"Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines fascism as "a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized, autocratic government." This stands in stark contrast to the classical liberal idea that individuals have natural rights that pre-exist government; that government derives its "just powers" only through the consent of the governed; and that the principal function of government is to protect the lives, liberties, and properties of its citizens, not to aggrandize the state...
...The essence of fascism, therefore, is that government should be the master, not the servant, of the people. Think about this. Does anyone in America really believe that this is not what we have now? Are Internal Revenue Service agents really our "servants"? Is compulsory "national service" for young people, which now exists in numerous states and is part of a federally funded program, not a classic example of coercing individuals to serve the state? Isn't the whole idea behind the massive regulation and regimentation of American industry and society the notion that individuals should be forced to behave in ways defined by a small governmental elite? When the nation's premier health-care reformer recently declared that heart bypass surgery on a 92-year-old man was "a waste of resources," wasn't that the epitome of the fascist ideal-that the state, not individuals, should decide whose life is worthwhile, and whose is a "waste"?
The U.S. Constitution was written by individuals who believed in the classical liberal philosophy of individual rights and sought to protect those rights from governmental encroachment. But since the fascist/collectivist philosophy has been so influential, policy reforms over the past half century have all but abolished many of these rights by simply ignoring many of the provisions in the Constitution that were designed to protect them. " (Emphasis Mine.)
And here We have the central discourse of Our time: the confrontation of a growing government "elite" ripping the Constitution to shreds in order to "protect the U.S.", a thinly-veiled variant of "We had to destroy the village in order to save it."
With this, I close Jenius Jots. What started as a personal forum to simply point out topics and events I don't cover in Gil The Jenius was quickly deemed a "citizen-journalism" effort by several people whose opinions I deeply respect. Even with that accolade, I have to end the effort, for I believe the effort--this experiment--has run its course.
Through no foresight or prescience of Mine, Jenius Jots has bracketed the most astounding and significant election of My lifetime, possibly of all time, and has seen the most dramatic economic crisis of almost 80 years unleashed as a result of almost two decades of unfettered greed. And it currently stands athwart a Middle East crisis that proves that no country, no religion, no group of people holds a monopoly on truth and righteousness.
Like many other blogs, this one disappears quietly, the narrow window of time it covered growing narrower with each passing day. But it remains as a record of observation and opinion, of choice and attention, of thoughtful time invested to tap you on the shoulder and say "Have you seen this?"
May you see much more.
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