The "Civil Liberties Stuff"

I, too, get depressed by the civil liberties stuff. This is serious shit; all the wholesome goodness that we enjoy by virtue of living in the US is (or, rather, was) predicated on the fact that we don't have to worry about the Federal government offing us in our sleep. You know, that whole bit about "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"? You can't really pursue your happiness if Uncle Sam just killed you.

Which is why I wonder sometimes why people spend so much time worrying about HAMP or TARP; who gives a rat's ass about either of those when the President has said that he can assassinate you whenever he wants? Atrios and Markos and all the rest of the first tier, progressive bloggers should be shouting "Stop!" from the rooftops; Glenn Greenwald can't do it on his own.

I know... they'd probably say something like "Yes, but pragmatically speaking there are more immediate worries". Yeah... most people have nothing to worry about, I'm sure, regardless of who's in office. Of course that's because most people are sheep who don't threaten the status quo. Obama's not going to start rounding up people, but he shouldn't have the power to do so even in theory. And what happens when the administration changes and there's another attack? Remember "either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists"? The next time there's an attack there will be that much more pressure to sit down, shut up, and cheer harder.

Glenn's right... when you stop to think about it Obama is a tyrant. A benevolent despot, to be sure, but one who has asserted, in writing, unlimited power via the invocation of the state secrets privilege.

When it's come to that there's hardly any point in worrying about goddamn SUPERTRAINS!!!!.