Comments on Mailman Mike, DoD Agent

Bush and his supporters always use fairly outlandish hypotheticals to justify their actions, like a 'ticking box' or a situation where you need to torture someone because NYC is going to be nuked in 5 minutes, when I'm sure these policies are executed in much more mundane situations with relative frequency.

Hey, it's 24 as public policy! If it's good enough for Jack Bauer, it's good enough for us, damnit!

Oh, and this was in the Times today, too.

Hadn't seen it in the Times yet when I wrote the post, Levislade. I'll change the wording. Thanks.

OK, the next time some Harvard sociologist writes about the “ghetto culture of criminality,” he should be slapped upside the head, and sent to the White House to carry out his investigations.

What a great example Bush is setting for all our youth, doncha think? If you rise high enough, you can get away with it.

How can this be happening?

Our phones are tapped, our computers are monitored and now our mail is read.

How can the people working in the Bush Administration even think that this is ethical or even remotely constitutional?

As Marty Kaplan said "I must have missed the day in 10th grade Civics where we learned about the ticking bomb exception in all of the laws in the Constitution."

Maybe we should all write letters to our congressmen asking them to introduce a bill to revoke bush's signing statement privilages, or better yet ITMFA.

Here's the Democrats' reaction:

http://www.gocomics.com/rallcom/2006/11/27/

Harriet Miers resigned today. With Democrats in control of Congress her days were numbered.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Miers-Resignation.html

I have heard some people say that we are no where near the point of being a Nazi Germany. With all the Bush freaks have done to keep us "safe" at what point do we all agree we are living in Germany circa 1936? Do we wait until the rest of the world gangs up on us? And an interesting side note: Adolph Hitler addressed the Reichstag after the invasion of Poland stating that the invasion was a pre-emptive strike against an aggressive nation (Poland). You know....just saying....

Did Harriet resign to "spend more time with her family"? Oh, wait she has no family. HA HA HA HA HA!!!! (That was mean of me)

Viva la resistance!!!

Andrew,

Well, we're not using wheelbarrows for wallets for one thing.

And personally, I think the U.S. is simply too large, both geographically, culturally, and in terms of population to ever become the kind of homogeneous state that Nazi Germany turned into post WW-I.

Even if, in some terribly unlikely scenario the federal government were to come under the control of true fascists (as opposed to the fascist-lite/Neo-Con contingent still clinging to power in one branch of our government), I honestly believe there are enough of of us elsewhere who would actively oppose them, to the point that, while pockets of fascism might conceivably rise up in some parts of the country, other parts, such as the Northeast and West Coast would provide some significant counter to such a movement.

At least, that's what helps me get to sleep at night.

There's a reason why 64 percent of Americans think they're already being wiretapped by the FBI.

Where are all the nazis these days anyways? Wheres the Klan,Skinheads and Neo-nazis?
What are those crazy survivalists upto?
Its wierd. I remember all thruogh the 80s and 90s seeing incidents, protests(you know the Dixie flag freaks)etc.
Randy Weaver like shootouts with the police. Olahoma and Waco. Even though Koresh wasn't particularly a racist fanatic he was creepy like one.
I don't miss them on the Telly but its strange how they have all been quiet
and are brought up only in Frontline " Inside the KKK " repeats.
Have they assimilated into the masses waiting to strike? Or have they finally gotten tired of having to argue with their daughters over dating Black men. Just wondering.

@14 - they're working in the Red House in DC, with the rest of the Bushies.

I think Comte @12 is largely right. America is huge, and it'd be hard to exact the sort of repression and mind-control that the Nazi's managed.
However, you don't have to. America is so huge that widespread, France-like demonstrations and strikes can't really take place like they can in smaller countries.
Or can they? What with the internets and all...
Or perhaps the enemies of freedom can disappear enough people, and sow enough confusion and fear that effective resistance can't flourish.
Or maybe the economy will shudder and crack, throwing the US (and world) into a tailspin, then the police, military, and corporate mercenaries can do what they please to any "leaders" that emerge.
How can we get Cheney and all the jackasses working for a dictatorial executive branch in jail?

Thank you Treacle, you proved my point exactly. Those who claim it can never happen here are more of a threat than the Neo-cons who are leading us down the path we are on. It is always the same arguments such as we are too big geographically or we are not destitute ect ect. Like a bolt of lightning in the horizon we have had many flashes of what we are propelling ourselves towards. But we still deny it could ever happen to us. And in our collective denial we allow ourselves to move to the storm ahead.

Remember that when the men in jack boots knock on your door at 2 am in the morning. Or how about just ask a Muslim American how safe they felt on September 12 2001 in the USA.