Fascism is a system by which enterprise remains owned privately but is marshalled by the power of the state to serve its ends. Fascists use the state’s power to suppress opposition. Take a look at what Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is trying to do to the firearms industry.
The mayor is urging that banks to stop lines of credit, financing for acquisitions and expansions and financial advising.
In a letter sent Friday to the CEOs of Bank Of America and TD Bank, Emanuel said: “In the past, the gun industry has stood in opposition to these safety measures. They opposed a ban on assault weapons on America’s streets, opposed a ban on military-style clips, opposed a criminal background check on all gun purchases and opposed any effort to crack down on criminal gun traffickers.”
In the letter, Emanuel says TD Bank offers a $60 million line of credit to Smith & Wesson, which produces the AR-15. That is the weapon used by James Holmes in the Aurora, Colo., theater massacre that killed 12 people. Emanuel wrote.
Emanuel told CEO Bharat Masrani “to use your influence to push this company to find common ground” on an assault weapons ban and gun background checks.
He sent a similar letter to Bank of America, regarding its relationship with Ruger.
This isn’t creeping fascism. It’s fascism in full bloom. Emanuel has taken nowhere such a hard line on the gangs infesting his city.
Of the nearly 520 murders committed in Chicago in 2012, none were committed with so-called “assault weapons.” Most were gang-related murders, and Emanuel’s remedies included asking the gangs to play nice, and putting the racist Nation of Islam on the streets to patrol.
Chicago is on pace for more than 700 murders in 2013.
Update: More fascism on the march here.
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