Cole writes: "What looks like a democracy is really an authoritarian state ruling on its own behalf and that of 2000 corporations, databasing the activities of 312 million innocent citizens and actively helping destroy the planet."

Juan Cole; public intellectual, prominent blogger, essayist and professor of history. (photo: Informed Comment)

How to Create a Dictatorship

By Juan Cole, Informed Comment

19 August 13

ow to turn a democracy into a STASI authoritarian state in 10 easy steps:

Misuse the concept of a Top Secret government document (say, the date of D-Day) and extend classification to trillions of mundane documents a year.

Classify all government crimes and violations of the Constitution as secret

Create a class of 4.5 million privileged individuals, many of them corporate employees, with access to classified documents but allege it is illegal for public to see leaked classified documents

Spy on the public in violation of the Constitution

Classify environmental activists as terrorists while allowing Big Coal and Big Oil to pollute and destroy the planet

Share info gained from NSA spying on public with DEA, FBI, local law enforcement to protect pharmaceuticals & liquor industry from competition from pot, or to protect polluters from activists

Falsify to judges and defense attorneys how allegedly incriminating info was discovered

Lie and deny to Congress you are spying on the public.

Criminalize the revelation of government crimes and spying as Espionage

Further criminalize whistleblowing as "Terrorism", have compradors arrest innocent people, detain them, and confiscate personal effects with no cause or warrant (i.e. David Miranda, partner of Glenn Greenwald)

Presto, what looks like a democracy is really an authoritarian state ruling on its own behalf and that of 2000 corporations, databasing the activities of 312 million innocent citizens and actively helping destroy the planet while forestalling climate activism

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+45 # ER444 2013-09-05 13:42

Imagine what the world would say to MEGA camps with food and doctors set up in all of the border regions of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon Jordan AND Israel. Let Syria literally bleed dry and show Assad what his population really thinks of him as they leave. Each and every missle cost many millions of dollars that could be spent showing the how humane the USA is. The money is there for war, why not for peace. Take the billions and do the right thing!!!

+18 # DaveM 2013-09-05 21:54

An interesting idea indeed. I suppose the only problem would lie in getting the other nations to cooperate, knowing they will likely be attacked by loyalists once the "bleed" reaches a certain point. But you're quite right....people would undoubtedly vote with their feet. And I would bet that we can build and supply housing for thousands for the cost of a single cruise missile.

+8 # Activista 2013-09-05 23:36

www.globalresearch.ca/report-on-syria-nobel-peace-laureate-mairead-maguire-the-syrian-state-is-under-a-proxy-war-led-by-foreign-countries/5336569
what Syria population thinks of US supported rebels (rape, murder, terrorism) - they are NOT fleeing Assad!

+2 # MJnevetS 2013-09-06 12:01

Did you read the article? Here is the quote regarding who is funding the rebels
"the Syrian State and its population are under a proxy war led by foreign countries and directly financed and backed mainly by Qatar who has imposed its views on the Arab League." It is the "Qatar supported rebels".

+1 # jwb110 2013-09-06 14:24

Quoting MJnevetS:

Did you read the article? Here is the quote regarding who is funding the rebels
"the Syrian State and its population are under a proxy war led by foreign countries and directly financed and backed mainly by Qatar who has imposed its views on the Arab League." It is the "Qatar supported rebels".

Qatar can finance the war then let then finish it with their own trouos and money!

+3 # rossignol 2013-09-06 14:03

Let Syria literally bleed dry and show Assad what his population really thinks of him as they leave. Each and every missle cost many millions of dollars that could be spent showing the how humane the USA is. The money is there for war, why not for peace. Take the billions and do the right thing!!!

Where do you get your information?Fro m CNN?How do you know which Syrians and what do they think about Bashar Assad?Without a sizable support of population his army would by now desintegrate, given the political,organ isational and arms supplies support of the U.S.to the rebels from the very beginning..The refugees run from danger to their families and probably from the rebels more than Assad,otherwise they could have done that for years... And these rebels take no prisoners, just 've seen a summary execution of group of young gov't soldiers by rebels and that is a real terror in my book. And why is U.S.spending those millions for war, you think? Would't making no missiles show how human the USA is, better? I find the idea rather naive and silly than interresting, no thumb up from me.

+24 # Activista 2013-09-05 15:56

+26 # Kwelinyingi 2013-09-05 16:58

Sounds like Gaddafi's Libya, doesn't it? Now that country has descended into total chaos, with no end in sight riddles with roaming militias and tribal bloodletting. Do Iraq and Afghanistan also sound familiar? The crimes being committed in our name are without parallel, just like our impotence. Syria and Iran are next, coming to a theater near you.

