Right - we've all heard that before - Soviet Communism wasn't 'real' communism, etc. etc. They just didn't do it 'right' - even Lenin admitted he'd made mistakes. He regretted not having killed far more people. Now that's communism for you!

It's pretty much intellectually dishonest to claim that communism 'works', but that every country in which it has been implemented, and failed, just hasn't done it correctly. Those who ran it figured they were doing it 'correctly'. If every political system can be claimed to not be what it claims to be and holds itself to be, just because others are embarrassed about its failure, it becomes nonsensical to try to discuss political systems. It's like saying there are no democracies in the world because they are all imperfect. Well, yes, they are imperfect - but they are still examples of the best we can do, so far, with democratic systems. The same goes for communism.

If that's what the right was talking about along with you, that would be great.

My point is not that communism 'works' but has yet to be correctly implemented; rather my point is that it is an idea that can exist in theory only. It's a theoretical construct that does not work when implemented in the real world. That doesn't mean I don't think it has anything to offer as a theory. None of our systems derive from a single source. You no more live in a pure state of capitalism than can I live in a pure state of communism.

I know socialism and fascism are not the same. The characteristics they share in terms of overwhelming central government control and oppression of individuals are what I was looking at in terms of the right-to-left spectrum.

The 'systems' they both 'inspire' are typically mass murder and enslavement. I can't imagine what economic or social problem/need would require such a response. Both communism and fascism are all about individual lust for power. The social problems thing is just the excuse they use to seize it.

We can agree on that, anyway. ;)

I disagree. That's what communism inevitably descended into, in Russia but the very early stages (ie. the revolution) I don't believe were driven by lust for individual power. Hitler did have a lust for individual power right from the start.

You state mass murder and enslavement as characterising features of both these systems in order to show that they are similar. But other non fascist and non socialist states have also engaged in those practices. That doesn't mean those states are of a similar political nature. Mass murder and enslavement are not the defining characteristics of either, but they are symptomatic of both.

As an additional thought on the matter, I find it interesting that Russia, has arguably tended towards strongman government and a lack of civic freedoms regardless of which governmental system is in place. Absolute Tzarist power, revolution which led to leaders like Stalin and now in the days of democracy we have Putin.

I have no idea - ask a Republican.

True enough. I was just throwing out the first example that came to mind. There are certainly more. Smoking is one as well.

Not true at all. It's government sanctioned or funded expressions of Christianity or really any religion that liberals like me oppose.

In ISRAEL it is "correctly implemented".

If the government we have now is an example of conservatism, please give me anything but. Christianity has become the State religion, although everyone pretends otherwise; prejudice toward certain groups is encouraged - like gays, people who live at or near the poverty line, hispanics (they're all illegal immigrants); etc. The government keeps people in line through fear tactics - what's the terrorism rating for today? Yellow? Red? Homeland security has taken our individual rights to privacy away, Congress is busily crunching up the Bill of Rights to the point where soon those words will mean about as much as some slick comedy routine; thousands of people are being held in prisons without access to either an attorney or a fair and speedy trial; torture is now acceptable; and Halliburten continues to gloat as its CEO's and stockholders rake in the benefits of corporate welfare on a magnificent scale.

I had to go up to the wealthy ski resort of Telluride today regarding a legal matter I posted about in another thread. My Zuni friend came along with me for the ride. He wandered around town while I was at the courthouse filling out endless legal forms. When we met up again, he spat on the sidewalk and said, "Let's get out of here. This is the most unfriendly town I've ever been to." Well, Telluride has a high percentage of Mexican workers who clean the rich folks condo's or do the janitorial work, etc. People mistook my Zuni friend for one of "those people" who are not supposed to be strolling the main street of Telluride with all its chic shops and elegant, over-priced restaurants.

My Zuni friend looked around at the wealthy white yuppies giving him a wide path on the sidewalk, and said "Stupid wetbacks! I wish they'd all go back home."

Conservatism. Pfffffft!

The rich people in Telluride probably self identify as liberals. Two of the better known (sometime) residents of are Oliver Stone and Tom Cruise. The real distinction is socio-economic class in your example rather than political affiliation.

They probably just assumed that your friend didn't speak English and said what they thought rather than what they would like people to hear them say.

That's a good point.

Well, I too, have to agree that socio-economics came into it, as well. He was wearing a bright red t-shirt from the Zuni pueblo which was imprinted with the words "The Zuni Pueblo - Runner for the Zuni Prevention of diabetes fund 2005." On the back was a circle showing the animal totem and name of each of the Zuni clans (my friend is a member of the badger clan and he was pretty proud that the badgers won the race that year). But the T-shirt was covered up by his coat. I suggested that he take the coat off and just walk down the street with his T-shirt and see if he'd get a different reaction. He said he probably would. but that he'd had enough social experiments for one day.

And yet the self-styled capitalists in the GOP remain up Israels *cough*. :eek: