Fascism; What Is It?

Well, I must concede that J.D. is more knowledgeable about political history than I am, in the sense of being able to quote various scholars. 

However, after reading his entry, I am, if anything, yet more confused as to a clear definition of Fascism.  I still seem to sense that it is totalitarianism: a faith in the state to set things right, and also a choice to use force to eliminate the opposition.   Hopefully, such ideas represent a minority in the United States in both major political parties. 

The libertarian response to arguments about the left and the right is to throw out these categories as vague and unhelpful and instead look at the basic political division as between statists and individualists.   By this way of thinking, leftists and rightists (fascists) are both statists and on the opposite scale to lovers of freedom. 

 I also prefer arguments based upon reason, evidence and science, and so hope to find some agreement with J.D. on this subject.  In addition, I prefer politics based upon democracy, not aristocracy, including the aristocracy of intellectuals.  I do not have a great deal of trust in so called intellectuals, because I have read too much nonsense spewed in the name of intellectualism: Nietszche, Marx, Freud, Skinner, Sartre, not to mention our local professors in the State university.  Unfortunately, the democratic masses often elect idiots and vote for poor legislation.   I forget who first said that Democracy is the worst form of government ever invented, except for every other known form of government.