Strick, you're being a bit hysterical. You're attributing things to me that I never said and then attacking me on that basis. That's the tactic of someone who doesn't have much of an argument. I stand by what I said, not by what you said I said.

I, for one (although I know there are people here who would disagree with me), believe that there is a difference between the Democratic and Republican parties. Not much, perhaps, but the Democrats at least pay lip-service to progressive ideas, and their somewhat plastic nature (people keep accusing them of being "wishy-washy," but that's not necessarily a bad thing) makes them easier for citizens to influence. The Republicans have an agenda that's pretty much cast in stone. They don't listen to much of anybody but each other. Lockstep. And the Democrats are not in bed with the right-wing fundamentalist churches the way the Republicans are. If there's no difference between the two parties, then we may as well throw in the towel, because one of the two of them is going to be in. I, however, am not ready to give up yet.

And where do you get your percentages and how did you come by the notion that I'm calling American Christians, or a big percentage of them, "fascists?" I belong to a main-line church myself. Rev. Lang is a minister in another main-line church. Just because the right-wing fundies are louder, claim to speak for all Christians, and get more press, doesn't mean that they are in the majority. Haven't you ever heard of the National Council of Churches? Thirty-six different denominations and 140,000 different congregations. Considering that these congregations range from a few dozen to several thousand people each, that counts up to a lot of people. Check their web site and get a clue as to their viewpoint. There is the majority of American Christians, and there're getting a little fed up with the fundies claiming to speak for all Christians and with Bush implying that he has a mandate from the Almighty.

And as far as treading the road toward fascism, of course there are differences between the way we are headed and the way Germany went. You don't have to follow exactly the same route to get to the same destination. History never repeats exactly, and to insist that it has to or a predicted outcome won't occur is to have your head in the sand and your butt highly vulnerable.

And another thing: not all flavors of fascism are the same. There were substantial differences between Naziism (which was a specific variation of fascism) and Italian Fascism. Just because someone is not wearing a swastika armband doesn't mean he isn't a fascist. And just because someone doesn't consider himself to be a fascist doesn't necessarily mean that he isn't one!

Don Firth.