Resist the new framing

John Dean (yes, THAT John Dean) has written a really interesting piece about the Bush administration’s new use of the term “Islamic fascism.” It’s really important not to accept this blatent attempt at reframing, not the least because it takes our eyes off the difficult ways in which we, in the US, are sliding in that direction. Clearly terrorism is something we need to resist — but a false war, entered on false pretenses, doesn’t do so.

John Young notes:

"the White House [says]: 'Over four quarters ending in June, wages and benefits grew at an impressive 7.7 percent.'

But a federal survey of employers found that average worker compensation has risen only 2.8 percent. That's 1.35 percent below inflation. That's going backward.

Why the disparity? The big disparity is the astronomical amounts that very few Americans are making, including stock options and varied exotic forms of compensation. Brookings Institute economist Gary Burtless calls it, 'The biggest discrepancy I've ever seen.'</blockquote>

Note the dictionary definition of fascism: "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."

I realize that many people of Christian faith are getting all worked up these days about sexuality issues, but it seems to me that this hugely growing gap, and the rapid increase of poverty in our country, is a much more pressing issue. I wonder what a coup would look like in the US? Would we even notice?