It was written years before Germany flipped out and decades before other authors got around to writing Farenheight 451 (1951) and 1984 (1949). It Can't Happen Here is the Godfather of the modern dystopia genre. Brave New World was written in the same year as It Can't Happen Here, but even Huxley admitted that Brave New World was not terribly forward thinking. However, for some unknown reason, we still read Brave New World and ignore It Can't Happen Here. It Can't Happen Here is easily the greatest dystopian novel I've ever read, because it is consumed with America's journey to authoritarianism, not the dystopia itself.
It's an easy read, but it's deeply nerve wracking and hypnotic, like watching a train wreck that you can't stop. Lewis carefully chronicles each step that is necessary for authoritarianism in the United States, starting with a bad economy, a popular good-ol-boy presidential candidate (Buzz Winthrop), and a religious propagandist that whips the country into a nationalistic fervor. And oh my god it is believable. Afterward, you'll spend weeks cringing at every modern political ad, every speech, every everything, wondering to yourself where this idea or that idea might lead us. Because really, nothing about American politics has fundamentally changed.
Full text
Buy a Copy (Quit whining. Your library has it. But trust me that you're going to want your own copy.)
But I don't believe the tea party will lead to authoritarianism and ethnic cleansing... so why am I telling you all this?
One of the most important steps that Sincliar Lewis presents are the "Minute Men", a group of young people who brutally enforce Buzz's nationalistic ideals, under the banner of God and the Founding Fathers.
And now, with the very FIRST course of Glenn Beck University, long-time Christian Naitonalist and American Revolution pseudo-historian David Barton plants the idea of "The Black Robed Regiment".
Let the good times roll.
From Beck U News
Faith 101 Course Outline - The Black-Robed Regiment
"
Those who were long considered some of the most influential leaders in securing our independence and form of government are today largely unknown: the clergy and ministers of the American Revolution. The British called them “The Black Regiment” because of the black robes they wore; today, they are known as “The Black Robed Regiment.” Significantly, John Adams extolled that “the pulpits have thundered” and that ministers such as the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Mayhew and the Rev. Dr. Samuel Cooper were among the most influential in the movement that led to independence. Learn about these now unsung heroes of the American Revolution – leaders such as the Revs. Jonas Clark, John Steel, Peter Muhlenberg, Francis Willard and many others who not only preached liberty but even picked up their guns and led their churches to fight for liberty!
"
Missing introduction by Beck:
Hi, welcome to Faith. It is our class on American history. This (holds up book) is a original copy of the notes on Virginia, by Jefferson. This is the book that actually talked about the separation between church and state. But it's not what you've been sold. The separation of church and state... it's not the State protecting people from religion, it's quite the opposite. You'll also learn about the 1599 Geneva Bible. What's this? What role did the bible play with George Watshington and our Founders? Professor Barton is with us now with Beck University. David is an amazing, knowledgable man. You will learn more in the next hour than you have probably learned in your entire life about American history.
Full illegal video:
So far, links are all active. Don't worry if they get taken down. You don't need to watch the whole thing.
Terms you need to know:
American Exceptionalism or American Nationalism
Prosperity Theology
People to know:
None, really. You'll hear several obscure names of ministers and doctors. The Doctor part is mostly an Appeal to Authority. Ministers were REALLY well educated back then and were schooled in the classics, unlike today where Evangelical preachers simply go to Bible college. Barton is trying to tie ministers of the 1700s to the preachers of today... so just remember that there were Ministers that did a lot of propaganda from the pulpit.
Drinking game: Take one shot for every time he says Preacher or Reverend. Two shots for Doctor.
In short, Barton is making the claim that the most important Founding Fathers were Preachers that were part of the "Black Robed Regiment" and "some of these guys would take up arms and defend these ideas in battle" Though Beck has previously made it clear that "take up arms" means "vote" (a recurring theme in the 103 series) it's not made clear here. He also makes several claims to illustrate that the United States was founded on Christian doctrine. Therefore, preachers have the authority and duty to talk about politics because the bible is specific about elections of leaders and taxes.
Note that Barton never actually quotes the important words that the ministers spoke, or the exact words of the Bible/Constitution that back up his claims.
The Faith series is the backbone of Beck U propaganda and primes the viewer to associate Christianity with the American Government. Barton opens with lines that sound like the evangelical Prosperity Doctrine -- "So with all the prosperity we have and all the stability we have, historians have come to call that American Exceptionalism" -- which is how evangelicals are duped into supporting of free-market principles. This is the first signal that Beck U is a grab at estranged Evangelicals and abandoning Libertarians.
This is the class series that creates the mythos for the cult of personality. Here, we pretend that the most important founding fathers were preachers, but we also pretend that all of our documents are secretly modeled after the bible and popular sermons.
David Barton isn't known for his intellectual honesty, so if something sounds weird to you, he's probably either stretching the truth or flat out lying. It seems that he just strings lots of nice sounding words together into feel-good sentences, sort of like a motivational speaker.
There are a few debunks that are worth knowing, especially when he talks about the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Here, I'll turn you over to Chris Rodda. She has an unmatched passion for the American Revolution and has been hounding Barton for years. There's 9 videos in her lecture and are an in-depth look at Barton's lies and methods. TLDR: "Seminary school" was just 1700's talk for "College" not "Minister training" and congress never put bibles in public schools and Barton is a mean, rotten liar.
Two important propaganda themes are happening in Glenn Beck U.
First, the viewers are being granted access to what they feel is "Privileged Information that THEY Don't Want You To Know". Here, Barton is dropping obscure names and events, to lend legitimacy to his claim that the most important events are evilly suppressed by godless historians. This is why we won't win any arguments with these people based on facts. The facts don't matter, because, as we hear in the introduction, the official story is a big, fat lie.
Second, the viewers are only being given suggestions. It's vital that Tea Partiers/Independents believe they've come to their conclusions independently of Beck, Fox, Palin, etc. (We Report, You Decide, remember?) If you "come up" with an idea on your own, then you've internalized that information, and tied that opinion with your ego. It's a bias we all have. But, as my REAL college professor once said "our stomachs just as responsible for creating the food in our bellies as our brains are responsible for creating the thoughts in our head." Here, Barton has planted the seed for "The Black Robed Regiment" a full two months before Beck spoke about HIS Black Robed Regiment at the 8/28 rally.
You'll notice that the Black Robed Regiment official web page has seen significantly increased activity since the 8/28 rally. These people are real. These people are voting.
You have my permission to panic now.
Barton plants another seed to set us up for the next class, Hope 101:
"The bible was so clear about taxes that it told you what kind were good and what kind were bad. It wasn't that the Founding Fathers were anti-tax, just anti-tax, they were just anti-wrong-kind-of-tax."
Onward Christian Soldiers...
Note ~ Much love to my dear friend Mallory who selflessly suffered through Barton for Truth, Justice, and The LOLs. Most of the references to the Evangelicals are directly from her. If she gives me permission, I'll post her various musings on the video.
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