An America We Never Knew Monday, October 09, 2006

A big thanks to Markus for pointing the way to this grim article entitled "Ten Reasons You Will Not Recognize America in Ten Years". He basically sums up all of the fears harbored by those of us who have been watching carefully... and paints a bleak picture of our nation's future.

He takes them point by point, mentioning several key changes that have taken place under the Bush-Cheney cabal's gentle leadership:

• The "Enemy Combatant" Law and its truly frightening implications for the broad, sweeping power it gives the President to ignore our Constitutional rights by detaining anyone it sees fit simply by labeling them an "unlawful enemy combatant"
• The "Patriot" Act and the broad, sweeping power it gives the executive branch to ignore the legislative, giving them unprecedented rights to surveil and monitor the citizenry
• The "Real ID" Act, the very quiet law that will require all US Citizens to carry a federally-issued identification card in order to do much of anything, further dismantling the states' power and keeping the central government on top of everyone's comings and goings
• The rise of electronic money, which, once it reaches its logical conclusion, will make all transactions trackable by the government

And while the future may not be as grim as the writer makes it out to be, it's certainly high time that people stood up, took notice, and started fighting back. The government is in power for one reason: because we put them there. The mandate from the people is always temporary. It can be taken back. Refuse, resist.