Information Control

The first step toward dictatorship is information control.

Think about it. Historically, fascist movements harassed newspapers that disagreed with them, and when in power shut down opposition media. In other countries, governments own broadcast media, thus ensuring control of the message.

Currently, in Mexico and Colombia, drug cartels kidnap and kill journalists who report on their illegal activities.

In America, politicians berate and insult reporters who ask questions that are not "on message." And when they are in office, they use government resources to harass them in efforts to get favorable coverage. Examples: The Nixon Administration put the FBI on the trail of Woodward and Bernstein to uncover information to use against them, and threatened to lift the TV broadcast license of the Washington Post. And, of course, there was the infamous "enemies list." Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey has called a reporter "stupid" in response to a question that was not on Christie's agenda that day. And Congressman Joe Walsh of Illinois loudly berates those who disagree with him.

Is such behavior peculiar to Republicans? No. Lyndon Johnson, when in the Senate, provided Walter Cronkite a list of questions that he expected panelists on a TV interview program to ask. Cronkite refused. And the first question put to LBJ was one that the senator least wanted to deal with. Result: A very dull interview with a very angry Texan.

Even so, there seem to be more examples of Republicans damning those in what they call the "media elite" for asking questions that are not consistent with their "message."

Which leads to this thought: There is more danger to freedom from the radical right than from the liberal left.

Consider the examples of Argentina under Peron and Spain under Franco. Or others. Consider also these books: 1984, It Can't Happen Here, and The Plot To Seize The White House, a factual account of an effort to oust FDR and take over the government.

Can't happen here, you say? On the contrary, it can. And very nearly did.

Think about it.