A government of laws, not of men (this time with feeling)

By Heraclitus

I'm sorry to post something so glum on a Saturday afternoon, but it's worth recalling that alleged dirty-bomber Jose Padilla was held for three and a half years without trial by the US government, and tortured for most of that time. And he was and is a US citizen. So, while I hate to sound paranoid, and although I think the comparisons of the Bush administrations to the Nazis or Stalin are a bit overwrought, the reality is that this administration has steadily eroded, which is a euphemistic way of saying "made war on," the fundamental principles or bases of American political life. And they mean for US citizens to fall in this war, if they deem you an "enemy combatant." If you think the Bushies wouldn't let politics interfere with the "war on terror," the one thing they really are serious about, recall this post.

For more see here and the discussion by the invaluable Glenn Greenwald here. This earlier post by Greenwald is also excellent. Via Chris Clarke.