Tyranny

[Deja Q]

1. The government or authority of a tyrant; a country
governed by an absolute ruler; hence, arbitrary or
despotic exercise of power; exercise of power over
subjects and others with a rigor not authorized by law or
justice, or not requisite for the purposes of government.
1913 Webster

"Sir," would he Seneca say, "an emperor mote need
Be virtuous and hate tyranny." --Chaucer.
1913 Webster

2. Cruel government or discipline; as, the tyranny of a
schoolmaster.
1913 Webster

3. Severity; rigor; inclemency.
1913 Webster

Let's discuss each meaning:

1. Read the Patriot Act and what those chumps in the House just voted for. 'nuff said.

2. Patriot Act aside, 3000 people die on 9/11. * decides to call 9/11 "Patriot Day". Apart from implying those people died to suit *'s whims, never mind the DOCUMENTED FACT we were warned in plenty of time before the disaster, and something stinks. Never mind how Iraq was an imminent threat and then how they we wanted to get rid of tyrants who used nasty weapons (forgetting to tell us the US sold them plenty of weapons in the 1980s) so we can freeeeee their people. Never mind the patiot act and the recent news that * wants China (and other countries) to stop their piracy and (*giggle*) "respect intellectual property rights". Good luck. Keep it up, *. Maybe the Chinese (a repressive/fascist government even the "Patriot Act" pales in comparison to) will respond with their military might and they've got more people in their army, more people, and more people willing to die for THEIR country. (so you blew it with America, *. Check the enlistment numbers lately? I've probably had more sex partners than the local enlistment center had people walking through the door! And that ain't many.)

3. * has used unprecedented levels of doublespeak. For the economy, he tells us how offshoring to China is good. He later tells us to "buy American". Never mind the offshoring, which goes to more than China, will be a detriment in the middle- and long-term. Never mind the real risks to national security. Don't even bother with the piracy talk because we give them the jobs and they sure as hell won't write code that stops piracy because, in these countries, 74-90% of the software they use is pirated (India's piracy rate is 74%, China is 90%. Do you think they will patch the code they made holey? Hardly. It'd put a kibosh on THEIR economies faster than you can say "oops".) Best of all are the continuing media reports of scary things: Running out of land to plant crops on, peak oil, bird flu, how regular flu will kill 30k Minnesotans this year, I could go on and on and on and on and on about the suicidal-inducing media. They say fear keeps people in line. But especially with natural calamities, none of it is in out control. "Rigor" is too right: (ed.) A sense of chilliness, with contraction of the skin; a convulsive shuddering or tremor, as in the chill preceding a fever. 1913 Webster

So, yeah, I fear the US has become a country ran by tyrants too.