-43 # The Voice of Reason 2013-09-05 20:04

The Muslims are suffering because they rejected their Lord, imprisoned Him, banished Him, and in 1850, murdered His Herald in full view of a wayward and complicit public. This is the result, and it will only get worse so long as the Teachings of Baha'u'llah are ignored and deliberately withheld from a sorely tried humanity.

Do you have an answer that doesn't involve killing and prejudice?

"O ye leaders of religion in Persia! Who is the man amongst you that can rival Me in vision or insight? Where is he to be found that dareth to claim to be My equal in utterance or wisdom? No, by My Lord, the All-Merciful! All on the earth shall pass away; and this is the face of your Lord, the Almighty, the Well-Beloved."

+6 # Phlippinout 2013-09-06 08:49

What does Santa say?

+14 # Activista 2013-09-05 15:57

+9 # RMDC 2013-09-06 06:12

Activista -- thanks for this. I don't think many people understand that the US invaded Afghanistan to eliminate the terrorist camps that were there (i.e., the US created them in the first place), but instead has created terrorist training camps all over the Muslim world. the US now has probably 100,000 of these really savage mercenaries or soldiers of fortune who can be sent anywhere to create total hell.

the US is sending them into Africa, as another article on RSN shows. the US recruits insane young men who love fighting, killing, raping and all the rest.

The US learned this technique of using soldiers of fortune in Afghanistan and Latin America in the 80s and has never stopped. Now it is unstoppable. Assad is only the latest government to try to stop them. And the US will now bomb him.

+13 # Rita Walpole Ague 2013-09-05 18:35

"...government and media hype..." Hits that ugly nail right on its head. And, so does the logo that popped into my head a few days ago... NObama Syria !

-16 # The Voice of Reason 2013-09-05 20:09

So now the dums are beating the chemical weapons war dance drums. Isn't that what Bush said and the dums rose up against him? Wow, how soon they overlook and ignore.

If you ask me, Iran did it both times to Sadam and now to Syria, and is just spoiling for a fight. These are evil people. Their own prophecies condemn them: "A day will come on My people when nothing will remain of Islam but the name ... the religious doctors of that day will be the most evil on the earth. They will be the cause of the downfall of the human race, and everyone will hate them for it."

Go ahead, side with them. Don't say you haven't been warned. When you pick up a snake by the tail, you are going to get bitten. The plague of murder has corrupted even America. We must stop the killing. Anyone have a plan, other than 'support my side' ?

-3 # Susan1989 2013-09-06 04:15

I fuly agree...

+9 # Activista 2013-09-05 20:10

+25 # treadlightly 2013-09-05 21:43

Reading the transcripts from John Kerry speaking is bringing me to the conclusion that he really is not intelligent enough to be in the discussion. Much less acting as an advisor.

+15 # mickeynow 2013-09-06 00:35

In the footsteps of Colin Powell.

+3 # 666 2013-09-07 06:16

They should have reported the full Kerry quote:

"You know, the first time I testified before this committee when I was 27 years old, I had feelings very similar to that protester, but then I became a grovelling whore to the military industrial complex. Now I accept why my masters tell me we must kill innocents and disregard US and international law."

+13 # tedrey 2013-09-06 04:18

Agreed.

"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force -- if necessary -- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." -- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002

"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real..." -- Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003

Kerry has learned nothing in ten years, not even how to lie persuasively.

+15 # lourdmar 2013-09-05 22:36

It seems to me Killing to stop the Killing is lunacy. There must be a better way and it's worth finding it.

+7 # Activista 2013-09-05 23:31

Did not experience anything so sickening in my long life as this war propaganda from Tel Aviv, and US government/cong ress going against Americans - switching focus on war from Syria to Iran.
This is much WORSE than Bush Iraq ..
'US intercepts Iranian order to attack American interests in response to Syria strike'
Jerusalem Post ?- 1 hour ago
Iran has ordered militants in Iraq to attack US interests in Baghdad should the US carry out military strikes in Syria, the Wall Street Journal ...
www.juancole.com/2012/02/ring-of-iranian-bases-threatens-us.html
watch how Syria bombing escalates into Iran bombing. Why most of the US military bases in Afghanistan are on Iranian border? Obama/Kerry rhetoric is switching from Syria to Iran.

+9 # marigayl 2013-09-05 23:49

The belief in heaven sure suckers a lot of people into dying prematurely. Let's all emulate Medea and lay in on the line for life on earth.

+7 # Helen 2013-09-06 00:26

Medea, I appreciate that you have the courage to speak the truth and offer sensible solutions to the Syrian problem. I also understand that the terrible droughts in Syria did a lot of harm which fed increased political disruptions there. Instead of waging a war that would just make things worse for their people and ours, we should attack our human society's real enemy, global warming, and we should pursue a more rapid transition into using clean sources of energy instead of the fossil fuels that have already caused increasingly severe droughts and hurricanes worldwide.

