The Volokh Conspiracy - A Blast From the Past on Fascism--Part 3: The 2005 NY Times Ad.

Remember this New York Times ad from December 2005, comparing Bush to Hitler and accusing Bush of remaking "society very quickly . . . in a fascist way":

YOUR GOVERNMENT, on the basis of outrageous lies, is waging a murderous and utterly illegitimate war in Iraq, with other countries in their sights.

YOUR GOVERNMENT is openly torturing people, and justifying it.

YOUR GOVERNMENT puts people in jail on the merest suspicion, refusing them lawyers, and either holding them indefinitely or deporting them in the dead of night.

YOUR GOVERNMENT is moving each day closer to a theocracy, where a narrow and hateful brand of Christian fundamentalism will rule.

YOUR GOVERNMENT suppresses the science that doesn't fit its religious, political and economic agenda, forcing present and future generations to pay a terrible price.

YOUR GOVERNMENT is moving to deny women here, and all over the world, the right to birth control and abortion.

YOUR GOVERNMENT enforces a culture of greed, bigotry, intolerance and ignorance.

People look at all this and think of Hitler —- and they are right to do so. The Bush regime is setting out to radically remake society very quickly, in a fascist way, and for generations to come. We must act now; the future is in the balance.

Note the combination of statements that evoke NAZI policies (wars of aggression, torture, jailing people without trial) with some statements that are strongly contrary to NAZI policies (promoting religion, promoting a culture of greed) and with still more statements that are at least as much opposed to NAZIism as in favor of it (opposing abortion, opposing science).

To understand the modern analogues of fascist policies, people need to study fascist literature more carefully.

Among the signatories to the 2005 ad were:

James Abourezk

Tom Ammiano, SF Board of Supervisors

Edward Asner

William Ayers, professor and author

Russell Banks, writer

Ed Begley, Jr.

Harry Belafonte

Dave Berenson, US Green Party, Cleveland

William Blum

Gabriel Byrne

Campus Anti-War Network (CAN)

Tim Carpenter, dir., Progressive Democrats of America

Chicago ADAPT

CHOICE USA

Margaret Cho

Ward Churchill

David Cobb, 2004 Green Party Presidential Candidate

US Rep John Conyers Jr.,

Barry Crimmins, writer/correspondent, Air America Radio

Code Pink: Women for Peace

Culture Clash
DC Anti-War Network

Democrats.com

Carl Dix, Revolutionary Communist Party

Tom Duane, NY State Senator

Michael Eric Dyson, author, Is Bill Cosby Right?

Steve Earle

Edwin Ellis, president, Veterans for Peace, LA*

Daniel Ellsberg, author of The Pentagon Papers

Christian Ettinger, exec. producer, The Weather Underground

Jodie Evans, Code Pink

Jane Fonda

Global Justice & Peace Ministries, Riverside Church, NYC

Senator Mike Gravel

Andy Griggs, Exec. Board, United Teachers of LA*

Paul Haggis, film director/producer, Crash

Impeach Bush Coalition

Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA Relief USA)

Islamic Association of America

Abdeen Jabara, past pres., American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee*

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson

Bianca Jagger, actress & activist

Mumia Abu-Jamal, political prisoner, journalist

Rickie Lee Jones, musician

Casey Kasem

Robin D.G. Kelley, Columbia University

M. Ali Khan, American Muslim Council

Margot Kidder

C. Clark Kissinger

Ron Kovic, author, Vietnam Veteran

Jonathan Kozol

Ray Laforest, organizer, DC 1707, AFSCME; member Pacifica National Board

Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor, Tikkun magazine

Bruce Lincoln, prof., History of Religions, Univ. of Chicago

Gregory Maguire, author, Wicked

Lucinda Marshall, founder, Feminist Peace Network*

Bill Martin, philosopher

US Rep. Cynthia McKinney

Bill Mitchell, co-founder, Gold Star Families for Peace*

Viggo Mortensen

National Lawyers Guild

Armando Navarro, chair, Ethnic Studies, UC Riverside

Northwestern College Feminists

Not in Our Name

Bertell Ollman, prof., Dept. of Politics, NYU

R. Tomás Olmos, Pres., Mexican-Amer. Bar Found., LA County

Jose Padilla, exec. dir., CA Rural Legal Assistance*

Grace Paley, writer

Patrick Henry Democratic Club

Sean Penn

Rosalind Petchesky, prof., Hunter College & Grad Center, CUNY

Jeremy Pikser, screenwriter, Bulworth

Harold Pinter, playwright, 2005 Nobel Prize winner

Frances Fox Piven

Progressive Democrats of America

Michael Ratner, Center for Constitutional Rights*

Scott Ritter, former UN weapons inspector

US Rep. Bobby Rush

San Francisco Bayview Newspaper

Susan Sarandon

John Sayles, filmmaker

Richard Serra

Cindy Sheehan

Martin Sheen

Gloria Steinem

Lynne Stewart, lawyer

Studs Terkel

Gore Vidal

Kurt Vonnegut

Alice Walker

US Rep. Maxine Waters

Wavy Gravy

Leonard Weinglass, lawyer

Cornel West, Princeton University

Standish E. Willis, Nat. Conference of Black Lawyers

Ann Wright, former US diplomat, resigned in protest of Iraq war

Peter Yarrow

Leland Y. Yee, Speaker pro Tem, CA State Assembly

Juanita Young, leader, October 22nd Coalition*

David Zeiger, filmmaker, Sir, No Sir!

