--- In [email protected], [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
>
> In a message dated 7/2/07 8:10:51 A.M. Central Daylight Time,
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>
> "A few years ago we couldn't have imagined that our government would
> ban public demonstrations by forcing protesters into "Free Speech
> Zones" behind fences, miles away from other Americans. The
> unimaginable has now become real."
> ~~ RJ Eskow
>
>
>
> A few years ago we weren't dealing with a world wide movement of
terrorism
> hell bent on destroying our civilization and using our values of
freedom,
> tolerance and diversity against us either. You might look back in
history and
> see what other presidents did in times of war that temporarily curbed
> freedoms. Lincoln and Roosevelt come to mind immediately.
And upon reflection those actions have been seen to be
unconstitutional, unnecessary, self-defeating and wrong. Meanwhile,
xenophobic, authoritarian ideologues have a wet dream. They either
promote or fall for the following:
Hermann Göring explains how the Nazis were able to make use of this:
Göring: Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some
poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that
he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece.
Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in
England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is
understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who
determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the
people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a
Parliament or a Communist dictatorship.
Gilbert [the interviewer]: There is one difference. In a
democracy, the people have some say in the matter through their
elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can
declare wars.
Göring: Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the
people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is
easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and
denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country
to danger. It works the same way in any country.
______
Historians may look back on U.S. press coverage of George W. Bush's
presidency and wonder why there was not a single front-page story
announcing one of the most monumental events of mankind's modern era
the death of the American Republic and the elimination of the
"unalienable rights" pledged to "posterity" by the Founders.
The historians will, of course, find stories about elements of this
extraordinary event Bush's denial of habeas corpus rights to a fair
trial, his secret prisons, his tolerance of torture, his violation of
Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches, his
"signing statements" overriding laws, the erosion of constitutional
checks and balances.
But the historians will scroll through front pages of the New York
Times, the Washington Post and other newspapers, TV network and cable
news channels and find not a single story connecting the dots,
explaining the larger picture: the end of a remarkable democratic
experiment which started in 1776 and which was phased out sometime in
the early 21st century.
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2007/062007.html