+2 # 6thextinction 2013-09-07 10:41

Thank you for pointing out the real danger that awaits us, and especially our descendants in a particularly horrific way. Not only have fossil fuels caused global warming, they are the reason for most of our wars, and the silencing of our media on our true threat.

+1 # 6thextinction 2013-09-07 10:52

Thank you for pointing out the threat which is greatest to all of us, and particularly our descendants, who will experience a hell we can't imagine These wars over fossil fuels will be our government's legacy, enabled by a corrupted media who will not inform us.

+12 # mighead 2013-09-06 04:04

I totally understand that Obama wants to stop the chemical attacks. According to Nobel Peace Prize Winner Mairead Mcquire the UN observers have determined that the sarin gas attacks came from the rebels - not the government. So by Obama's logic, any action against chemical weapons needs to be against the rebels and not the government.

In calling for strikes against chemical weapons, I don't understand why Kerry hasn't mentioned the UN findings?

Is Maguire lying? or hasn't Kerry gotten them yet?

http://www.globalresearch.ca/report-on-syria-nobel-peace-laureate-mairead-maguire-the-syrian-state-is-under-a-proxy-war-led-by-foreign-countries/5336569

+9 # Vern Radul 2013-09-06 05:57

Colin Powell was a much better liar than Kerry. I think at least a half dozen people believed him. Maybe even a dozen.

But kerry? Not so much...

+8 # walt 2013-09-06 06:05

In the matter of Iraq and now the possible attack on Syria, the same players are in the game again- the neocon lobby.

Why is the USA constantly pressured to use its military might in the middle east. A few months back we saw ourselves being again pressured for an attack on Iran. Now the same applies to Syria. And the big question: what do we have to gain?

It's all about the lobby that feels free to use the USA. Time for serious look at that. Americans are tired of war and losing family members and tax dollars for wars that are not defense of the USA or of benefit to our own needs.

+7 # MidwesTom 2013-09-06 06:11

This President has setup many Democrats for defeat in 2014, by asking them to support him; while the Republicans, with a few major exceptions, are opposed to the war. This is not CHANGE that I expected.

-5 # cwbystache 2013-09-06 06:38

But ... this is a Republic, not a Democracy. We elect them to make decisions for us, not to enforce our personal views--this is why it's crucial to choose them wisely and let them go to it.

+2 # cwbystache 2013-09-06 14:48

hmmmm ... is what I said untrue? or are the negs because I pointed out that choosing Obama wasn't choosing wisely? Guess ya coulda voted Green Party in the last two elections, like I did ...

+8 # Vern Radul 2013-09-06 06:39

"Don't worry -- this war won't be another Syria."
-- Whoever's president in 2023

https://www.facebook.com/andyborowitz/posts/10151862124065681

+11 # tanis 2013-09-06 08:45

thank you medea benjamin, your sanity is always refreshing.

+6 # Bev 2013-09-06 10:05

And if our so-called Representatives override the Voices of those they represent, then we no longer have any shred of freedom and are indeed slaves. The last glimmer of hope is gone for many of those in bondage in the the rest of the world.

0 # davidh7426 2013-09-06 10:33

I may be wrong in this, but, I think Pres. Obama may be about to go for a hat trick in record setting department...

1 - Americas FIRST black president.
2 - Possibly the first sitting president to be indited for war crimes (?)
3 - The first president to make the American nation an international pariah state.

There's probably more, but I can't think of them.

+3 # hardtraveling 2013-09-06 12:03

On this morning's Democracy Now! a reporter from the Wall Street Journal told about how the CIA, working with Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia, set up a base in Jordan about two years ago and has been training mercenaries from many parts of the world, supplying them with arms and sending them into Syria to fight against Assad. Many of the so-called rebels are not Syrians at all but are from other countries and include elements alligned with al-Qaeda. The majority of the people of Syria are not opposed to the Assad regime, but have been fleeing the country (as Activista points out, too)because of the violence and chaos created by the rebel groups who are trained, financed and armed by the CIA and the Saudis. It is no longer a civil war in Syria, but has become a war by proxy to overthrow Assad and then turn the attack onto Iran. The Administration' s plan to bomb Syria is simply the latest and perhaps most desperate maneuver - using the cover of falsified intelligence about chemical weapons - to aid the rebels, who have been distintegrating both politically and militarily. I hope fervently that the majority of the American people will remain steadfast in their opposition to this reckless and dangerous rush towards war and that Congress will listen to the will of the people this time around.

+1 # mdhome 2013-09-08 14:00

Congress does not represent the american public, but the moneyed interests in the MIC as they are the ones that bought them the votes. Money is the root of all evil in politics. Overturn "Citizens United".

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