“When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.”

Sinclair Lewis

I’ve known this quote for quite a while but I always resisted using it in my blog, because I’d like to avoid using loaded words. But since the Right has bend the rules of the game so much that they have no shame comparing Obama to a Nazi – I had to come down from my high horse and get into dirty combat. I’m a small time crook. My profits are modest, my aspirations – laughable. Every day I have to coexist with a number of suckers and sometimes on a bad day when my guard is down I become a sucker myself. My poker winnings are in direct proportion to the number of fish at the table. My trading profits depend on the herd mentality of other players. I used to be upset when someone makes a stupid play and beat me with one-outer at the poker table or when everyone is buying when in my opinion they should be selling, but I got over it. Instead I learned to embrace it. Now I congratulate and cheer and encourage stupid behavior among my fellow players. I make sure to say ‘Nice hand’ or ‘Well done’ to a sucker to promote incorrect play. Why fight it if you can take advantage of it?

Well, folks, unfortunately, this country is one big poker table, where, I’m afraid, the number of suckers may soon cross the critical mass. It’s ok when they rely on luck or Jesus to play poker, but I think they will want me to play in the same manner.

This weekend I was having a nice slow breakfast at my beach condo in AC. I can’t afford a cable these days so my TV was tuned to c-span, because you know what a political junkie I am. C-span was covering Glenn Beck rally in Washington DC, that was coincidentally (or conveniently?) on the anniversary of MLK’s I Have A Dream speech. I almost choked on my morning coffee when I witnessed a virtuoso brainwashing session of a professional slimeball. It would have been entertaining if it wasn’t so dangerous. Beck is playing with fire and is fully aware of what he’s doing. I don’t even think he’s that religious despite the fact that the major agenda of his rally is “returning America back to God”. Glenn Beck is an opportunist, a big time crook with delusions of an even bigger grandeur who’s doing what he’s doing simply because he can. Any televangelist can only dream about such bully pulpit and the size and the fidelity of the congregation. But now I have to give him credit – his skills, I’m afraid, surpassed those of a noted scumbag Karl Rove. Let me explain. Karl Rove, you see, was way too smart to rile up the crowd, he spoke in fancy words, he micromanaged things, he was too attentive to details, he lacked a common touch. He needed a vehicle, someone like Bush. Beck, on the other hand, speaks in slogans that are smartly constructed in a way that anyone who hears them can relate to them and insert their own grievances. For example, he claims that we have to ‘reclaim the civil rights movement’. Sure, who can disagree with that, is there anybody out there who is against civil rights? The key word here is ‘reclaim’ because, you know, it’s been taken away by a black man in a White House. Or ‘Restoring Honor’. What does that even mean? But it gives any individual a chance to attach his own grievances to ‘restoring honor’. Obama is a Muslim? We’re moving towards Socialism? Need I mention that those innuendoes are thrown indiscriminately on Fox News in general and on Glenn Beck show in particular? It’s brilliant – Beck stokes up fears among the suckers and then promises to deliver them from that. If only you listen to him. The same way he drives up public fears during financial crisis while at the same time peddling gold coins to frightened populace. Glenn Beck drives up the price of gold
Where else can you get a business model like this?

But this is not what prompted me to give him credit. This kind of business is befitting a Fox News spawn. Nothing surprising here. What can be described as a teaching moment for a timid Left, he invited Black gospel singers to his rally. And they came, and they sang! You know, it’s perfect – it’s MLK speech anniversary, his niece is there, speaking as if she owns her uncle’s legacy (she seemed to be obsessed with wombs, for some reason, she dedicated half of her speech to that). Maybe it’s good MLK didn’t live to see this travesty of his legacy. But I digress. The sheer gall of Beck’s move is breathtaking. If you want to put what he pulled into perspective – imagine liberals getting ZZ Top or Ted Nugent singing at Obama rally. How’s that for out of the box thinking? What balls!

I question Beck’s motives for this rally the same way he’s questioning Obama’s sincerity when Obama, for the nth time proclaims to be a Christian. Poor Obama would like to avoid dealing with this ridiculous made up issues, but it comes with the job, unfortunately. Beck wasn’t even that believable during his speech, he didn’t seem to believe what he was saying himself, he overplayed – with gestures, facial expressions, tears. When someone is trying too hard to look natural – it looks unnatural. He’s a bad actor, or speaking my language – bad poker player. His true agenda is showing – fleecing the gullible under the guise of religion, with a possible kicker of becoming a messiah.

So, to my own detriment, I implore everybody not to be suckers. If the cost of the country avoiding corporate theocracy is my losing in poker – I’ll take it. If everybody counts the odds and thinks for themselves the likes of Glenn Beck would be deprived of oxygen.

This is a gem that I found – an anti-fascist short film produced by US military from 1947. Sadly, it’s still relevant today as it was in 1940s. Please don’t be suckers!