From: Samantha Tennison (xytrope@yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Aug 21 2002 - 15:46:46 MDT
Adrian Tymes wrote:
""See McCarthyism, Watergate, Vietnam War, et cetera.
The historical trend is that eventually someone goes
Too Far and it gets publicized, at which time the
American public (often violently) shifts things back
towards liberty.""
I can only hope you're right. However I think several
aspects of what's currently happening are entirely new
and unprecedented that could prevent a similar
backlash from occuring this time:
1. We are an "indefinite" war without a clear enemy
and no clear criteria for what might end this war -
thus its indefinite nature.
2. The largest revision and expansion of surveillance
and executive powers in US History - lifting all
previous bans, including the elimination of 4th
ammendment protections - granting the massive US
surveillance machine to spy on americans. Imagine
what they were able to do with just the FBI going
after dissent in your above examples. Now imagine the
entire US surviellance apparatus with unprecendented
levels of technology doing it this time.
3. Erosion of the seperation of powers. Will become
almost non-existent if Bush is granted his "broad new
powers" that he is requesting.
4. Internment and loss of constitutional rights for
ordinary americans - with the Padilla case, obviously
engineered and fabricated to set the legal precedent.
5. Erosion or outright elimination of the Pssse
Cumatus laws preventing US Troops to be actively
engaged in domestic law enforcement.
6. The creation of an American Stasi - Operation TIPS
- rumored to be going forward, curcumventing
congressional approval by tieing it in with 'America's
Most Wanted' TV Program. Some people having already
joked about renamine the program, 'Americans Most
Unpatriotic'.
Your reponse?
Sam
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