Conason: It can happen here

[Doctor_J]

Joe is more sanguine than I am, and than most of the follow-ups to his article:

The most obvious symptoms can be observed in the regime's style, which features an almost casual contempt for democratic and lawful norms; an expanding appetite for executive control at the expense of constitutional balances; a reckless impulse to corrupt national institutions with partisan ideology; and an ugly tendency to smear dissent as disloyalty. The most troubling effects are matters of substance, including the suspension of traditional legal rights for certain citizens; the imposition of secrecy and the inhibition of the free flow of information; the extension of domestic spying without legal sanction or warrant; the promotion of torture and other barbaric practices, in defiance of American and international law; and the collusion of government and party with corporate interests and religious fundamentalists.

What worries many Americans even more is that the authoritarians can excuse their excesses as the necessary response to an enemy that every American knows to be real. For the past five years, the Republican leadership has argued that the attacks of September 11, 2001 -- and the continuing threat from jihadist groups such as al Qaeda -- demand permanent changes in American government, society, and foreign policy.

http://www.alternet.org/rights/48246/

[Parisle]

1. The Bush administration declared war on the Constitution

--- Joe just acknowledged that fact. Democrats should be echoing this in congress. This "My distinguished friend from...." bullshit has got to stop. This IS a war.

[Devon77]

2. White House Rehearses for a Domestic Attack

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17302994/site/newsweek/
Critics say the 'tabletop exercise,' aimed at testing responses to an IED assault, stokes a state of fear.

Feb. 23, 2007 - The White House is staging a high-level exercise Saturday to test responses to the prospect of a massive domestic terrorist attack involving IEDs (improvised explosive devices)—the same deadly roadside bombs that have been used by insurgents against the U.S. military in Iraq.

snip

The senior administration official played down that concern, saying the scenario is “not based on any existing or current intelligence” that terrorists are plotting IED attacks inside the U.S. The official noted, however, that both the World Trade Center bombing of 1993 and the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995 both involved versions of homemade bombs inside the country. “This has been a threat for the last 14 years,” the official said.

But one Democratic lawmaker quickly questioned the need for such elaborate exercises, saying this one seemed more the product of overheated imaginations than real-life threats.

“Sometimes I have a sense they’re watching too many reruns of ’24',” said Rep. Jim Moran, a Virginia Democrat who serves on the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. “They need to get a grip. We don’t have IEDs here. They’re creating a state of fear beyond what is helpful.”

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_5271117

McVeigh and Nichols were the only defendants indicted in the bombing. However, Nichols alleges others were involved.
McVeigh told him he was recruited for undercover missions while serving in the military, according to Nichols. He says he learned sometime in 1995 that there had been a change in the bombing target and that McVeigh was upset by that.
"There, in what I believe was an accidental slip of the tongue, McVeigh revealed the identity of a high-ranking FBI official who was apparently directing McVeigh in the bomb plot,"

Just a bit fear mongering or do they have other surprises for us?

[freefall]

3. "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."

I found that quote from Sinclair Lewis when I followed a link in Conason's article. It has probably been posted here on DU before but it is so prescient that I thought it worth posting again.

Peace,

freefall

:kick: