| | |  Editorials | Opinions 
Obama Leads America’s Goose-Stepping March Towards a Fascist State
 Doug Thompson - Capitol Hill Blue
go to original
May 10, 2010
 |  | Like Bush, Obama is becoming an imperial President who thinks the law does not apply at 1600 Pennsylvania. |  | | |
As the economy continues to sputter and ill-conceived wars in Iraq and Afghanistan remain stalled, the erratic administration of Barack Obama can point to progress on one front: America’s headlong rush from a free society to a fascist state.
Obama’s election was supposed to bring an end to the police-state tactics of George W. Bush and his flamboyant Field-Marshall — Dick Cheney. We waited for the new President to dismantle to system that allowed the National Security Agency to spy on Americans without oversight. We expected to see the rights-robbing USA Patriot Act dumped into the dustbin of bad ideas.
But Obama the President turned out to be a far cry from Obama the candidate. The candidate of change became of the President of status quo. Obama signed an extension of the Patriot Act, gave the NSA even more authority to snoop into the lives of Americans and instructed the Justice Department to aggressively fight any and all legal attempts to stem the police-state tactics of the federal government.
Obama also wants to turn the Department of Homeland Security into a national police force, a move that could turn the agency into an “American Gestapo.”
Now attorney general Eric Holder says he and Obama want to modify the Miranda warning that gives suspects the right to remain silent to tailor the protections to the crime. Uncle Sam wants the authority to give those arrested of some crimes less rights than others.
This is a dangerous, disturbing precedent and indicates the actions of an inexperienced President drunk from the intoxicating power of the White House. Like Bush, Obama is becoming an imperial President who thinks the law does not apply at 1600 Pennsylvania. Like Bush, Obama apparently believes the Constituion is a disposable document that can be ignored if he or his cronies disagree with time-honored concepts like liberty, freedom and the right to presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This goose-stepping march towards a fascist state comes as Democrat-turned-independent Joe Lieberman leads a Senate charge to new legislation that would strip citizenship from Americans suspected of links to terrorism. Proponents of the bill say turning such suspects into non-citizens would make it easier to kill them.
A key word here is “suspects.” The bill does not require a conviction. All it takes to lose citizenship is a “suspicion.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appears to support the bill, saying those who side with terrorist violate their oath of citizenship.
Obama doesn’t need a new law to issue orders to kill American citizens. He signed an order authorizing the U.S military to track down and kill radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki — an American citizen.
This dangerous path can lead to future abuses. What prevents future administrations and Congresses from expanding the list of “crimes” that no longer require protections of Miranda or benefits of citizenship? If we can strip an American of citizenship because he or she is suspected of criminal activity then can any American feel safe from false imprisonment or even assassination at the hands of our own government.
Where does this end? |
|
| |
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us