Here are a collection of quotes from one of my favorite historical figures. Henry A. Wallace, like Ben Franklin, was a publisher, a scientist, and a statesman, only Wallace was from Iowa. He published Wallace’s Farmer, started Pioneer Seeds, became FDR’s Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, and Vice President (before Truman.) He ran for President as a 3rd party candidate (the Progressive Party) with the endorsement of Elenor Roosevelt. He was ahead of his time on détente’ and integration, so he was attacked by MacCarthy and his followers. I think his words have a haunting relevance today. Read what he said in the days after WWII and see if you can’t apply his concerns to the Bush Administration, the “neocons,” the religious right, oil companies, talk radio and Fox News:
“Still another danger is represented by those who, paying lip service to democracy and the common welfare, in their insatiable greed for money and the power which money gives, do not hesitate surreptitiously to evade the laws designed to safeguard the public from monopolistic extortion.
Their final objective toward which all their deceit is directed is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection.
They claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution.
They are patriotic in time of war because it is to their interest to be so, but in time of peace they follow power and the dollar wherever they may lead.
A fascist is one whose lust for money or power is combined with such an intensity of intolerance toward those of other races, parties, classes, religions, cultures, regions or nations as to make him ruthless in his use of deceit or violence to attain his ends.
The obvious types of American fascists are dealt with on the air and in the press. These demagogues and stooges are fronts for others. Dangerous as these people may be, they are not so significant as thousands of other people who have never been mentioned.
The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information.
With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power.
If we define an American fascist as one who in case of conflict puts money and power ahead of human beings, then there are undoubtedly several million fascists in the United States.
In an effort to eliminate the possibility of any rival growing up, some monopolists would sacrifice democracy itself.
It may be shocking to some people in this country to realize that, without meaning to do so, they hold views in common with Hitler when they preach discrimination against other religious, racial or economic groups.
If we put our trust in the common sense of common men and 'with malice toward none and charity for all' go forward on the great adventure of making political, economic and social democracy a practical reality, we shall not fail.
A liberal knows that the only certainty in this life is change but believes that the change can be directed toward a constructive end.”
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