Fascism, Authoritarianism And Dictatorships - Defined And Illustrated.

 

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University.

She knows a dictator when she sees one, and she explains what fascism is, with specific historical and contemporary examples, in the excellent question and answer video, above.

Ms. Ben-Ghiat also has a really good substack/blog.

Here is a bit from a recent post:

...Trump has worked hard for a decade now to encourage moral collapse among Americans. In 2016, two months after he boasted, "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?" Trump raised the issue of changing collective behavior to favor violence and cruelty. "Part of the problem...is nobody wants to hurt each other anymore," he said when security guards treated protesters at a campaign rally too politely for his tastes.

The strongman’s goal is always to make his collaborators descend to his level, and Trump realized that “giving permission” to Republicans to be their worse selves was key to his domestication of the party. He made Republican elites complicit in his criminal efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and then shocked them into submission on Jan. 6 by targeting them for physical harm...

Her stuff is very well worth a follow and I will get it, and a number of other new blogs/sources up on the crawl soon - it's just a bit of a pain these days as I have to dig into the creaky old blogger code to do it.

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Green(land) Eggs And Ham?

WouldYouLikeThemHereOr

ThereVille


Given its demise many times over since January 20th, it is not entirely clear if the following, from Reuters, illustrates the resuscitation of irony:

The United States has asked Denmark and other European nations if they can export eggs as Americans face surging egg prices, the Nordic country’s egg association said on Friday.

The request from the US Department of Agriculture coincides with a raft of new US tariffs on countries, including in Europe, and the threat of more.

Donald Trump has also threatened economic sanctions unless Denmark hands over control of Greenland to the US, and said this week that he thought the US would eventually annex it – despite its status as an autonomous territory of Denmark, a member of the European Union...

It is also not clear if the current crop of US'ian Sam-I-Ams are planning to pummel the Danes with a ham-fisted reciprocal tariff on pork.

Or some such thing.




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Waste, Fraud And Abuse...In Canada?

OneCountry'sSubsidy
IsAnotherCEO'sLifebloodVille


On Friday January 10th of this year, the Federal government of Canada announced that the subsidy or 'incentives' for zero emission vehicle (iZEV) purchases were going to end when the remaining $72 million ran out at the end of March of this year, whichever came first:

...The iZEV Program was scheduled to pause on March 31, 2025, or once all the available funding has been accessed by Canadians.  Canadians will benefit from incentives until Program funds are exhausted...

So.

Guess what happened over the weekend that followed?

Marco Chown Ovid of the Toronto Star has that story:

...(A) single Tesla dealership in Quebec City claimed nearly $20 million in public subsidies by saying it sold more than 4,000 electric vehicles over a single weekend...

{snip}

...Four Tesla dealerships stand out for their timely salesmanship — two in Toronto, one in Vancouver and one in Quebec City. They went from selling several dozen cars per day to as many as 2,500 electric vehicles on the Saturday before the public funding ran dry, according to the data.

Together, the four Tesla dealerships declared sales of 8,600 EVs and were able to claim more than $43 million in rebates over the weekend of Jan. 10-12 — gobbling up more than half of the $71.8 million in program funding that had been remaining on Friday morning.

By Monday, the government informed all dealerships nationwide that its funds had been exhausted and the iZEV rebate program was over....

Imagine that!


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The link to the Transport Canada statistics that the Star used to generate the graph at the top of the post is...Here.

Please note: This is not the same as the BC government's recent decision to stop subsidies for installing Tesla chargers.

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My Morning Ride...Spring Is Springing.

GigTimeForTheBlossoms
NoFlyersRequiredVille


Forget all that Christmas stuff.

Because...

This really is the most wonderful time of the year.

And, besides, we're on our way to summer!


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Subheader?...That's an old saying between me and Bigger E as first exemplified by the wit and wisdom of Mike Watt, as in: "There are gigs and there are flyers and everything that aint a gig, that’s a flyer to get people to the gig."...


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Real Waste, Fraud And Abuse?

CreditWhereCredit

MayNotAlwaysBeDueVille


The following is a description of what Mr. Musk's faux war US'ian government programs looks like on the ground in a purple(ish) state:

The State Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services received a letter from the United States Department of Agriculture earlier this month stating it will no longer receive funding for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program. The nonprofit Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina is one of seven food banks that receives funding through federal programs like this one.

“Our portion of that would have been $2 million,” said Amy Beros, the nonprofit’s CEO. “But statewide, it's an $11 million impact for the food banks across North Carolina.

She said the $2 million in federal funds the nonprofit would have received would go directly to farmers for the purchase of fresh food that’s then distributed across the 34 counties they serve...

Now.

The following is a description of how much money Mr. Musk's car company has made on the basis of a government program that makes it possible for legacy car companies to keep on pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere:

...The electric automaker earned $10.7 billion from selling credits created by government climate programs — a total that accounted for a third of Tesla’s profits over the last decade, according to an analysis of securities filings by POLITICO’s E&E News. In the first nine months of 2024, some 43 percent of its net income came from those credits, which Tesla sold to rival carmakers after exceeding climate mandates in California and elsewhere...

