Yoda thinks "it possible the good ole’ USA could become a fascist state."

Wadda ya mean 'could become' Yoda?

Eisenhauer warned his fellow citizens (if not the rest of the world) decades ago of the awesome power and greed of the U$ industrial-military complex - which has today been expanded to include the giant pharmaceutical corporations, along with the 'players' who 'manage' (control) the global(ised) finance/banking industry and the handful of media mega-corporations.

The indicies are out there for anybody interested and savvy enough to observe them - today's U$A is a corporatist state set up and maintained by and in the interests of the ruling plutrocracy.

'God bless America' ... and god save the rest of us!

George Bush is a coward, but no, not in the sense those on the far left think for.

Bush is President of the most powerful nation in the history of humanity and he isn't doing anything with it. Any nation with enlightened values, as western nations have, should impose those values on the rest of our backward planet.

Sick leftists try to say all cultures are equal, but they never live in Bankstown - they live in Newtown, or the North Shore.

We see on the news every night how inferior other value systems are, we see by refugee flows (all to the civilised west) that everyone wants a piece of the western world, of our values, superior values.

Bush should bomb Iran, Syria, but especially Saudi Arabia. China should be threatened, even Bob Brown is under no illusions how vile their values are - and they are growing in strength.

Is that what you leftists really want? Bush lets you protest, they certainly won't. You won't be allowed to do anything Bush thinks you should.

Your position is unsustainable. Cultural relativist nonsense. How dare you try to tell me that the values I believe in, equality, tolerance (although not for intolerant savage cultures or intolerant religions like Islam) are on equal footing with FGM, or Indian caste culture?

Bush is a coward. He has wasted his opportunity, although I sure hope he bombs at least Iran before he leaves office.

Nth Korea can be dealt with, but Muslim fanatics don't care even about their own kids let alone yours...

Agree with you somewhat, Benjamin, but can't agree with you about blowing Iran to bits, along with most of the Middle East, besides.

When jotting down the main points of ME history since WW1, you will find that apart from accusive rhetoric, Iran cannot be accused of starting any conflicts in the ME, or backing them, as Donald Rumsfeld helped do in Saddam's attack on Iran in 1981.

Also as a female Iranian lawyer spoke out - she hopes for Iran to take on democracy in the future, but not based on the American Way.

Excellent article which clarifies what Bush and his neo-cons have been developing since they've been in power....an elected dictatorship. If they can organise a 'crisis' just prior to the federal election, they can finalise their plans....a formalised fascist dictatorship.

It would be wise for Aussies to be aware that Howard has been using the neo-con strategy to develop an elected far right dictatorship here as well. Rather than just focusing on the USA, we need to relate this abuse of power in our own backyard as well. Checks and balances are being eroded in the USA. We don't even have the same checks and balances here. We need to wake up before it's too late.

bushbred, every society has rulership of the people.

only democracy is rule by the people, a different thing entirely. your ignorance in this matter is natural, almost every ozzie shares it.

many yanks live in states with citizen referendum powers, and so have practical experience with democracy. many americans do know the difference between democracy and (elective) dictatorship, these people are angry and/or frightened by the 'unitary' hypothesis, which may be a 'toe in the water' test of whether a nazi-style coup would succeed in the usa. it's worth remembering that hitler was elected in a parliamentary republic, and only then saved the state the cost of further elections by staging a 'terrorist attack' on the parliament building. some people have suggested that the wtt attack was planned or at least allowed to succeed by the bush regime to centralize power in the white house.

in any event, the ignorance of the electorate, and the total lack of participation by the people in the management of state and nation make oz a push-over for a fascist party. fortunately, pauline was too dumb, and her advisors too venal, to mount a successful challenge to the rule by the politicians guild. let's hope fat, dumb and happy continues to characterize the lucky country.

Uh, Benjamin, somehow I don't think you've been paying attention to history, or even the present.

While I may agree Saudi Arabia is indeed a more influential country in terms of fostering Islamic extremism, what do you think the reaction will be if the west was to bomb Mecca?

Name one successful effort at the US introducing democracy to the middle east. Just one.

Failures however, are plentiful. The course of action you suggest Benjamin, sounds nice, but in practice, would simply set the world aflame in a war without an end in sight.

It's that kind of thinking that has so monumentally screwed up world politics over the last few terms.