Actually, Godwin's Law only says that as an online discussion continues, the probability of a comparison to Nazis approaches 1. See NinjaguyDan's post above.

Maybe there is a good reason for people to cool their rhetorical jets. I'm all for it if it helps people focus on issues rather than personal attacks (although Jack Shafer has a great article up on Slate in defense of heated political rhetoric), but not for this reason. This kid was so far gone that it's impossible for me to believe that current mainstream political debates/shouting matches/whatever have anything to do with his shooting up a Safeway.

And already people who want to silence others are sharpening their legislative knives. Just look at Bob Brady's suggestion that it should be illegal to draw bullseyes or crosshairs on a map. Not only is it yet another allusion to the harebrained theory that this kid, with his long history of mental problems and deviant behavior, was inspired by a relatively obscure map on Sarah Palin's website, it's sadly ironic that he would do this in "honor" of Giffords, who stood on the House floor to read the First Amendment not even a week ago.

I don't deny that Fascism is a mix of extreme views from the political spectrum; and I (mostly) said that it was more related to left wing politics because (currently) the mix of social conservatism and libertarianism in most democracies means that conservatives mostly only agree on economic issues, and  the heavy influence and control of the economy by the state is more related to current liberal/progressive politics in most nations.

riiiiiight.

I believe the last "arguement" we had involved me posting many many historians and scients views about how Galieo was persecuted for attacking the pope and poor science and not his actual views, since scientificically his premise was actually demonstraitably wrong experiments wise until the development of stronger telescopes many many years later, and the fact that Copernicus theories were taught everywhere for about 40-50 years until his trial.  After which it was banned.  Probably due to the fact that his science actually was wrong.  His main proof that the earth revolves around the sun being that there is only one high tide. (When anyone could tell you there were two high tides, everywhere.)

And your response was basically "Nu-uh, this one line in his conviction says it was for teaching helicoentrism."  As if there has never been a case for someone being convicted for something for show when the reason for them being convicted was clearly something else and then left the thread in embaressment.

It's just an old and predictable patern.  The scary thing is, unlike Numonex... I'm pretty sure your trying to be serious with half this stuff.

Heck, Fascism's big slogan was that it was the "Third way".  Neither Capatilist nor Communist.

Though still Super Authoritarian.  Which, in America it's argueable which Party is the Authoritarian party... hence general confusion.

Of course terms like "right and left" itself is rather stupid, since there are plenty of differnet sliders and placing it on a simple one line is well... stupid.

An Ideal Facism actually tries to provide well for it's people.  Afterall it prevents unrest, and it's a lot easier to stoke nationalistic tendencies when you keep people happy.   Fascist Germany actually rebounded economically for example, and Mussolini actually tried to improve life for the peasents... he just kinda sucked at it.

In a weird way... China actually seems like the perfect example of a "well functioning facism" despite being called communist.

Except, not all left wing policies agree with a more active government like left liberatianism, this is where you are wrong there are also authoritarian right wing ideas, which fascism is one, for example, in an ideal marxist society, there would be no state, not anything like the fascism, which depends on nationalism.

Also Kaz, I think you are mistaking leninism for Marxism, lenin believed that there needed to be a stage of authoritarian rule to restructure a non capitalistic socieity, with Marxism, the overthrow of capitalism would lead to a socialism stage whith social control of the economy in the hands of a democratic state, and eventually to the irrelevance of the state