So.

Which one is a description of real waste, fraud and abuse?


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Back in the before times (i.e. during the last US'ian presidential campaign), I tried to figure out why Mr. Trump had such a massive hate-on for electric vehicles, which was somewhat surprising given the fact that Mr. Musk had become his biggest financial backer...In the end I decided it was just red meat for the base...But consider this - How profitable will Tesla be if Mr. Trump doesn't keep the legacy American car companies producing gas guzzlers that require them to keep sending billions Mr. Musk's way?

And then, of course, there is the elephant in Mr. Musk's government regulatory room...Subsidies.

Link to the chart at the top of the post is...Here.


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Go Read Jody Paterson's Latest Right Now...

 

She's got an idea about how to move things forward and change the public's view of the toxic drug epidemic.

And it's a good one.

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HST Friday's....The Final Sin.

AtThe

HelmVille


The Docktor:

"In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity."

Hunter Thompson, Fear And Loathing, The First Part, 1971.

****

The Reality:

A radical makeover at the US department of justice has seen key drives to fight corruption hamstrung in ways that could benefit US businesses operating abroad and foreign kleptocrats, including some Russian oligarchs...

{snip}

 ...(New US'ian Attorney General Pam) Bondi moved fast on her first day to issue a directive ending “Task Force KleptoCapture”, which had targeted Russian oligarchs with Kremlin links since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with some notable results.

Last year, the department announced the taskforce had charged more than 70 individuals for “violating international sanctions and export controls levied against Russia”, and some, such as Russian oil and metals multibillionaire Viktor Vekselberg, had their yachts seized...

 Peter Stone, The Guardian, March 10, 2015

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Image at the top of the post?...Thompson on the trail of big fish, cardiovascular nirvana and Lono, circa 1981.


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Nice Fingerprints You Got There...

...It Sure Would Be A Shame If We Didn't 'Document' Them.

From the Bloomberg news organ thingy:

President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing a new travel rule that could force Canadians planning to stay in the country for more than 30 days to register their information with the US government and submit to fingerprinting.

The draft rule, which is set to take effect April 11, expands requirements for registration and fingerprinting of foreign nationals who cross the US-Canada land border and stay in the US longer for more than a month. Affected people would have to create an account with US Citizenship and Immigration Services and schedule an appointment for fingerprinting as part of a background check....


Can't lie...

Am starting to re-think upcoming vacation plans with our very good, and distinctly left-leaning, US'ian friends south of the 49th this summer.

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Does The Opportunist Have Her Foot In Carney's Door?

WillTheWordSaladSpin
AgainVille

From Shannon Paterson of CTV:

When Justin Trudeau announced he would step down as Liberal Leader, former B.C. premier Christy Clark seriously considered throwing her hat in the ring for the federal leadership race.

It was her lack of fluency in French that ultimately led her to bow out, and Mark Carney won the vote in a landslide.

With a new leader in place, Clark is now considering running as a federal Liberal in B.C. in the next election.

“I really believe in this party,” said Clark.

“I believe in Mark Carney, and I believe in what we need to do to grow our country’s economy and lessen our dependance on the United States. So I am seriously thinking about running in this election to support the Liberal Party.”...

Given the cageyness of Ms. Clark so far, and the fact that Marky Mark is not yet crowing at the break of dawn, it would appear that the deal for something bigger than a back bench slot has not yet been done.


But still...


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To be clear, however, MM was present at the Liberal vote thingy doing his thing, so there's that...
Evan Scrimshaw thinks that this would be a good development re: a big tent for Carney....I'm not sure the pragmatic Mr. Scrimshaw understands the massive holes this particular pole would poke in the left coast portion of said tent's big top...


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HST Fridays...Is The Upwardly Mobile Hog Now In The Tunnel?

WhenTheGoingGetsTough

TheSwineBeginToScatterVille



That was then:

...In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are f*cked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely...

Hunter Thompson, The Great Shark Hunt, 1979 (but first written in 1971)

****

This is now:

Elon Musk is telling Republican lawmakers in private meetings that he is not to blame for the mass firings of federal workers that are causing uproar across the country, while Donald Trump reportedly told his cabinet secretaries on Thursday that they are ultimately in charge of hiring and firings at their agencies – not billionaire aide Musk...

The Guardian, March 6, 2025

That is all.

At least for the moment.

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Image at the top of the post is from longtime HST collaborator Ralph Steadman's illustrated version of Orwell's book about animals on, presumably, a non-tariff laden farm.




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You Have Not Read This One Here Before, But...

NoMorePucks

ToGiveVille


You have not read this one here before*, but good for Mr. Trudeau.

Why?

Because, in the wake of Donald Trump's latest announcement that he will delay the imposition of some his tariffs, Trudeau has responded thusly, as reported by JP Tasker of the CBC:

...Speaking to reporters at a news conference earlier Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada will hold firm and push ahead with retaliatory tariffs and other measures until Trump backs off entirely.

