How to Lose a Country in Seven Easy Stepsby Eric Alterman, MSNBC.com (I'm not kidding)
OK, let’s take this step by step, lest we be accused of sounding shrill, ideological or just plain out of our respective minds.
Point one: The Bush administration is, as this piece in today’s Washington Post puts it, working to “consolidate influence in a small circle of Republicans and to marginalize dissenting voices that would try to impede a conservative agenda.” ...
Point Two: They are doing so with a historically unprecedented, at least in this country, degree of secrecy, and therefore lack of accountability....
Point Three: These same people, acting with unprecedented centralization of power, and secrecy, have taken it upon themselves to suspend the most basic rights enumerated in our constitution, and are carrying out the functional equivalent of a police state....
Point Four: While they pay rhetorical tribute to “democracy,” they side with tyrants whenever convenient....
Point Five: In response to even the most carefully documented evidence, the White House simply refuses to engage and, instead, impugns the character of those who present it, like this: “In response, Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, said, 'I think the allegations are ridiculous, and unsupported by the facts.'" They also take Orwellian doublespeak to a level that would have embarrassed Orwell. “'We've also - are leading the way when it comes to spreading compassion,’ Mr. McClellan said."
Point Six: And one reason they get away with it is that many in the media, even alleged “liberals,” are eager to help. And I don’t mean just Fox, Rush, and the entire structure of the conservative echo machine....
Point Seven: No less important in allowing it all to take place, is that the so-called “Gang of 500,”—the insiders of the mainstream media, do not really care about any of the above....
(Click here to read the complete article.)
Congress Considers Increasing New PATRIOT Spying Powers
