The fact that so many people believe what beck is spewing

[Windy]

tells me that a nazi-like party could gain a foothold in this country.
I admit that I am so disheartened by the crowd size.

Propaganda can do such damage. I am also disheartened to see that bigotry is such a pervasive problem in this country despite the sacrifice of Dr. King. It is a TRAVESTY that a hate filled rally is being held at the same place where such love and solidarity were the themes just a few decades ago. It sickens me.

[kevinbgoode]

1. I haven't seen anything yet. . .is the crowd really that large?

Somehow it is difficult for me to imagine that this would ever meet the scale of some of the large demonstrations I've attended over the years.

[Windy]

2. the cnn shot showed a very large crowd. nt

[babylonsister]

4. There's more than one rally going on; doesn't mean they're all

teabaggers. Don't let them get you down, and remember that word: propaganda. That's exactly right.

[Windy]

7. I couldn't go. The bus from my local area was full and i didn't want to drive by myself.

Unfortunately.

The Reclaim the Dream rally starts at a highschool and marches to Martin Luther King memorial park so I don't think the two rallies will be mingling at all.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Come to DC on Oct 2

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9032035

[babylonsister]

15. You KNOW people opposed to this whole overblown mess

will be going over there to take a look for themselves. I would if I were there.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. without the media you wouldn't hear anything about it

what is happening is VERY dangerous

[Billy Burnett]

5. Disgusting that it is, it does provide a great contrast.

Nothing new here.

The Rise of American Fascism
http://www.rationalrevolution.net/articles/rise_of_american_fascism.htm

[Warren Stupidity]

6. "a nazi-like party could gain a foothold" - it has.

the teabaggers are our americanized rightwing authoritarian nationalist party. They are in the process of taking over the republican party.

[Windy]

9. And after touring the Nazi sites in Germany including Dauchau, that scares the crap out of me. nt

[femrap]

20. And they have the financial

backing of many Corporations....Koch Industries for one.

It's a Fascist state already...next the detention camps.

[ThomWV]

8. Not so many

Let's say they get as many as Beck predicts. Compare that to the population.

300,000 expected
300,000,000 population.

See those three extra zeros? That means that one in a thousand people cared enough to show up, that would be 1/10th of 1%.

[Windy]

12. agreed, but the propaganda that will flow if the crowd size matches the MLK speech crowd

will never go away given the mouthpiece of fox news.

[bluethruandthru]

11. I feel the same way.

The growing popularity of the teabaggers is horrifying. The hatred and venom that these people spew is disgusting to me..but, unfortunately, they reflect the views of many in this country. I'm appalled by how many people I meet who absolutely believe the Glenn Beck speaks the truth (I don't even know how they understand what he's saying) along with Sarah Palin, Sharon Angle, Rush, Sean, etc. These people won't stop until they've totally taken over.

[Windy]

13. I see that this thread is being "unrecommended" Apparently we have some lurking

beck fans on the site this morning. So sad

[kywildcat]

14. I"m not as disheartened.

by the stupidity yes-but I don't believe it's as pervasive as this. The media-and most certainly fox news blows out of purportion the numbers that suit their agenda. And given all the polls lately that show a majority of the public distrust the media. I'm not sure I'm willing to hand wring yet.

[w8liftinglady]

16. plus...if you count the people who didn't show..

there is a very pronounced existance of this mindframe where I live...and in many other parts of the country.

We have the media(well-my local paper)
http://www.elliscountypress.com/editorials/index.1.html

We have the hate groups
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map#s=TX

We have the "Christian Identity" groups
http://www.wckkkk.org/identity.html
http://www.kingidentity.com/doctrine.htm

we have militia groups
http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/Militia_M.asp?xpicked=4&item=mm
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2010/spring/active-patriot-groups-in-the-united-s

[COLGATE4]

17. Call it me showing my age...

but having relatives who perished in the Holocaust I have had a very heightened (perhaps over-heightened)sensibility to all things Fascist and to the Nazi movement in particular, having read extensively on it for years. I am now very disheartened to see the increasing similarities between the beginnings of Nazism and Beck's growing popularity/movement. For years I was happy to blithely state that "I can't happen here - this is America", but the past eight years under Bush and particularly the last 18 months viewing the RW noise machine unleashed against Obama have convinced me that I was wrong - it CAN happen here and I'm beginning to be very concerned that it may well happen. The potent poison of vicious extreme right wing rhetoric combined with ultra conservative Christian dominion ism have only lacked a 'voice' to coalesce around. Now they have Beck. I'm hoping that Beck has enough mental problems that he will eventually self-destruct but, if he doesn't, I have genuine concerns for our nation.

[femrap]

21. If someone....say

a George Soros type...someone w/ money and organization could start a 'whisper campaign' about Beck, I'd be very, very happy. Then let MSNBC increase the whisper loudly.

It's always the Repugnants that do the Dirty Tricks....and the Progressives just get smeared.

Beck has to have some dirt in his background.

[Bitwit1234]

18. What disgusts me most of all is the fact

that THEY compare President Obama to Hitler while they are the ones practicing the routines Hitler perfected to over take the government in Germany. These republicans are trying the same thing. They can't win in honest elections. They have to program the voting machines, they have to disenfranchise the people voting and now they are trying to overthrow a legally elected government. THIS IS WHAT THE GRAND OLD PARTY HAS BECOME. A group of real American haters.

[femrap]

24. Calling the opposition

what you are (Obama is Hitler) is a great tactic....developed by Rove. And Fundies aren't known for critical thinking skills so it works.

I have relatives in the South...truly hateful bigots. They still refer to Northerners as Yankees. They hate Obama. I mean HATE. And they believe that Jesus is on THEIR side. There is no reasoning with them at all.

Yep, I can see how a small portion of the population (the 22% that John Dean talks about in his book about those with no Conscience) can take over (fill a vacuum) while the rest of the population just thinks they're nuts or laughable. Or are too busy working 2 to 3 jobs to make a living.

It's setting up like Germany in the '30's. Wait till our currency is devalued.

I may just get out of Dodge....move to a very rural area and hunker down. I can't leave the country...I'm too old to be of any use to another country....that's their opinion. Hell, my own country thinks I'm of no use either.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

19. Could?

[2Design]

22. hilters rise did not happen over night - it was built on christian hate and church influences n/t

[Paladin]

23. I Saw A Clip Of Palin Shrieking At The Gathering This Morning......

....and the first thing that popped into my head was "Nuremberg Rally." Genuinely disturbing---we should have taken this group seriously from the beginning, instead of just making snotty jokes about it.....

[femrap]

25. +100000 nt

[Bluerthanblue]

26. I'm not sure that they "believe" it- at least not most of them. I think

that most people know what they are following is somehow wrong- which is why they look for others to band together with.

That's the thing about being on the 'right' path, imo. Even if you are opposed by loud angry voices- even if you are vastly outnumbered or out bullied- when your 'person' is attacked and ridiculed, you can't abandon the position that is universally 'right' for everyone.

Beck and his followers are operating out of fear, and mis-trust of our common humanity. They cannot envision the future that MLKjr. knew is not only possible, but essential. The dream will become a reality someday. Despite how much it seems like we're headed in the wrong direction right now, we need to remember the footsteps we're walking in, and how much is at stake.

:grouphug: