What happens when gov't becomes the enemy?

"This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector." -- Plato, Greek philosopher (427-347 BC)

The worst sort of betrayals come from those sources you most want to believe in. And when they betray you, it can be hardest to admit that they've done you a grave wrong. And so it has become in this country.

To many or most Americans, the American gov't and the country of America are synonymous; you can't have one without the other. It is the American gov't which, through the Constitution and Bill of Rights, grants us our most cherished freedoms. It is the gov't which is charged with protecting those freedoms from those who would want to destroy what it means to be an American, to be free. It is the gov't which shields us from oppression and tyranny...right?

What happens, then, when that same gov't becomes the source of oppression and tyranny, not merely against the "undesireables" of society (criminals, terrorists, etc.), but against everyday, innocent civilians?

To more than a few, admitting that the gov't itself is guilty of treason against freedom is akin to turning in one's own parent or child to the KGB, or admitting that your religious beliefs are totally false. It's just something that many people are not prepared to do on a deep emotional level. This reluctance to admit deep wrongdoing on the part of an entity we want to believe in, unfortunately only allows it to go that much further into tyranny.

In the past, I have been reluctant to give a free ride to either the Dems or Repubs; both are offenders of freedom and American ideals. As a libertarian, I have often watched in dismay while Dems blame Repubs for everything bad even as they turn a blind eye to their own ignorance, incompetence and corruption, while Repubs do likewise against Dems while excusing their own misdeeds. I have been hesitant to ever claim that one side is substantially worse than the other, for fear that doing so may unduly take focus away from the bad deeds of the other side.

And sure enough, it usually wasn't long before the other side would do something at least as egregious. Repubs acting like fascists under Bush Senior? Sure, but then came Janet Reno and Waco. Dems acting like tax-and-spend drunken sailors? Sure, but then came Bush Jr. and a Repub-controlled Congress who have taken federal spending, pork, and debt to stratospheric levels. (Reagan would be spinning in his grave, were he not guilty of the same in his time.)

So even though I'm not and have never been a Bush supporter, it nonetheless comes as no easy task for me to say, that Bush Jr. has got to be one of, if not the, worst President in American history.

Now when I say "worst," I don't mean "most disliked" or "most at odds with my personal beliefs." I mean, worst for the economic health of this country, worst for its future, and worst offender of America's most cherished notions of what it means to be free.

Of course, there's more than enough blame to go around; Bush himself is not solely responsible for all that's happened. There are the members of his administration, and 500+ members of Congress (Dems & Repubs) who have all acted in concert to put in motion the machinery of oppression and ruin.

What, exactly, is this machinery? What precisely is the blame for? Well, where to begin....

How about federal budgets, and debts, which have been growing much faster than the rate of population or economic growth? This is simply unsustainable, and a recipe for economic ruin.

Warrantless wiretaps on Americans who have nothing to do with terrorism.

National ID cards. Are your papers in order?

Orwellian police states in our airports. "Please remove your shoes, forfeit your nail clippers, wait while we check to see if you vaguely match the description of some secret list of people, and have a good flight!"

Military tribunals for American citizens--no access to defense lawyers, no opportunity to confront, examine or refute secret evidence, no opportunity to defend yourself.

Secret "black prisons" in totalitarian countries. Abuse and torture of prisoners. Indefinite detention without charges.

The ability to examine any American's medical records, financial records (banks & credit cards), library books checked out, etc., even if there is no indication of involvement with terrorism.

And the latest offense (that we know of), the deliberate infiltration of pacifist groups (one confirmed, and possibly 100+ others; see link 1, below) whose only "crime" is being anti-war. This is, unfortunately, nothing new, but it is still disturbing to see this specter from the past active again. (Link 1, link 2, link 3.)

Both the nazis and the communists at their heights of power (and terror) used such powers themselves, and like the current administration, justified such abuses and tyranny on the grounds of national defense, keeping the "homeland" safe, and routing out boogeymen. And if liberties end up permanently curtailed, protests chilled, thousands of innocents harassed, spied on, and even rounded up, well, it's all for your own good, and all you need to do is trust the gov't, not be of middle-eastern descent, and not join any groups the gov't doesn't like.

With every passing day, the American gov't grows more and more similar to the totalitarian regimes it once so proudly denounced. And like them, it paints these increasing curbs on our liberties and privacy as necessary for our protection and well-being. It tells us that if we're good, that we have nothing to fear. But it neglects to tell us that its definition of "good" may be totally different from ours. It asks us to trust that it will never abuse its vast powers for its own gain, or simply for the sake of exercising its powers. It tells us that many of these measure are temporary, just until we can eradicate every last bit of evil everywhere in the world for all time. It tells us, this is not tyranny, but freedom.

And most of us want to believe it, because this is our own gov't. Of us, by us, for us.

So what are we to do when our own gov't starts destroying our freedoms and privacy, just as surely as any communist dictator or sharia-implementing muslim fundamentalist? The first step, as with any problem, is to admit that there is a problem. A big problem. Stop defending, apologizing for, or attempting to justify these misdeeds. Keep shining the light on them. Fight to keep gov't transparent and accountable. Keep yourself educated. And refuse to give in to tyranny.

See also: this article.