Grim reaper

Sensenbrenner: in German it’s a blacksmith who forges blades for scythes. In America it’s someone who mows down the American dream like the grim reaper.

Now that the corrupt, neo-fascist nature of our administration is revealing itself to all but the fanatical few, the Republicans are rushing to complete their hijacking of America before America is able to get rid of them with due process. We can look forward to any number of false emergencies and red herrings being used to justify further domestic espionage and curtailments of liberty so that by the time the next election rolls around, they will have enough information to intimidate dissent, enough power to squelch dissent and, horrible to imagine, enough power to stop or subvert the democratic process entirely. After all if the President reserves the right to suspend any provision of the constitution, why not run for a third term? After all there’s a war on and Mexicans are swarming over the border and our children are in such danger from the internet that the NSA needs to read your e-mail and keep a log of every blog, newsgroup and web site you visit.

Or so says Wisconsin Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He agrees with Attorney General Alberto Gonzales that ISPs should keep careful records of what you do on line; check out that the links on your blog don’t lead to another blog which leads to another blog that eventually leads to one with a discussion group where someone might reveal information that gives a hint of where someone might find child pornography. If that’s your blog, you’re a felon. If the ISP doesn’t comply, draconian punishment will apply to its executives. Silence and obedience! Never mind the goose-stepping troops and the secret camps and torture chambers – obedience is freedom and they hate us for our freedom.

Face it, totalitarians hate the net. China only allows its citizens limited access because they know the truth can bring down a government. The Republicans know it too and have been trying to hamstring it since the inception of the web, and saving the children has been a pet theme for the kidnapping of our freedom.

No matter how loathsome child exploitation is, the exploitation of such things to deprive us of a voice is more so. That the Republicans can hide the deaths and suffering of Iraqi children while waving the flag proves them to be liars; that they ignore dying, starving and neglected children around the world and justify it asa political necessity, proves them to be liars.

What does it say about this sad, dirty, apathetic and demented country that we put liars in charge of the truth and call it patriotism?

It’s our country – let’s take it back.