America Drifts Rapidly Toward A Police State

America Drifts Rapidly Toward A Police State
By Mike Whitney
ZMag.org
11-5-5

"Those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty,
my message is this: Your tactics only aid the terrorists for they
erode our national unity and diminish our resolve. They give
ammunition to America's enemies and pause to America's friends"
-- Former Attorney General, John Ashcroft

Did you know that under the terms of the new Patriot Act prosecutors
will be able to seek the death penalty in cases where "defendants
gave financial support to umbrella organizations without realizing
that some of its adherents might eventually commit violence"? (NY
Times; editorial 10-30-05) So, if someone unknowingly gave money to
a charity that was connected to a terrorist group, he could be
executed.

Or, that the Senate Intelligence Committee is fine-tuning the
details of a bill that will allow the FBI to secretly procure any of
your personal records without "probable cause" or a court order
giving them "unchecked authority to pry into personal and business
matters"? (New York Times, "Republicans seek to widen FBI Powers, 10-
19-05)

Or, that on June 29, President Bush put "a broad swath of the FBI"
under his direct control by creating the National Security Service
(aka; the "New SS")? This is the first time we've had a "secret
police" in our 200 year history. It will be run exclusively by the
president and beyond the range of congressional oversight.

Or, that on October 27, 2005 president Bush created the National
Clandestine Service, which will be headed by CIA Director Porter
Goss and will "expand reporting of information and intelligence
value from state, local and tribal law enforcement entities and
private sector stakeholders"? This executive order gives the CIA the
power to carry out covert operations, spying, propaganda, and "dirty
tricks" within the United States and on the American public. ("The
New National Intelligence Strategy of the US" by Larry Chin, Global
Research)

Or, that Pentagon intelligence operatives are now permitted to
collect information from US citizens without revealing their status
as government spies? ("Bill would give Cover to Pentagon Spies",
Greg Miller, Times Staff writer, "The Nation")

Or, that within 2 years every American license and passport will be
made according to federal uniform standards including microchips
(with biometric information) that will allow the government to trace
every movement of its citizens?

Or, that recent rulings, the DC District Court unanimously decided
in two different cases that foreign prisoners have no rights under
international law to challenge their indefinite imprisonment by the
United States and, (in Rumsfeld vs. Padilla) that the president can
lock up an American citizen "without charges" if he believes he may
be an "enemy combatant"? Both verdicts overturn the fundamental
principles of "inalienable rights", habeas corpus, and the
presumption of innocence; replacing them with the arbitrary
authority of the executive.

The American people have no idea of the amount of energy that has
been devoted to stripping them of their constitutional protections
and how stealthily that plan has been carried out. It has required
the concerted efforts of the political establishment, the corporate
elite, and the collaborative media. For all practical purposes, the
government is no longer constrained in its conduct towards its
citizens; it can do as it pleases.

The campaign to dismantle the Bill of Rights has focused primarily
on the key amendments; the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th and 14th. These
are the cornerstones of American liberty and they encompass
everything from due process to equal protection to free speech to a
ban on the "cruel and unusual" treatment of prisoners. Freedom has
little tangible meaning apart from the safety provided by these
amendments.

At present, there's no reason for the administration to assert its
new powers. That would only dispel the widely-held illusion of
personal freedom. But, the existing climate of "well being" will not
last forever. The poisonous effects of war, tax cuts, burgeoning
budget deficits, and inflation indicate that darker days lie ahead.
The middle class is stretched paper-thin and disaster could be as
close as a hike in interest rates. The new repressive legislation
anticipates the massive political unrest that naturally follows a
tenuous and volatile economic situation.

Is this why Congress has rubber stamped so many of the
administration's autocratic laws, or does Bush simply "hate our
freedoms"?

The members of America's ruling elite carefully follow the shifting
of policy in Washington. They have the power to access the
mainstream media and dispute the changes in the law that they
oppose. Regrettably, there's been no sign of protest from the
bastions of the corporate, financial and political oligarchy; just
an ominous silence.

Does this mean that American Brahmins have abandoned their support
for personal liberty and the rights of man?

America is undergoing its greatest metamorphosis. It has been
severed from its constitutional moorings and is drifting towards a
police state. If Samuel Alito is appointed to the Supreme Court then
Bush will be able to solidify his "unchecked" power as executive and
50 years of progressive legislation will be up for review.
Everything from abortion to Miranda will be reconsidered through the
hard-right lens of the new majority.

Americans still seem blissfully unaware of the fundamental changes
to the political system. The cloak of disinformation and diversion
has successfully obscured the perils of our present course. Freedom
is no longer guaranteed in Bush's America nor is liberty everyman's
birthright. The rickety scaffolding that supports the rule of law
has been replaced by the unbridled authority of the supreme
presidency. The country is slipping inexorably towards the Orwellian
nightmare; the National Security State.