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The American ideals are more for a show - they are long overtaken by a scale of narrow interests. Core ideological models and distinctions are just as present in the US as in the old Europe, but with more aggressive media dressing. It is too simplistic to assign anyth

I do see Bushes' Nazi contributions and Al Gores' "communist sympathies" of unlike characters, but that is a complicated distinction. Conflating communism, fascism and/or terrorism, and contiguous scares, are necessary tricks to those who want to keep their power, appearances, intentions and the past hidden. Soviet communism was a lousy experiment - and it was kept running just as long as it was useful to certain US internal politics. (Now they need terrorism to keep the circus going.) It is very cheap to dismiss any social vision with milder social extremes and some attention to collective effects as Marxist or communists. Even Adam Smith was a proto-Marxist when it came to labour relations. Various "Marxist" ideas will be ridiculed for a long time, quite unfortunately for the upcoming crises of resources' boundaries. There is also a high risk that those ideas will be pushed in a desperate manner again.

Fascism makes most sense as a reaction from higher financial industrial classes to the threat of communism - not so much a "freedom threat" (yet), but the kind of existential threat that Russian elites had to experience. So they supported Hitler as a useful kind of "socialism"; and you have to appreciate the support that Hitler got. He served only nine months of mild prison regime (of merely five years sentence) for a failed attempt to overthrow a government. He had attention of many influential figures. He had industrial support, media support, and saw no orderly opposition. As well known, his political and industrial partners were popular on Wall Street and US political circles. Hitler would had gone nowhere without that kind of support that, in particular, senior Prescott Bush gave. Masses just follow what the elites approve. Why is there so little attention to Nazi financiers? Because financial classes are supposed to do no wrong; only little Eichmans must be at fault.

I don't see the same scale of damage (or benefit to Moscow commies) that Al Gore Sen could possibly have done. Al Gores' vision might had been relatively Marxist in the post-McCartian pool of American politics; but they were not necessarily utterly wrong or selling out. In fact, more disappointingly, Al Gore Jr might be just playing (and liking) an American looser role, for what we know.

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"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

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"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

... though I wouldn't minded waking up to my thankfulness a bit later.

Happy weekend all.

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EU Slams Iran Stoning as Report Shows Spike in Executions | Europe | Deutsche Welle | 24.07.2008

At least 5,851 executions were carried out in 2007 up from the 5,635 registered in 2006 and 5,494 in 2005, the report said.

The surge was "in large part" due to the increased number of executions in Iran, up by one-third, and Saudi Arabia where the number of people executed quadrupled, it said.

China put to death at least 5,000 people, accounting for 85.4 percent of the world total. Iran, which executed at least 355 people, and Saudi Arabia 166, filled the other top three places of what the report called the "terrible podium" of capital-punishment practicing countries.

Most executions in Asia; US to blame too

Other countries where the number of people executed numbered more than 10 included Pakistan, with at least 134, the United States where 42 people were put to death, Iraq with at least 33, Vietnam with at least 25, Yemen and Afghanistan, both with at least 15, and North Korea with at least 13.

This sounds like being a little bit pregnant!

I had hoped that the US would finally give up capital punishement - as it also puts it on the same level as Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Booman Tribune ~ A Visceral Reaction to Berlin

I think you are misreading the Europeans if you think they are looking for their leader in the United States.

YES! and thank you!

I think you are misreading the Europeans if you think they are looking for their leader in the United States. I don't think they have ever looked to the U.S. to be the sole hegemon of the West or any other part of the world. In fact, its rather self-congratulatory, if not arrogant, to make that assumption. Europeans think a good deal more of themselves and their capabilities, and a whole lot less of the U.S. than that. I think what Europeans would like is for the U.S. to stop pretending it is so all might and superior and for once act like a partner. To the extent that this was what Obama expressed, it was that, not a desire for leadership, was what resonated with them.

And if I am reading you correctly, that is what you would like to see as well, not, apparently for the same reasons, but if the goal is the same the reasons do not necessarily have to match.

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At least for the time being during his campaign.

"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."

the only thought in my mind was, that we didn't kill enough of the bastards (Nazi's that is)

Would we call it even at 6 million, eh?

That rationale is a very good reason to oppose the death penalty. Because that is not meting out a penalty, that is exacting vengeance. I can sympathize with your thought, trust me. But no where in the Constitution is anyone empowered to act out of vengeance. And killing someone is killing someone. By knife or lethal injection. In an act of depraved human indifference or the sterility and formality of a government funded execution chamber.

I was thinking that New Jersey might serve better as Zion .

When you think about it, the 2000 Presidential Campaign was between the scions of America's most accomplished Nazi and Communist collaborators' ill-gotten fortunes. If American power lies with rich Nazis and Pinkos, apparently America lost both the Cold and Second World Wars through our own greed.

Unfortunately, I'm sure the GWOT is already lost in much the same way. Erik Prince's children for President in 2032? Any bets on who's got the exclusive deal to bring in all that black market Iraq oil to market at European and US prices? Bet their kid is a Senator someday soon too..

I wonder if it is really that rare of an experience to have a death row inmate come out against capital punishment?

Knut, the fascists ascended to power in the U.S. on November 22, 1963. It was a coup in front of everyone.
With each election the intelligence community has attempted and pretty much succeeded in consolidating its power.

The FISA capitulation was not to George Bush, who will be gone in a few months. It was a capitulation to the intelligence community, which intends to stay in power no matter who is elected.

There is no hope that anyone currently in leadership positions in the Republican Party will stand up to the intelligence community, or even want to. Can Obama and the Democratic Party? They won't have to as long as Americans refuse to acknowledge what has happened.

I'm frustrated in Michigan.  A group is trying to get a reform proposal on the ballot in Michigan that's very progressive and we're getting hammered in the press from both sides.

Well good. No one was launching missiles from North Dakota this week.

Guess this is what Rumsfeld meant by downsizing the military.

And Feinstein's and Schumer's support for Mukasey; another blunder? deliberate blunder? by the Dems.

I agree with what you write, but on the last point, I don't believe every nation on earth either wants or should be a representative government. Maybe in some far-off, very civilized world deep into the New Age, but for now, each nation has a unique expression of itself, via government and culture, and it's not up to me to support my national destiny to be blanketed over to others.

As an aside, the American people have been white-washed by "spreading democracy" over and over again, when the real "spreading" has been economic pillage. I think it's dangerous for one nation to impose it's political and economic will on another when the imposed nation has it's own destiny to fulfill.

I was bad at sports as a kid, and I was forced and cajoled to go out there and embarrass myself on the basketball court and baseball field. It was humiliating for me, and it was imposed by my father and the ideals of what males should be doing, else you were an outcast. What was best for some kids was not best for me.  Same thing happens between nations.

Now that's radical politics!!

In 2004, I saw several obituaries along the lines of "in lieu of sending flowers, vote Democratic."

(Capital punishment is always wrong.)