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The Michigan Messenger going forward

By Staff Report | 11.16.11

I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]

Colorado-based abstinence program provided false and misleading information to Michigan students

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.16.11

An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.

Class action lawsuit filed against MERS over unpaid taxes

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By Todd A. Heywood | 11.15.11

Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.

Schuette fights important mercury regulations

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By Eartha Jane Melzer | 11.14.11

Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.

Anuzis: Obama’s plans ‘economic fascism’

By Ed Brayton | 04.21.09 | 12:16 am

Former Michigan GOP chairman Saul Anuzis joins the chorus invoking the political ‘f’ word. Last week he wrote on his Twitter account the day before the tea parties:

Obama’s economic speech should double the attendance of Tea Parties!!! Economic fascism is NOT the American way.


He’s using this term intentionally as a scare tactic, as he told the New York Times:

“Rhetorically, Republicans are having a very hard time finding something that raises the consciousness of the average voter,” said Saul Anuzis, a former chairman of the Michigan Republican Party who recently lost a bid to became national party chairman.

Workaday labels like “big spender” and “liberal” have lost their punch, and last fall, Senator John McCain of Arizona and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska gained little traction during the presidential campaign by linking Mr. Obama’s agenda to socialism.

So Mr. Anuzis has turned to provocation with a purpose. He calls the president’s domestic agenda “economic fascism.”

“We’ve so overused the word ‘socialism’ that it no longer has the negative connotation it had 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago,” Mr. Anuzis said. “Fascism — everybody still thinks that’s a bad thing.”

But he does acknowledge that the word might sound a little nutty to people: “You’ve got to be careful using the term ‘economic fascism’ in the right way, so it doesn’t come off as extreme.” Sorry Saul, it sounds extreme and absurd no matter how you say it.

Comments

  • Irish_Wake

    As defined by the Oxford English Dictionary:

    Fascism • noun 1 an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government. 2 extreme right-wing, authoritarian, or intolerant views or practice.

    In other words, while searching for a less-workaday labels like “big spender” and “liberal”, members of Michigan's right wing are accusing President Obama of being a nationalistic right-winger.

    This may not be absurd, as stated by Mr. Brayton. This search for negative language gives a greater insight into current MIGOP thought processes than Administration policies.

    • ozone

      Try not relying on the dictionary for you goverment view just take some time and read the wordsof that practiced fascism. The individual no long exist. The state will ditermine what health care is right for you if your to old and not worthy of life saving methods anymore (national health care) control of business the banks, chrysler motor company, the control of what you produce, his type of vehicle.
      So read more the just a dictionary especially the oxford dictionary it just possible it not the same difnition that you would have found before we became so politically correct.

      0

      • Irish_Wake

        Ozone, perhaps I was being unclear. Mr. Anuzis labeled the GOP's problems as rhetorical.
        A dictionary is an accepted rhetorical tool, and I assumed it would help all sides to agree on what was being said. I have found the vast majority of 'discussion' on these sites is usually standard left and right wing people talking past each other. This is exacerbated when one side uses terms that mean something (i.e. right wing nationalist) and decides it will now mean something else (i.e. production controlled by the state). Mr. Anuzis tacitly admits this in his quote: “so…overused the word ‘socialism’ that it no longer has the negative connotation it had…Fascism — everybody still thinks that’s a bad thing.”
        I have re-read my post and cannot find politically correct ideas, but facts supporting a closing thought. This is how our founding fathers worked. Common Sense, the Federalist (and Anti-Federalist) Papers, the Constitution all used words with clear meaning and intent. If 'creative' reading is allowed, if I can decide what words mean, then the Constitution can be used to approve any behavior I deem appropriate.
        Mr Anuzis uses words because “everybody still thinks that’s a bad thing.” Of course many socialists have used this same tactic, but so have many fascists – read 'Mein Kampf.”

  • Trajan8

    With fascism being the “third way” between capitalism and socialism, for Anuzis to claim that President Obama is a fascist, citing the same beliefs/policies that were used to claim he is a socialist, shows that Anuzis is uninformed on at least one of the ideologies.

    If there was a “fourth way”, I'm sure it wouldn't take long for the conservatives to accuse the President of being in favor of it. Whatever it takes for the right to get self-identified capitalists to dislike our nation's leader (notice that doesn't mean the right will gain any new support, they just want President Obama to lose his).

  • hoser

    Is this the extent of the GOP's talking points? I'm sorry, why is Messenger posting this?

  • http://www.philipcolby.com Financial consultant Rochester

    Good thing we're not headed towards economic fascism. After all, it is not the American way.

  • http://www.philipcolby.com Financial consultant Rochester

    Good thing we're not headed towards economic fascism. After all, it is not the American way.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Olen-Rush/697928594 Olen Rush

    Fascism is a form of “Corporatism”. Study Mussolini. Also Hitler utilized an emergency (Reichstag Fire) to “appoint” party officials over elected representatives. They were literally “Emergency Managers”. With the MiGOP using actual Fascist doctrine they really should remind themselves of the throwing stones in a glass house analogy.

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