Bush shuns Patriot Act requirement

"When President Bush signed the reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act this month, he included an addendum saying that he did not feel obliged to obey requirements that he inform Congress about how the FBI was using the act's expanded police powers."

Well who didn't see that coming. I'd like to know if there's any law at all that he does feel obligated to obey. Don't bother answering that, we already know.

I can't believe how easily we're giving way to dictatorship. A lot can happen between now and the next Presidential election, and one of those things could be a convenient terrorist attack here at home. Convenient because it would cause everyone who's afraid of their own shadow to cower under their beds again and insist that their Fearless Leader protect them at all costs from the bad guys, just like they did after 9/11. If the timing is right, and it happens close enough to the election, it could prompt Bush to force a suspension of the election, because of a state of national emergency. He could insist that the emegency is so severe that the elections must be postponed indefinately, thereby officially making himself dictator.

Think that far-fetched? Well what do you think would happen if a WMD gets set off somewhere in the U.S. sometime in late summer or early fall of 2008? (actually, any time between then and inauguration day would be good) Martial Law could be initiated, not just in the area of the incident, but for the whole nation because it could be argued that it could be the begining of a series of such attacks, and extrordinary measures must be taken. Do you really think that anybody in government would be interested in taking time out to campaign?? Do you think we'd let them? It would be hard to crawl out from under the bed to get out and vote, when we'd be told that wasting time with an election would be too distracting for the government and that the process would help "the terrorists".

Yeah I know, I've gone quite a ways from Bush chosing to ignore certain legal obligations of the Patriot Act, all the way to the suspension of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and assuming permanent dictitorial powers. But with a President who's already above the law, and the prospect of another terrorist attack, that's just the sort of combination that leads to dictatorships, and since there are still unanswered questions about events on 9/11, I will not be surprised if something horrific takes place before the next Presidential election.