Exactly ! Interesting how easily the hypocrisy of Bush and Gang is exposed in this day and age, for whom liberty, freedom and democracy et al were never more than instrumentalized rhetorics. Sort of similar to the way Osama-bin-Forgotten abused religion. ShoeshineBoy, here is a link to the Franks article, although you'll have to buy the mag to read the entire article: http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Home/In_this_issues/0,2510,,00.html The way Franks puts it is that in the case of another terrorist attack on US soil "the people will demand that the constitution be abandoned in favor of a military type of govt for protection". http://www.americanfreepress.net/11_28_03/Franks_Fears/franks_fears.html Which is similarly disingenuous to saying we started the Vietnam war because we were the victim of an attack in the Bay of Tonkin. Or its like Bush doing what he does best, starting an extremely counterproductive war that had nothing to do with fighting terror but lots with creating a fresh wave of terror recruits, by lying to his fellow citizens and the world at large, by implying and saying that we had to attack Iraq because they posed a HUGE and IMMINENT threat to the safety of the USA, that Saddam had close ties to AL Qaeda, that Saddam was behind 9-11, and that Iraq was brimming to the hilt with lethal WMD's. And an outright dictatorship, with no more pretense at democracy, would be next if Bush and Gang had their way. If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator," Bush said. -- CNN.com, December 18, 2000 Now you'll always have your fair share of uninformed people with extremist leanings in any country, and all too often an evil leadership that capitalizes and builds on that. But it should be the job of the too often silent majority to make sure that civil liberties, freedom, democracy and the constitution are staunchly defended against all threats, and that any breaches against what defines this country and what made us strong, be charged with treason, lest we turn into what in better days we professed to be fighting against: totalitarianism and dictatorships. Charge Bush with war crimes and treason, I say !
You are all forgetting something, which is that there are at least several million Americans armed to the teeth who would quite happily go out in a hail of bullets, taking dozens of Feds with them, rather than submit to a military dictatorship. And once Americans see 70-something grandpas and grandmas (and their kids) getting gunned down on their ranches, their taste for dictatorship will rapidly disappear. That is the whole reason why the 2nd amendment exists. P.S. let me guess - most of you are city dwellers?