We has met the enemy and he is us

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That "mainstream" media you so despise picked up the story before one of the conspiracy sites you so treasure, Masa. Yeah. NPR told me about it several days ago and has continued to keep me updated.

Might makes right in the world. Has for millennia

At issue is a pending bill in Congress to define American citizens who engage in terrorist acts against the United States as enemy combatants. As of this morning the bill would allow the US military to intervene on US soil to deal with suspected terrorists.

In other words, with this proposed law you could be arrested by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies as well as the military.

If the military arrests you for being a terrorist, then you can be held in detention for years without being formally charged and without access to a lawyer.

Under this bill if you are determined to be a terrorist, you no longer have rights under US law.

Now on the surface that may seem cool. You want to blow up Americans, fine, we'll treat you like a militant towelhead. (This epithet brought to you by Ethnic Slurs R Us)

Might still makes right.

Think deeper. Who will decide if you are a terrorist? The military? Law enforcement? Even worse, a politician?


What is the determining criteria for being a terrorist? I rather think blowing up a building is enough evidence. How about threats? Possibly.

What about people who don't threaten, but just demand change and insist on different priorities approached from a different direction?

The Supreme Court has ruled sedition, calling for the violent overthrow of the United States Government, to be illegal.

The violent overthrow of another government by the United States Government is also illegal under international law. (Disclaimer: International law is equally used and ignored by every country in the world to suit their needs of the moment. Literally, they may ignore one of the international conventions today and tomorrow demand it be applied.)

When you are a politician you get to pick and choose which rules apply to you. When you don't like a set of rules you can either ignore them or change the rules. Now the politicians have decided to enable a new set of rules which do not apply to them, but apply to you and me.

Reality will not conform itself to your expectations.

In this nation, we are supposed to have a representative government, of the people, by the people and for the people. If that was true, then Pogo's famous statement - we have met the enemy and he is us - is the truth. As long as our elected representatives can do one thing and the ordinary people cannot do the same thing, we do not have a this kind of government. We have an oligarchy which will take whatever measures are necessary to keep it that way.

The simple reality-based fact is: Might makes right.

You don't have to like it. You don't have to accept it. But the people with the big club will be glad to beat the idea into your head.