We've been plunged into an endless war with a faceless enemy that uses our actions to recruit more followers. Habeas Corpus, one of the oldest protections offered to the citizens of the Western World, dating back to the Magna Carta, has been suspended. The President has signed orders that give him the right to strip not only Constitutional protections from anyone they choose, but to strip any person of property based upon the very SUGGESTION that they may be interfering with the prosecution of this eternal war.
If we were cynical and skeptical beings, we might suggest that it's a backdoor arrangement to institute a form of Lese Majeste here in the united states. Lese Majeste, for those of you who don't know, is a way a king, or the state, may silence dissent by declaring those who speak out to be an "enemy of the state."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lese-majesteTread carefully, Americans. Over two thirds of you disagree with the way this war has been prosecuted, or even the reasons we're allegedly there. If you were to admit it to the wrong person, and could possibly be seen as a threat, you could just as easily lose everything as anyone who genuinely had the worst intentions in mind.
And there's no line between those who seek evil ends and those who simply seek justice. In the eyes of these laws, it's all in the perception, and at the discretion, of those who would enforce this order.
George W. Bush has arranged it so he could declare martial law at the drop of a hat. A pandemic, a genuine terrorist act, or even another major natural disaster could be all he needed to do it. And there is no one with the nerve or strength to gainsay him.
If you love America, if you love liberty, if you love this country at all, step cautiously. Or, perhaps, maybe it's time to step loudly. To speak softly and carry a big stick, and let it rap on the floor as you walk, just so they can hear the echo of it striking the earth beneath your feet.
The time for silence has passed. The time for consideration, for conciliation, for appeasement, has ended.
We will not use their language. "You're either with us or against us." But they will use that language again, and they may choose this time to enforce it in ways we cannot yet dream. They could. There is NOTHING stopping them.
George W. Bush has, himself, referred to the Constitution of the United States as a "damned piece of paper." And he HAS stated, personally, that "this would be much easier as a dictatorship, as long as I was the dictator."
That's not a sentiment we should allow our President to contemplate. Ever.
It would not surprise me to see this executive order turned against the most puissant voices in Congress, ones that opposed his agenda directly. "Giving aid to the enemy," they'll call it. But, of course, they're not quite specific as to the enemy in question, or what, precisely would be considered "giving them aid."
Or, more specifically, "blocking the war effort." Even if the enemy remains unidentified, a shadowy presence just outside the range of our vision.
Ambiguity in the law is a dangerous, and even deadly, thing to behold.
And that's precisely what we're looking at.
The rich are getting richer at a faster rate, more people are falling below the poverty line every day, and our economy is being propped up by artificial means. China owes a massive amount of our debt, we're spending millions in the blink of an eye in a war we shouldn't even be fighting, our infrastructure is crumbling before our eyes, and NOTHING they're doing is going to make a goddamn difference in the long run.
The time for hitting the "snooze" button is behind us. Either the sleeping giant wakes, or it dies. There are no other options.
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