Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road

Two recent news items, both of which build upon previously prominent stories, are dire indicators that the United States is, indeed, under attack from within. But contrary to what many seem to believe, the attack isn't one carried out with bombs, guns or even hijacked aircraft. No, the attack is an insidious one. It's a quiet one. It's a largely unnoticed one. But it's one that may change the course of a nation thought to be the epitome of personal freedom.

The attack currently underway is built upon the premise that one man and his appointed sycophants can undo over 200 years of governmental checks and balances in order to create an autocracy that resembles the USSR far more than it does the USA.

So what are the two most recent examples of this attack?

The first was the revelation that President Bush issued another of his infamous signing statements when the revised Patriot Act legislation was enacted earlier this month. In effect, the signing statement affords the President the discretion to do whatever the hell he pleases regardless of what the law says.

The second was the DoJ's indication that the NSA's warrantless surveillance program could legally wiretap calls between doctors and their patients as well as calls between attorneys and their clients. So much for our long-held beliefs that doctor-patient confidentiality and attorney-client privilege should be among our most cherished and necessary privacy protections. This interpretation would appear to allow the government to eavesdrop on conversations taking place between a lawyer and a criminal defendant being prosecuted by that same government. Regardless of strict legalities, that's just not right.

This President and his administration are in the midst of not just defiling but destroying the very foundation of our republic. Their abuse of power and their overt willingness to break the law and subvert the Constitution are unprecedented in our nation's history. They are taking us to a place never thought possible by the majority of Americans who grew up assuming that our freedom and privacy would be protected forever.

Little by little and day by day, it becomes more and more apparent that we are - most certainly - not in Kansas anymore, Toto. But instead of landing in the merry old land of Oz, we are being led to a dark and distant land that would frighten the bloomers off of the Wicked Witch of the West. The yellow brick road, alas, is nearing a dead end.

Be afraid. Be very afraid!