Howard Zinn, historian, A Peoples' History of the United States

	[Jim Lindgren, April 18, 2009 at 11:41pm] Trackbacks A Blast From the Past on Fascism--Part 3: The 2005 NY Times Ad. Remember this New York Times ad from December 2005, comparing Bush to Hitler and accusing Bush of remaking "society very quickly . . . in a fascist way": YOUR GOVERNMENT, on the basis of outrageous lies, is waging a murderous and utterly illegitimate war in Iraq, with other countries in their sights. YOUR GOVERNMENT is openly torturing people, and justifying it. YOUR GOVERNMENT puts people in jail on the merest suspicion, refusing them lawyers, and either holding them indefinitely or deporting them in the dead of night. YOUR GOVERNMENT is moving each day closer to a theocracy, where a narrow and hateful brand of Christian fundamentalism will rule. YOUR GOVERNMENT suppresses the science that doesn't fit its religious, political and economic agenda, forcing present and future generations to pay a terrible price. YOUR GOVERNMENT is moving to deny women here, and all over the world, the right to birth control and abortion. YOUR GOVERNMENT enforces a culture of greed, bigotry, intolerance and ignorance. People look at all this and think of Hitler —- and they are right to do so. The Bush regime is setting out to radically remake society very quickly, in a fascist way, and for generations to come. We must act now; the future is in the balance. Note the combination of statements that evoke NAZI policies (wars of aggression, torture, jailing people without trial) with some statements that are strongly contrary to NAZI policies (promoting religion, promoting a culture of greed) and with still more statements that are at least as much opposed to NAZIism as in favor of it (opposing abortion, opposing science). To understand the modern analogues of fascist policies, people need to study fascist literature more carefully. Among the signatories to the 2005 ad were: James Abourezk Tom Ammiano, SF Board of Supervisors Edward Asner William Ayers, professor and author Russell Banks, writer Ed Begley, Jr. Harry Belafonte Dave Berenson, US Green Party, Cleveland William Blum Gabriel Byrne Campus Anti-War Network (CAN) Tim Carpenter, dir., Progressive Democrats of America Chicago ADAPT CHOICE USA Margaret Cho Ward Churchill David Cobb, 2004 Green Party Presidential Candidate US Rep John Conyers Jr., Barry Crimmins, writer/correspondent, Air America Radio Code Pink: Women for Peace Culture Clash DC Anti-War Network Democrats.com Carl Dix, Revolutionary Communist Party Tom Duane, NY State Senator Michael Eric Dyson, author, Is Bill Cosby Right? Steve Earle Edwin Ellis, president, Veterans for Peace, LA* Daniel Ellsberg, author of The Pentagon Papers Christian Ettinger, exec. producer, The Weather Underground Jodie Evans, Code Pink Jane Fonda Global Justice & Peace Ministries, Riverside Church, NYC Senator Mike Gravel Andy Griggs, Exec. Board, United Teachers of LA* Paul Haggis, film director/producer, Crash Impeach Bush Coalition Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA Relief USA) Islamic Association of America Abdeen Jabara, past pres., American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee* Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Bianca Jagger, actress & activist Mumia Abu-Jamal, political prisoner, journalist Rickie Lee Jones, musician Casey Kasem Robin D.G. Kelley, Columbia University M. Ali Khan, American Muslim Council Margot Kidder C. Clark Kissinger Ron Kovic, author, Vietnam Veteran Jonathan Kozol Ray Laforest, organizer, DC 1707, AFSCME; member Pacifica National Board Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor, Tikkun magazine Bruce Lincoln, prof., History of Religions, Univ. of Chicago Gregory Maguire, author, Wicked Lucinda Marshall, founder, Feminist Peace Network* Bill Martin, philosopher US Rep. Cynthia McKinney Bill Mitchell, co-founder, Gold Star Families for Peace* Viggo Mortensen National Lawyers Guild Armando Navarro, chair, Ethnic Studies, UC Riverside Northwestern College Feminists Not in Our Name Bertell Ollman, prof., Dept. of Politics, NYU R. Tomás Olmos, Pres., Mexican-Amer. Bar Found., LA County Jose Padilla, exec. dir., CA Rural Legal Assistance* Grace Paley, writer Patrick Henry Democratic Club Sean Penn Rosalind Petchesky, prof., Hunter College & Grad Center, CUNY Jeremy Pikser, screenwriter, Bulworth Harold Pinter, playwright, 2005 Nobel Prize winner Frances Fox Piven Progressive Democrats of America Michael Ratner, Center for Constitutional Rights* Scott Ritter, former UN weapons inspector US Rep. Bobby Rush San Francisco Bayview Newspaper Susan Sarandon John Sayles, filmmaker Richard Serra Cindy Sheehan Martin Sheen Gloria Steinem Lynne Stewart, lawyer Studs Terkel Gore Vidal Kurt Vonnegut Alice Walker US Rep. Maxine Waters Wavy Gravy Leonard Weinglass, lawyer Cornel West, Princeton University Standish E. Willis, Nat. Conference of Black Lawyers Ann Wright, former US diplomat, resigned in protest of Iraq war Peter Yarrow Leland Y. Yee, Speaker pro Tem, CA State Assembly Juanita Young, leader, October 22nd Coalition* David Zeiger, filmmaker, Sir, No Sir! Howard Zinn, historian, A Peoples' History of the United States Related Posts (on one page): The New Meme: Fascism. A Blast From the Past on Fascism--Part 3: The 2005 NY Times Ad. A Blast From the Past on Fascism--Part 2: Nazification of Bush A Blast From the Past on Fascism--Part 1: Sheldon Wolin.