I think there’s very little doubt among people who don’t have their heads up their hinders that we’re living in a country that is teetering ever more toward totalitarianism. There’s a number of posts and other things out there that highlight this, including the concept that the “War on Terror” doesn’t really exist and is designed mainly as a rhetorical device to get Americans to surrender their freedoms. This editorial cartoon also shows another country in the not-too-distant past that was willing to give up its freedoms in the name of homeland security. Finally there’s the top 10 signs that we’re already in or very close to a police state.
I dare you to read these and come up with a rationale that says we’re actually fighting against the terrorists by surrendering our liberty. Isn’t that exactly what the terrorists supposedly want to happen, that we become less free? Then why aren’t we combating them by making sure to reinforce things like free speech, assembly and taking pains to show that this country works by adhering to the laws of the land? When Bush & Co. go outside the system whenever they feel like it and ask us to accept call monitoring and other intrusions they are actually showing how much they hate this country and want to tear it down bit by bit in the name of a perpetual war that will perpetually keep their side of the political equation in office and their friends getting money.
All sensible Americans should be outraged by this. Saying that it’s fine for our civil liberties to be taken away because the supposedly make us safe is, at best, a childish act akin to hiding under the table until the bully goes away. He’s always going to be right there and all you’ve done is waste an afternoon. Standing up to them means celebrating the things that make us Americans and the principles this country was founded on. Anything less is unacceptable.
