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Of all the pressing and important issues in the world, arguably the single greatest immediate issue is the hyper-concentration of power in society. There are many important and even urgent issues to be dealt with, but if the excessive concentration of power in society is not addressed, we will not be able to successfully deal with any of the other issues.

At the turn of the 21st century, power in human society is more concentrated than ever before, and this concentration of power is accelerating. Power in society is now global as well as hyper-concentrated. And the largest and most dominant concentration of power in human society globally is now in the form of economic and financial power.

What is rapidly emerging world-wide is a form of society that can be called corporatism: the merger of business and the state. It is a form of society that is profoundly anti-democratic, and threatens all our rights and freedoms, as well as the possibility of a decent life for all - in fact, it now threatens all life on earth. That order is most accurately described as corporate fascism.

To clarify terminology - since naming has power, but only if we understand one another - and in order to see this development in its historical context, here are a few words. The world order that is predominant now has been called neoliberalism - or its mirror image and counterpart, neoconservatism. It is a bastardization of classical liberalism, as well as a bastardization of classical conservatism. Genuine liberals and conservatives both should be appalled by what is unfolding. This is not a matter of liberal or conservative, but the corruption of each of them under the weight of corporate leverage. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, the founders of what was to become the Democratic Party of the United States, as well as Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, all knew well, warned clearly against, and fought with ferocity the emerging threat to democracy entailed in the new “corporate aristocracy”.

That was nearly two hundred years ago. The corporate aristocracy has grown much stronger since then. The corporate elite now not only “bid defiance to our laws” as Jefferson saw in the early 1800’s, they now want to dominate the entire world.

The new world order which is now unfolding, the logical culmination of neoliberalism and neoconservatism, and the outgrowth of decades and centuries of monopoly capitalism and increasing concentration of economic power, is best described as global neo-capitalist feudalism. To be more brief: corporate globalism. Or, so that we may emphasize the essential dynamics of social power entailed in this order, the clearest term is simply, corporate fascism.

“Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.” - Mussolini

The merger of state and corporate power is precisely what is unfolding now. Not only has economic power become increasingly concentrated, in fact, hyper-concentrated, and globally so, but the power of large corporations and the investment class which controls them has grown so staggering as to overshadow and dominate all other powers in society - including the media, the democratic process and governments at all levels, around the world. This is exactly what both Thomas Jefferson and Karl Marx predicted. Strange bedfellows indeed, and while they were poles apart in some ways, they did in fact both recognize the naturally increasing and concentrating power of finance under a capitalist system. Marx of course urged the overthrow of the capitalist system. Jefferson urged the reigning in of the newly arising corporations and “moneyed aristocracy”. In either case, economic power did in fact become increasingly concentrated under unchecked capitalism, and monopoly capitalism quickly emerged. Monopoly capitalism has now reached a level of concentration of economic power globally where oligopoly and plutocracy is the true order of society world-wide, with very few areas of exception. Rule by the few, the super-rich, is the norm now. Power is not democratically held, at least not in substance, but only in outward and largely hollow form. We need to restore, or create anew, functioning, authentic democracy, or we will have no future other than serfdom and tyranny. Global neo-capitalist feudalism: corporate fascism by any other name. We need to stop it now.

In 1776 and 1789, at the time of the American and French Revolutions, power in society was concentrated in the aristocracy, the monarchy and the church. These powers were radically challenged, their dominance and excesses were defeated, and their powers were reigned in and placed within check, so that democracy and freedom could be obtained, or at least sought. In sum, certain forms of power in society were questioned and challenged, while others were not. It was certainly an advancement for humanity that the powers of the aristocracy, the monarchy and the church were questioned, challenged, and placed within limits. However, other forms of social power went unquestioned, or at least insufficiently challenged. Imbalances and abuses of power with regards to race and gender, for example, took much longer to be successfully challenged - and of course, much work remains to be done. The power of money - economic or financial power - was not challenged at that time - or was challenged insufficiently - largely due to the fact that it was the new merchant class that was the dominant force in these social revolutions. By leaving economic power fundamentally unquestioned and unchallenged, the democratic revolutionaries left the door open to a new kind of tyranny. That is what we are facing today, and why.

The Stop Fascism Action Network ( SFAN) has been created to provide an open space for discussion, sharing of ideas and information, and connecting with one another to spark meaningful, effective action to protect democracy, human rights and freedom, and to stop the madness of corporate fascism which is emerging with frightening speed across the planet. It is time to stand.

Please join us, and welcome. The space is brand new, and it is a Network that is still in the process of being built. You are welcome and encouraged to join in the creation.

The aim of the SFAN is to hold a space where serious engagement with the issues surrounding democracy, freedom, human rights, and their threats from corporate fascism, can be addressed. It is hoped that this will also be a space for the bringing of light, a place of inspiration, hope and determination, a place of empowerment, and a place where humor is not a bad word.

The issues are serious, and require from us an earnest and dedicated response, but we must make room also for lightness, humor, friendship and joy, or we will die of a dryness of the soul, and nothing worthwhile will be accomplished. As a very great and noble woman once said, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.”

For the SFAN to be most creative, empowering and inspiring of constructive action, it must be an open space, and a place of sharing, dialog and mutual respect. Ideological “correctness” is not required - in fact, rigid clinging to ideologies would hinder rather than help the discussion.

The challenge of our time, the threat to democracy, peace and justice, will take a strong united coalition built from the grassroots in order to be successfully met. It will require of us the ability to transcend our differences, and to find common ground and common purpose, despite our diversity - and in fact, our union will be stronger for our diversity. We need not agree on everything. We need only to agree on enough that we can work together to protect and to deepen democracy, freedom and human rights, and to defend these common values from their greatest threat today: the emergence of global corporate fascism. The challenge that confronts us transcends notions of right and left. It requires of us that we build bridges where none may have seemed possible. We need to get together on the basics - liberty, democracy, and our most fundamental of human rights. If we do not come together on the basics, we will lose these basic things we thought enshrined forever.

If we come together as Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, Liberals, Conservatives, Progressives and Radicals we can defeat these threats to human rights, freedom and democracy. All that is essential to our union is that we agree on two things: democracy is preferable to fascism, and democracy is now under attack. If we can recognize this most basic common ground, then we can form a union, a grassroots coalition, that is united across its great diversity on this one goal: the defense of democracy. If we can come together across the various lines of ideology, race, class, gender, geography, culture and religion, forming a united force rooted in this one shared value, and this one goal - to protect liberty, democracy and fundamental human rights - we can create the broadest, most powerful citizen’s movement the world has seen. This is precisely what we need to do.

United we stand – Divided we fall!

Written by J. Todd Ring
http://jtoddring.wordpress.com/