"Our goal is to get all tariffs removed," he said...

Put another way, sovereignty matters when it comes to standing up to transnational bullies.

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*At least not recently.



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HST Fridays...That Was Then, This Is Now.

WhenTheGoingGetsWeird
TheWeirdTurnProPutinVille


The then, on the eve of the US'ian invasion of Iraq in 2003:

We're the Nazis in this game, and I don't like it. I'm embarrassed and I'm pissed off. Yeah. I mean to say something and I think a lot of people in this country agree with me.'

Hunter S. Thompson, January 2003
Interview with Mary Suma, KDNK Radio, Roaring Fork Colorado
Reprinted In Text Form In: Ancient Gonzo Wisdom by Anita Thompson

****

The now, courtesy OG Iraq anti-war blogger Digby:

Not in a good way, indeed.

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Local Lotuslandian Stuff...

NotAllOfOurBorderIsOnA

ParallelLineVille

A couple of good pieces in The Tyee the last couple of days...

First, Andrew Macleod wrote about how BC Premier David Eby is thinking of slapping tariffs on US'ian coal that is being shipped overseas from Roberts Bank after it arrives there by rail.

 

Interestingly, the coal from Montana and Wyoming only transits through Lotusland because American west coast ports won't touch it. 

Doubly interestingly, Eby's plan, which would need support from the Feds, appears to have evolved from an original idea of applying the carbon tax to the shipments from... wait for it...John Rustad. 

Triply interestingly, Eby appears to have at least of kinda/sorta acknowledged that Rustad's idea was a decent one. Imagine that!

****

Second. Jenn St. Dennis wrote about how an astroturf group front by home grown tech grifters wants to set up a DOGE-type deal in Canada:

In Canada, a group of tech CEOs has come up with a political public relations effort called Build Canada...

{snip}

 ...So far, Build Canada’s website offers a series of short policy statements calling for 110,000 jobs to be cut from the federal public service over four years, AI to be used in government services, interprovincial trade barriers to come down and the federal government to step in to compel provinces and municipalities to allow autonomous vehicles and delivery robots. There are also calls for immigration for humanitarian reasons to be sharply curtailed in favour of higher-income and highly skilled immigrants, and to fund content creators to tell inspiring stories about Canada...

 {snippety}

...But Build Canada is connected to another website called Canada Spends that looks a lot like the DOGE.gov website...

{snippety doo-dah}

...Just like the DOGE website, Canada Spends offers a series of boxes containing random information about government spending; and like DOGE.gov, clicking on the box takes you to a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that (Elon) Musk bought in 2022...

It is the kind of thing that, until recently, would have been viewed as laughable by 99% of Canadians.

Now, with the algorithmic outrage engines fully engaged in all of the social media boiler rooms in all of our worlds, that may no longer be the case.



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That Other Thing Mr. Navarro Allegedly Said.

We'reNotPlaying
CardsVille


Peter Navarro is an economist who pushed hydroxychloroquine as a COVID cure while he was a trade advisor during Trump I. He then worked to overturn the 2020 US'ian presidential election by conspiracy theory which ultimately led to a contempt of congress conviction followed by a short stay behind bars.

Now, during the dawning of Trump II, Mr. Navarro is back as the senior counsellor for trade and manufacturing and he has inserted himself into economic negotiations with Canada. In this role you've probably heard a bit of the kerfuffle about Navarro allegedly saying that Canada should be removed from the five eyed security surveillance consortium.

To wit, here is the lede of a recent report in the Financial Times:

A top White House official has proposed expelling Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network as Donald Trump increases pressure on the country he talks about turning into the 51st US state.

Peter Navarro, one of the US president’s closest advisers, is pushing for the US to remove Canada from the Five Eyes — which also includes the UK, Australia and New Zealand — according to people familiar with his efforts inside the administration...

Mr. Navarro has since denied this, but he has not denied the following, which was reported by Connor Stringer in the Telegraph yesterday:

A top White House official has threatened to redraw the Canadian border amid Donald Trump’s ambition to turn the country in America’s “51st state”.

Peter Navarro, one of Donald Trump’s closest advisers, is pushing US negotiators to discuss reworking the border with their Canadian counterparts...

Most of the Maritimes, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto are bad enough.

But South Vancouver Island?

Never!


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Subheader?....This is what Zelinsky said earlier today when he stood up to the made for TeeVee Bully Boy tag team and their faux balsa wood chair slams in the Oval Office this morning.


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Blofeld In Space.

StrayVillas
NoLongerLightVille



It's not just about having all the money.

Because the good Mr. Musk is using his government subsidy-buoyed rocket company to fill the earth's low orbital blanket with his cell towers in space.

How did this happen?

The complete lack of....

Wait for it...

Regulation.

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Image at the top of the post is from Jonathan McDowell's Space Report that tracks satellites...His latest count is that 7,037 of the 11,217 statellites in earth's orbit are owned by Mr. Musk...McDowell's day job is as an X-Ray astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

For comparative purposes...Canada currently has 71 satellites in orbit.

Subheader?....This.


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