or Terrorist Financing
This Agreement applies to the obtaining and use of financial payment messaging and related data with a view to the prevention, investigation, detection, or prosecution of:
(a) Acts of a person or entity that involve violence, or are otherwise dangerous to human life or create a risk of damage to property or infrastructure, and which, given their nature and context, are reasonably believed to be committed with the aim of:
(i) intimidating or coercing a population;
(ii) intimidating, compelling, or coercing a government or international organisation to act or abstain from acting;
or
(iii) seriously destabilising or destroying the fundamental political, constitutional, economic, or social structures of a country or an international organisation;
(b) A person or entity assisting, sponsoring, or providing financial, material, or technological support for, or financial or other services to or in support of, acts described in subparagraph (a);
or
(c) A person or entity aiding, abetting, or attempting acts described in subparagraphs (a) or (b).

Have a look at paragraph (a)(ii). Compelling the government to act or abstain from acting is now terrorism. Protesting against wars in Afghanistan or Iraq? Terrorism. Protesting to make politicians accountable for their failings? Terrorism. Asking the government to end the Intervention? Terrorism. Asking the government to abstain from internet censorship? Terrorism. Protest against environmental rape such as Tasmania deforestation? Terrorism.

Politicos from the US, EU, Japan and Australia agreed on this declaration, which makes any form of civil movement (trying to compel governments and corporations to act responsibly) an act of terrorism. Even worse, anyone involved in organising a rally, the rental services providing PA's and transport, poster printers and distributors, stage hands, caterers, etc all can be treated like terrorists according to paragraph (b).

The war on citizens is it an advanced stage, now the US, Japan, EU and Australia join their efforts in criminalizing democratic methods. You might want to invest in Serco, one of the 'public' private partners that runs many of Australia's internment camps, among other public services. Or talk to your neighbor about ways to get rid of a fascist government without military intervention. Or dream on about living in a democratic state. Or follow your orders without thinking. Or distract yourself with sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. Or hope for an alien intervention to stop global corporatism. Or taking more responsibility for your action. Or do what you want.

Rules don't need to make sense to be enforced. Welcome to the corporatist 21st century, the post-democratic era.

Merry Kill-mas

The world has changed on 9 11 -
it has turned into a fascist heaven.

Soon, the coalition of the willing
started their useless killing
with an incredible haste
to dispose their nuclear waste.

Life has gotten so much rougher
with generations bound to suffer
while the spy agencies dragnet
extends to the whole planet.

Reason has lost its place
as motivator for our race
it all went terribly wrong
since only fear moves us along.

War is just temporary insanity
and will not last until infinity,
yet blind trust in war government
prolongs this cruel predicament.

Human rights no longer count,
the prison industry profits abound.
You have to be real brave
not to become the state's slave.

The prize of freedom is vigilance,
but it's less sexy than ignorance.
Lulled into a virtual reality
individuals enjoy lots of cruelty.

Fascists are in power again,
and it drives me insane -
yet it solved a personal mystery,
whether we're doomed to repeat history.

O, how much I'd love to hear
people speaking up without fear.

Nobody told the Germans during Hitler's times that they were living in a evil fascist country. You need to understand the structure of the union of government and corporations to detect fascism at home, or wait until a 'liberator' installs the next flavor of pathocracy and declares the prior order of things fascist.

Unspoken fascism

Governments systematically get rid of their core business, providing services for their citizens. They follow the trend of Big Business to outsource tasks, ostensibly to reduce costs. The promise of reducing costs, however, is hardly ever fulfilled, expenses just get shifted to different accounts with the same company, and the total cost, especially on a long term basis, increases.

Yet without believing in this myth, which is quite eloquently perpetuated by smart dressed consultants from companies such as KPMG, PWC and the like, and instead assessing the whole picture, outsourcing helps just those companies that make money in suggesting other companies to do so.

Logic and efficiency are not the primary strategies used in business, but networking is. As long as deciders can gain unencumbered profits from outsourcing, they have no reason to think about the damage they produce to their company. After all, once you spend some time in middle und upper management, you made enough friends to fall softly into a similar position in another company, often as payback for favors you provided earlier. Mutual back-rubbing, also called networking, protects well from individual responsibility.

Private companies don't necessarily profit from outsourcing, customers don't like it too much when they have to deal with call centers in foreign countries, but group think still advocates this detrimental idea.

Governments, traditionally slow in adapting trends, now happily joined the idea of outsourcing to get rid of the few things they deserve getting tax money for. As the term "outsourcing" might easily disclose that the government no longer cares about their business, they call it PPP, Public-Private-Partnership.

So what's this PPP thingie? The public part is the administrative part of government, ie civil servants who have an incredibly safe job no matter how badly they perform. The "public" itself has no influence on choosing those positions of power, they just can elect some representative that try to place their friends in manager roles within the governments administration. Although the public is part of the term PPP, it has no say in it.

Another P in PPP is "private", finally something good, as private enterprise is the cornerstone of our glorious capitalist system, isn't it? Any citizen is a private person, so it's good for those entrepreneurs in a country. Well, at least those who have the resources to take over something like the public transport system, which are "private" entities such as big companies. A group of bus drivers and mechanics, who might be able to organise transport and maintenance of a bus fleet wouldn't even be considered to run public transport - what do they know about it?

The final P is partnership, not only a nice sounding word, but the only part of the term describing the reality of PPP. The networking between governmental admins and high level company management finally yields results. Sometimes the need to privatise away governmental responsibilities is so urgent, that tendering would just obstruct the boost in efficiency expected from redirecting tax payers money.

Whereas most Western governments had massive debts, they prevented bankruptcy so far, unlike millions of private enterprises. Even massive companies like Enron went down the drain, ruining the lives of thousands who trusted in them. Yet, according to governments officials, private companies work more efficiently, a claim that hardly can be proven at all.

So basically PPP describes nothing but a collusion between corporations and governments, and the results are mostly a reduction in service for higher charges. Privatisation of telecommunication and public transport in Europe, US and Australia followed along this pattern, but the success of those strategies (less work and profitable follow-up positions for the government part, competition free and highly subsidized business areas for the corporation part) cry for an extension of this idea.

Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate power.

Benito Mussolini

business companies corporate describes efficiency fascism finally governments idea management money networking outsourcing positions power ppp private profit public system term think transport

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