no further than Memphis, Tennessee.
There are several, notable characteristics of fascist societies and two in
particular apply here.
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist societies often are
the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a
mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite. In
the case of Memphis, this relationship is clear and is well into the
reciprocation phase, where the government leaders repay their debts by
enabling private profiteers to benefit at the expense of the general
public.
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and
associates who appoint each other to government positions and use
governmental power and authority to protect their friends from
accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for public
resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen
by government leaders.
The case study in Memphis involves a battle over our public riverfront.
On one side you have the people, fed misinformation and intentionally
kept in the dark by fat-cat politico capitalists, and on the other side, a
heavily interdigitated group of politicians, bankers, developers, lawyers
and public manipulators also known as PR firms, hell bent on developing
pubic land at the taxpayers expense.
Almost two hundred years ago, the city founders (beneficiaries of the
astonishing generosity of the Chickasaw) understood the value of the
riverfront and the benefits of it remaining in the public domain. To
prevent its future development, the founders gave Memphians the right
to use it and enjoy it forever by creating the Public Promenade. In
today's vernacular, we call such places conservation easements.
But some wealthy people with a keen eye for opportunity started poking
around and devised a clever plan to improve the riverfront, help the
city and get richer in the process.
Thank god for development, for rescuing our natural resources from
millions of years of neglect!
If you've paid much attention to how things progressed in Iraq, it's easy
to see how this works. First, you devise a plan behind closed doors and
build a comprehensive and diverse circle of support in the areas needed.
In this case, it was politicians, developers, lawyers that specialize in
condemnation and eminent domain actions and a PR firm. Secondly, you
publicly identify a problem and make that problem a public relations
issue, by using the local media as an arm of information dissemination to
push your agenda. You sell the public on all the wonderful improvements
and how the plan benefits the people, making certain the people don't
have access to some very pertinent information that might raise
questions and scrutiny. And by the time such questions and issues do
arise, it's usually too late, because the steed is in full gait and there's no
stopping it. (At least not in the short term.) The politicians are on
board, the skids and the palms are greased and the plan is in full swing.
The plan? The plan is to allow a group known as the Riverfront
Development Corporation take control of the Public Promenade and
embark on the most expensive capital project in the history of the city,
allowing private developers to build high-rise apartments, hotels,
offices, shops and restaurants on the most strategically located section
of our public riverfront. Also included are two land bridges that would
dam the harbor, destroying a naturally occurring geophysical element of
our bioregion. No environmental impact studies have been conducted,
yet the RDC Master Plan estimates that about 324,000 gallons of water
per day would be lost through seepage. Engineers also advise that the
resulting seepage and land settlement could cause cracking in existing or
proposed buildings.
The RDC was created in 2000, and shortly thereafter, the Mayor and City
Council shifted control of the Memphis riverfront parks to the new
quasi-governmental, publicly funded body. The board is a "who's who" of
politicians and players, including Rickey Peete, one of the biggest
traitors and hypocrites I've ever seen in local government, NBA legend
Jerry West, Cybill Shepherd, Pat Kerr Tigrett, former editor of The
Commercial Appeal Angus McEachran (a key appointment for access to
media), Kristi W. Jernigan, who once said the "land was too valuable to
not develop," Barbara Hyde and Jeff Sanford, the President Memphis
Center City Commission who incidentally produces a website called
"Downtown Developer." While this group has done many positive things
with respect to restoring old buildings and blighted areas, I don't think
there can be any question about where Mr. Sanford's interests lie.
Sure, there are public hearings, information sessions and opportunities
for public comment, but this is a carefully orchestrated charade and the
actors know their lines well, having performed this play many times
before. The star of the play is Benny Lendermon who, according to
minutes from an Riverfront Development Corporation meeting, once
stated that "In regard to the public process, since condemnation issues
will be involved, public relations must be carefully planned." But Benny is
just a hand-picked figure head working at the direction of the
developers, public know-it-all's and King Willie, otherwise known as the
mayor. It's important to note that not a single concern or suggestion
posed by concerned, informed citizens during the early planning was
adopted or even given serious consideration, and in subsequent public
forums there's been a lot of head nodding and "thank you's," but no
changes.
The project will lose money for at least 20 years, with debt piling up to a
peak of over $140 million, but in return, the citizens get skyscrapers
blocking the view of the river from existing, historic buildings as well as
potentially long lasting environmental damage and loss of control ad
infinitum.
The organized opposition, Friends of the Riverfront, is not against
development or against improving the area, but they are asking that an
honest and open public comment and planning process be implemented.
Additionally, they are asking that careful consideration be given to
successful plans implemented by progressive cities like Portland, Oregon,
Chicago, Illinois and even Chattanooga. All of these cities were able to
preserve critical green areas and habitat while crafting wise use plans for
development that maximized and enhanced existing historic structures,
ease of movement and access and were economically viable. In other
words, a reasonable marriage between natural habitat, human
development and fiscal responsibility.
My guess is it's too late in Memphis and the rights of the citizens will be
trampled under foot by the profit motivated desires of a rich and
powerful few. But such is often the case in a world where the dominant
meme is built on competition and greed, not cooperation, altruism and
mutual aid. Even more basic and fundamentally dysfunctional is the view
that man is something distinct and different from the other species he
shares the neighborhood with, a neighborhood that's viewed as
something divinely appropriated for his exploitation and benefit.
In the end, mother nature always bats last. The reality of Peak Oil and
the resulting economic breakdowns associated with our dependence of
fossil fuels will slow down the galloping steed and order will once again
be restored. We will be forced to re-learn how to live in harmony with
our fellow man and with the earth or we will perish.
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