It can't Happen Here 
I just finished reading It can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis; one of my favorite authors. The story was written in 1935 and describes what would happen if the US fell under control of a dictator, complete with storm troopers, concentration camps, book burnings, government seizure of the press, and a mesmerizing candidate running for and being elected to office. He's a Democrat who unseats FDR as the candidate in 1936 who is called "the Chief" by his supporters and by the people once he takes office.

I think the story spirals too far in too short a time. The setting is only about a three-year span. The rights of the people are almost immediately stripped after the Chief takes office. Interestingly enough, before the election, he releases a "Mein Kampf-like" edict of 15 points telling everyone what he would do if elected. Perhaps the aura of the Depression made this kind of state seem not only probable but likely to happen nearly overnight if all the wrong conditions were in place. However, take away the short timeline and look at the events and you can see how something like this can happen. People are unhappy because they think they are poor. A politician promises them a guaranteed income per year while capping the wealthy at 100x that and total wealth that only 6x the latter (Points 5 and 11 from the edict referenced above). It's the basic "your life stinks, it's not your fault, and I will fix all injustices" line. Shad Ledue got what he wished for.

I like Lewis' books and I enjoyed the slightly morose satire of this novel. Overall, it still doesn't top Arrowsmith as my favorite Lewis novel, but like any other Lewis novel I've read, I would recommend it.


hanu 
I am writing a similar story.

In it, a demagogic homosexual Swede (and he has to have a tiny penis like in that recent Crichton novel) named 'Linsux Thorvaldsson' promises users that they will no longer be screwed over by faceless, greedy multinational software companies...but only if they consent to serve their charismatic leader unquestioningly.

Among a list of points through which he will exercise world domination under what he 'promises' will be a benevolent dictatorship, is an item called pre-emptive multitasking, which he says will more fairly distribute CPU time. In truth, pre-emptive multitasking will cruelly seize control of the CPU from crybaby conservative processes that block by whining about fictitious wars on Christmas and other fictitious objects of generated rage.

As Thorvaldsson insidiously gains power under the guise of promoting a harmonious Gemeinschaft, he swiftly uses his new-found magical r00t powers to force his followers to submit to his bizarre homosexual escapades and furnish slave labor to build him lavish palaces across the world.

At the same time, a young boy named Billy Goetz finds a cache of Horatio Alger books---forbidden under the Thorvaldsson regime---and reads them voraciously. He learns that open sores are evil and Communistic; that the GNU GPL is a cancer; and that garbage collection, closures, objects, continuations, data types beyond struct and malloc-generated arrays, first-class functions, and any other feature that programmers think they're ENTITLED to (hint: they're not) are a blight on society.

I haven't figured out a good ending yet, but I'm kicking around the idea of Billy Goetz fighting off Linsux' army of self-replicating Berserkers with a tetherball pole like in 'The Matrix Reloaded'.

I'd like to share more, but right now I have to cower under my sheets and tinkle in my pants a-cuz of the Islamofascist Aqua Teen Hunger Force Lite Brite toys under my bed. I admit that I didn't notice they were there until a full fortnight after some marketers from Cartoon Network planted them there, but better late than never to throw a hysterical shitfit...

--
"Glymur dansur í høll, dans sláði í ring!
Glaðir ríða noregis menn til hildartiiiiiiiiiiing."

hanu 
I'm actually more worried that former President Reagan was good friends with Robert Whitaker, co-founder of StormFront.

brian 
I never heard of either that person or that organization myself. I found the organization but no mention of that man as co-founder. Regardless, don't go dissing Reagan's friends. Iconic liberal hero Clinton42 didn't exactly steer clear of vermin either.

hanu 
I never heard of either that person or that organization myself. I found the organization but no mention of that man as co-founder.

He's been an active member since the early days, so in that sense he is a co-founder.

It's a Neo-Nazi organization. Should I have to quibble about his degree of involvement? He's a prominent figure in Stormfront to be sure.

Iconic liberal hero Clinton42 didn't exactly steer clear of vermin either.

Well, I don't really care for Clinton, but the article given spouts meaningless pseudoscientific nonsense. Thirty-one people Clinton knew died? Damn, that's like the tomb of Tutankhlinton, or something! I swear there's a curse on that place!

Yes, and so the decision of the IPCC is just a liberal conspiracy, but using flaky fortune-teller logic, 'post hoc, ergo propter hoc' arguments, and Raygun's astrological forecast is A-OK...um, sure...

brian 
I did find a few names associated with that group, but not his.

brian 
meaningless pseudoscientific nonsense

But if a former professor characterizes Bush as a terrible student 35 years ago, well then, that must prove we made a mistake in '00 and '04.





hanu 
I did find a few names associated with that group, but not his.

Here ya go!

Don Black's Stormfront is the first, biggest, and fastest-growing pro-White website on Earth. We have 100,000+ Members. As many as 100+ new Members join each day. This Town Hall now has over 1,800,000 views. Stormfront is the first uncensored pro-White mass media.

Featuring April Gaede, Don Black, David Duke, Sam Dickson,
Paul Fromm, David Pringle,

Bob Whitaker, Germar Rudolf, Juergen Graf,
Ron Doggett, and Bob DeMarais


OOPS!

But if a former professor characterizes Bush as a terrible student 35 years ago, well then, that must prove we made a mistake in '00 and '04.

That's comparing apples and pears.

Throwing together a bunch of numbers on how many people Clinton knew that died without giving any clear correlation between the two. It's a post hoc argument and incredibly sloppy analysis of statistics, which makes it pseduoscientific.

When Bush's professor called him intellectually lazy, spoiled, and irresponsible---well first of all, it can't be characterized as pseudoscientific one way or the other---but it's definitely plausible given his track record of saying and doing moronic things to date.

brian 
Throwing together a bunch of numbers on how many people Clinton knew that died without giving any clear correlation between the two

suspicious suicides

That's comparing apples and pears

You're right. Deaths are facts. Calling someone lazy or spoiled is opinion.

brian 
Chris, I found your other site. Thanks for calling me a wingnut blogger on Liberal Avenger. I wouldn't call you a troll but if that's what you want to call yourself, that's fine by me.

You should set up your own blog. You certainly have a lot to say and you could certainly enlighten and entertain u

hanu 
suspicious suicides

c.f. 'grave of Tutankhamen'

You should set up your own blog. You certainly have a lot to say and you could certainly enlighten and entertain

What I have now is fine. I should write about how the liberal bias of the Firefox project who, after all, sponsor left-wing bastion Salon.

Why don't they sponsor Townhall instead? Where's the fairness and balance?

brian 
Hey, sponsoring some left-wing site is no big deal; I believe in free speech. If Al Gore developed Firefox into what it is today, I'd still use it. Besides, supporting left-wing causes is better than selling your soul to China like Yahoo, Microsoft, Google, IBM, Motorola, Cisco, Intel, H-P, et al, are doing.

hanu 
Well, it's extremely difficult to escape corporate greed. Hel, it's hard to EAT without backing it somehow.

The best thing I can do is approach the limit.

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