Patriotism, Nationalism, Fascism - What's The Difference ???

Dmitry Orlov has kindly taken the time to patiently explain the needed distinctions between Patriotism, Nationalism and, Fascism.  He carefully dissects the nuances of how they can be complimentary as well as toxic. His entire post should be read, but here are his key definitions:

• Patriotism is one’s love of one’s native land and people. It is a natural, organic result of growing up in a certain place among a certain people, who have also grown up there, and who pass along a cultural and linguistic legacy that they all love and cherish. This does not imply that those not of one’s family, neighborhood or region are in any way inferior, but they are not one’s own, and one loves them less.

• Nationalism is a synthetic product generated using public education and is centered around certain hollow symbols: a flag, an anthem, some yellowed pieces of paper, a few creation myths and so on. It is supported by certain rituals (parades, speeches, handing out of medals) that comprise a civic cult. The purpose of nationalism is to support the nation-state. Where nationalism serves the needs of one’s native land and people, nationalism and patriotism become aligned; when it destroys them, nationalism becomes the enemy and patriots form partisan movements, rise up and destroy the nation-state.

• Fascism is the perfect melding of the nation-state and corporations, in the course of which the distinction between public and private interests becomes erased and corporations come to dictate public policy. An almost perfect expression of fascism is the recent transatlantic and transpacific trade agreements negotiated in secret by the Obama administration, which at the moment, to everyone’s great relief, seem to be dead in the water.

You can read the rest @
http://dissidentvoice.org/2016/06/cognitive-dissonance-the-dilemma-of-the-left/

You can find Orlov's original essay here:

http://cluborlov.blogspot.fr/2016/06/firing-elites_28.html

Make no mistake, just because TPP, TTIP, and TISA "seem to be dead in the water", that does not mean they are no longer a threat. Like giant icebergs lingering off our coasts, they still have the capacity to sink what remains of our economy and ship of state.

The only way to rid ourselves of them is to incarcerate the people who wrote them and the people who support them ... and to return honesty and patriotism to our government.

Good luck with that.