The Return of Fascism Under the Banner of the U.S.

Stephen Lendman was born in 1934 in Boston. He is a writer, syndicated columnist, activist, News TV personality, and radio show host. He currently writes for MoneyNewsNow.com and VeteransToday.com and hosts, since 2007, a progressive radio show at The Progressive Radio News Hour on The. What follows is the full text of the interview with him:

US Viewer: As you know, U.S. President Barack Obama announced plans to limit sweeping U.S. government surveillance programs and vowed NSA reforms amid surveillance concerns. What‘s your opinion about this decision?

Lendman: In mid-July, former President Jimmy Carter expressed grave concerns about NSA spying. It has no place in free societies. "America does not at the moment have a functioning democracy," he said. He's pessimistic about global affairs. There's "no reason to be optimistic," he added. America's more police state than democracy. Huey Long once said fascism will arrive "wrapped in an American flag." In "Friendly Fascism," Bertram Gross (1912 - 1997) called Ronald Reagan its prototype ruler. Gross didn't know Obama. He represents the worst of rogue governance. He advances America's imperium. He heads its police state apparatus. He's waging war on humanity. He's doing it abroad and at home. 

     He puts a smiling face on repression. He's hardline. He's ruthless. He's done what supporters thought impossible. He exceeds the worst of George Bush. He says one thing. He does another. He demands it. His promises ring hollow. He broke every major one made. He's a serial liar. He's a moral coward. On August 9, he defended the indefensible. He did so disingenuously. He deplores transparency and reforms. He claimed otherwise. He lied saying so. He paid lip service to policies he won't change. He hardened them on his watch.

    A disingenuous White House press release headlined "Background on the President's Statement on Reforms to NSA Programs," saying: "President Obama believes that there should be increased transparency and reforms in our intelligence programs in order to give the public confidence that these programs have strong oversight and clear protections against abuse." ­That is what he has pursued as President, and today he is announcing several initiatives that will move that effort forward."

    "Since the disclosures were first made, the President has held a series of meetings with Intelligence Community leaders, during which he has emphasized the importance of transparency and openness and directed IC leadership to press forward with declassification of relevant materials, to the maximum extent possible, without undermining national security." "Already, the Administration has declassified unprecedented information about the activities of the National Security Agency (NSA)." "On July 31, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) made public three documents dealing with the Section 215 program."

"Most recently, the President met with a group of leaders from the private sector, civil society and academia yesterday at the White House to discuss a range of privacy issues." "Today, the President directed his Administration to work with Congress to pursue appropriate reforms to our nation's surveillance programs and the court that oversees them. Specifically, he laid out four steps his Administration will take:

(1) The Administration will work with Congress to pursue appropriate reforms to Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act.  For example, steps could be taken to put in place greater oversight, transparency, and constraints on the use of this authority.

(2) The Administration will work with Congress to improve the public’s confidence in the oversight conducted by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC).  

(3) The President directed the Intelligence Community to make public as much information about these programs as possible. The Intelligence Community is creating a website that will serve as a hub for further transparency. This will give Americans - and the world - the ability to learn more about what our intelligence community does; how it does it; and why.

(4) The President called for a high-level group of outside experts to review our intelligence and communications technologies.  The President is tasking this group to step back and review our capabilities - particularly our surveillance technologies. 

    They will consider how we can maintain the public’s trust, and how this surveillance impacts our foreign policy - particularly in an age when more and more information is becoming public. They will provide an interim report in 60 days, and a final report by the end of this year, so that we can move forward with a better understanding of how these programs impact our security, our privacy, and our foreign policy."

 It bears repeating. Obama's promises ring hollow. He pledges one thing. He does another. He does so repeatedly. He does it consistently. Rogue leaders govern that way. Obama exceeds the worst of all his predecessors. He targets freedom for destruction. He's heading America for full-blown tyranny. He menaces humanity. He threatens its survival.

US Viewer: There are individual countries named in Edward Snowden’s reports such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as well as US allies like Germany, Britain, France, Italy, and Spain that have been spied. How do you see the combination of these countries?

 Lendman:  It assures business as usual continuity. Obama-style reform is none at all. NSA works cooperatively with Western spy agencies. At the same time, it conducts espionage. Doing so has nothing to do with security issues. It's not about foiling terror plots. It's for economic advantage. It's to be one up on foreign competitors. It's for information used advantageously in trade, political, and military relations.

China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, and other independent countries are targeted. They're surveilled. They hacked. At issue is stealing state secrets. It's about undermining their influence. It's perhaps about waging eventual war. America's an out-of-control rogue state. It makes more enemies than friends. It's influence is waning. All previous empires met the same fate. Hubris, overreach, overspending, and belligerence undid them. America's no exception. It's doomed like all others before them. It's just a matter of time.

US Viewer: Thank you for taking the time to interview with US Viewer.