I'm not convinced... surely U2 can't be that popular!

In India the number 7 entry is Backstreet Boys, whilst Depeche Mode is at number 3 in Russia.

How reliable is this software? And who is being measured?

Neon - you must be using a different dictionary to the one I use. My definition came from the online Chambers dictionary (UK) which says nothing about a fascism needing to be a dictatorship. After all, there are fascist parties which are not in power that can still be described thus - all that is required is a tendency to act like a dictatorship or a desire (either explicit or secret) to behave like one.

Judging from the way that Bush's Republican party has systematically installed their political allies into many preferably non-political areas (eg, the Judiciary and the Governmental scientific bodies) it is certainly doing its best to be dictatorial. Also, did Bush even win his first election? A leader who is elected through corruption counts as a dictator in my book.

Even if we say Bush did win, both Mussolini and Hitler also won 'democratic' elections. You can be elected and still be a fascist - the difference is that once in power a fascist will do everything they can to overcome the limits placed upon them by the democratic system. I think Bush has certainly done his best to do this.

Look at it this way; if Bush and his buddies had lost the second election, but had found a sneaky way of staying in power that didn't cause complete chaos... would they have bowed down to the wished of the electorate? I doubt it.

Book of Copyright

1.1 And the Capitalist did speak unto the Empress and he did say.
1.2 'Lo, it is so that all that is good flows from me. Without me no work would be done, no music would be sung, no pages would be writ. There would be no scientists, nor engineers, nor doctors.
1.3 And the Empress, in her ignorance, did bow down to the Capitalist.
1.4 And she spake 'Good sir, how can I serve thee.'
1.5 So the Capitalist smiled and said unto her 'All the people of this land shall be my slaves. The men and women shall be beholden to me and the children shall be taught my wisdom'
1.6 The Empress, full of her own arrogance, agreed.
1.7 But then the prophet of the Lord did appear. And mighty was his wrath.
1.8 And he did cast the Capitalist out of the palace. To the Empress he decreed.
1.9 'Oh foolish woman. Our Lord did not create music to be the property of men. And he did not create words so that the Capitalist could pile high his gold.'
1.10 'And science exists so that man may better understand our Lord's creation.'
1.11 'These things he created for all humanity.'
1.12 And fearing the anger of the prophet, the Empress did grovel before the Lord.
1.13 'Please forgive me. I was arrogant and believed that these things were in my power to give away. Now I see this is not so.'
1.14 And the prophet did nod. 'These things can no more be owned than the air we breathe. Now you must earn forgivness.'
1.15 But the Empress did weep. 'Oh Lord. I do not know what to do. I am weak and foolish - so it is that the Capitalist fooled me.'
1.16 And the prohpet was filled with pity, for he knew that all leaders of the day were week and foolish.
1.17 'Empress.' He did say unto her 'Take the music and the books from your palace library and give them freely unto the people.'
1.18 'But how shall we make new music without the Capitalist?' She did ask.
1.19 And the prophet did laugh.
1.20 'And such is your foolishness! Musicians are as trees - they need protection only from woodcutters, and do not need cultivation. They must weather the storms to grow strong and study. A tree inside a barn will grow bent and withered.'
1.21 Upon hearing these words the Empress ceased her weaping.
1.21 'Greatly am I indebted to you, for you have saved my people a great injustice.'
1.22 And she did command her servants to amass the great works of civilization and she saw to it that each citizen was given free access to these.
1.23 'In this way.' The Empress declared to all 'we shall all become wiser and happier'.
1.24 So it came to pass that her land was revered throughout the world, and many traveled from afar to read the books and hear the music of her great land.

Sorry to be pedantic, but Fascism is defined thus: an authoritarian government promoting the supremacy of a particular nation over all others. This political movement supresses democratic mechanisms such as the Union movement and is nationalistic and militaristic.

Its wrong to say that the US is 'moving towards' becoming a fascist state, because the US has had strong fascistic tendencies ever since Communism became a perceived threat to the US. Faced with Left-wing extremism the US establishment decided to fight authoritarian socialistic fire with authoritarian nationalistic fire.

Tell me the Hollywood blacklists and the Mcarthy anti-Communist witchhunts of the late forties an the fifties were not fascistic, or that making all kids pledge allegiance to the flag is not nationalistic authoritarianism!

The fact is that anyone who is affiliated to, or is a supporter of, a political party that promotes the US as the best nation in the world, that teaches its citizens it has to support the US and its soldiers at all costs and which threatens military action against other nations that don't agree, is a fascist. Look up the word in a dictionary and you will see I am right.