Wake up, America! On July 15, the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled by 5 votes to 4 in the case of Al-Marri v. Pucciarelli (PDF) that the President can arrest US citizens and legal residents inside the United States and imprison them indefinitely, without charge or trial, based solely on his assertion [...]

http://www.alternet.org/story/92329/

The comments below the blog said more than the article did. This one in particular caught my eye:

Karen Freed

How to build a dictator:

1. The Patriot Act (unlawful warrantless wiretapping and surveillance of U.S. citizens (any and all with a dissenting point of view may be labeled anti-government - translation: anti-war- and thus "terrorists) - effectively arrest anyone to attempts to preserve our laws

2. Presidential abuse of "Signing Statements" - alter bills approved by Congress at will

3. "Executive Privilege" - fail to comply with any subpoena in order to answer for abuse of the electorate and the Constitution

4. Disseminate propaganda through hostage media

5. Designate "free speech" as free speech WITH consequences (effectively NOT free speech)

6. Deny citizens the right to peaceably assemble (in instances where citizens aim to protest acts of the Administration


Congratulations Mr Bush... job well done.

One of the dissenting Judges [Motz] had this to say:
"To sanction such presidential authority to order the military to seize and indefinitely detain civilians, even if the President call them 'enemy combatants,' would have disastrous consequences for the Constitution -- and the country," Judge Motz wrote. "For a court to uphold a claim to such extraordinary power would do more than render lifeless the Suspension Clause, the Due Process Clause, and the
rights to criminal process in the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Eighth Amendments; it would effectively undermine all of the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. It is that power -- were a court to recognize it -- that could lead all our laws 'to go unexecuted, and the government itself to go to pieces.' We refuse to recognize a claim to power that would so alter the constitutional foundations of our Republic."

Well, as W [really] said, "the Consitution is just a piece of paper." He's done his best to shred it - all but physically and I wouldn't put that past him....we could have a ceremony in D.C. with a paper shredder brought into the National Archives.

There are many that could be added to the list above...such as monitoring of communications, financial transactions, movement, etc. without warrents - growing every day. I really fear that even IF W/Chaney allow an election and DO leave, and even if Obama wins there will be SO many laws on the books that counter the Constitution and basic tenets of American Democracy and Freedoms, it will be hard to undo them - and powerful forces saying to 'just not use them, but leave them on the books for when they are needed'. The momentum is going to be hard to stop, even if this insane engine is not pulling the 'train' toward the abyss.....
But it is possible to stop this train, and we must.