The USA isn't YET a fully accomplished state of fascism, Jack, it's far from it, and I haven't said that it is. I have said that it is constantly in danger of moving closer toward a fascist state, because most of the underlying tendencies that bring about a fascist system are very strong already in the USA.

Study again the "Fourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism" in the earlier post, and you will see what I mean.

It's a standard unscupulous debating technique to stretch the other person's argument to the farthest extreme possible, pretend that that extreme postion is what the other person is saying, and discredit what he's saying on that basis. Erect a straw man, in other words.

That is what you and Don T. appear to be doing in regards to my argument, because...

I have NOT said that Harper is a dictator. He isn't. He's a neo-conservative operating in a democratic system.

Nor have I said that the USA is presently a fully-fledged fascist authoritarian state. It isn't.

I have simply said that the USA is in considerable danger of moving toward becoming a fascist system and already exhibits a great many symptoms of a system moving in such a direction. If you study the "Fourteen Points" alluded to above dispassionately, you will see that I am correct in that respect.

You can still say what you want because it isn't there YET. And it may never be.

I can still say what I want because Harper isn't a dictator yet either. And probably never will be.

Hopefully, things will go on that way, and we will continue being able to say what we want.

Now, take Red China, our beloved ally and trading partner...that IS an authoritarian state, and you bloody well CAN'T say what you want there if it's something the government doesn't like. They'll arrest you and imprison you, and maybe shoot you. Be glad that you and I were not born and are not living in China, because our freedom to say what we want without consequences would be over.