I just can't sit back and watch someone malign libertarians as fascists, or to let them make false claims about the ideology without challenge.

Libertarianism is what was commonly called classical liberalism before the term became confused with the American left / progressives who came to be called "liberals" as we understand the term today. Classical liberalism is the liberalism they are talking about when you hear the phrase "Western Liberal Democracies" and similar such terms. The values are: Peace, property rights, individuality, rule of law and above all FREEDOM.

Mussolini defined fascism as "Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state." He detested freedom and frequently said so--just google up some quotes and you'll get an eyeful. Fascist values are things like duty, honor, self-sacrifice and service to a higher power, i.e. the State.

The only shared value is a limited protection for property rights but for which the state reserved the right to override at will since the state was supreme. Other than that, fascism's contempt for the rule of law and the rights of individuals is the EXACT OPPOSITE of classical liberalism. Fascism is a reaction against liberalism. Mussolini and Hitler both spent a lot of time telling people why liberalism was a degenerate ideology and freedom was a joke. Just follow your orders.

Socialism (a softer word for the bloody Communism of the 20th century) and Fascism are actually a much closer ideological match. They feature authoritarianism, hierarchy, duty, self-sacrifice and service to a higher power, i.e. "The People" which is really just the State, and a characteristic contempt for rule of law. Freedom and individuality take a back seat to the needs of the group.