War And Freedom - We Can Have Both

In a telegram on November 21, 1943, Winston Churchill defined a fundamental difference between the Anglo-American way of war and that of our enemies. Churchill wrote: "The power of the Executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgement of his peers, is in the highest degree odious and is the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or Communist."

"Perhaps Tony Blair and George W. Bush regard Winston Churchill as a bleeding heart lefty. But what Churchill's view represents is an old, very basic principle of Anglo-American warfare and justice: fight war with ferocity, but never lose your democratic soul."

This article echoes what I've been saying about several policies implemented since 9/11. It points out that we are becoming more and more like our enemies, damaging if not destroying our democratic republic by adopting tactics abroad that include indefinate detentions and torture, while at home we're watching our civil liberties corrode and crumble away. We are also allowing the office of the President to become omnipotent and unaccountable.

It reminds the reader that although a leader may require extra powers to fight a war, those powers must be temporary, justified, and discussed. But in declaring an indefinate war against an ideology, "Terrorism", it should be clear to all that any and all extra powers bestowed on this and future Presidents, are to be permanent.

There is also the 'trickle-down' affect. The way that not only the federal governmental powers are growing and becoming totalitarian, but the state and local governments are following in the federal footsteps.

If there's still anyone out there that doesn't get where all this leads, you need to find out just how totalitarian governments come into being. This is the internet, do some homework. Too many people are under the impression that they only come about through the swift, violant overthrow of a peaceful nations' leadership. If you look at the rise of Nazi Germany you'll see that it took a number of years before it became the abomination that we're all familiar with. People asked for years just how the German people could've been led into such a fate. Well, ask yourself, why only last year you abhorred torture, yet today, you're even considering it useful. Go back even further, and you find the Roman Empire was once a Republic. Their Republic lasted a long time, but it still corrupted itself. The lessons are in the details, but the one recurring theme throughout history is that stronger and more harsh State powers, are usually sold to the public as being for their own good, and the failing of the people, is in believing it.

Ours is following the predictable path led by many others, but it's not too late to turn things around. The first step, dealing with denial.