Yesterday's subject continued

From the Salon.com piece I posted yesterday, "Fascism is rising in America. The Koch brothers and democracy's dispiriting demise:" "As the American Heritage Dictionary noted, fascism is: 'A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism.'” Fascism is either on its way, or has already arrived, as it pertains to a number of crucial societal traits. The ubiquitous "security" cameras; the plethora of draconian laws, scarcely improved as the "USA Patriot Act" is hurriedly subjected to a number of rather minor amendments, and becomes re-christened, with President O'Bomber's enthusiastic support, as the "USA Freedom Act." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Freedom_Act I intend to stick to my guns, to employ a slightly regrettable cliche. The moniker "President O'Bomber?" It stays, as it is literally true. The US remains the world's foremost military power, with more than 800 military bases in over 140 countries, last I checked. Year after year, the Pentagon's massive and bloated budget has no real rivals. American society has been thoroughly corrupted by unchecked militarism and nationalistic aggression. Our American Gulag, for lack of a better term, is the biggest in the world, hands down; no other country that I'm aware of locks up as many of its own citizens, a significant majority for non-violent offenses. But I'll concede, instead of the highly charged and controversial term "Ultra-Fascism," I should have used the term "Techno-Fascism." President Kennedy, in his inaugural address of January 20, 1961: "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." It is up to all of us to guarantee JFK's words do not ring hollow; not today, and not in years to come. Except for Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning and a handful of other intrepid souls, we've all fallen short of the mark.