Real ID: Another Symptom of a Bigger Problem

Between W's belief that he can interpret the constitution, and enforce it accordingly, and the Real ID system that is supposed to be inplace by 2008, the United States is beginning to take on many of the same qualities that were considered so repugnant as to justify the invasion of Iraq. Yes, I said it--I'm comparing the US to Iraq. If you have a man who decides he can assume the role of all the branches of government, that man would be called a dictator. W. only has two years and change left in office and it will be good riddance. The trouble is that he has set dire precedent in the office for what kinds of powers the president can wield. If this kind of erosion of the powers of legislature and the courts continues then it won't be long before they are there only for show.

If the president were to be able to usurp the powers of the rest of the government, nothing would stop him from deciding to extend his term indefinitely. Of course he would need some kind of justification for this, so a war would be staged or something. He would assert that he must remain in the presidency until the conflict is resolved. So people would bite on that, and look up ten years later when they are being asked for their Real ID card at some checkpoint to get to the next state, and US soldiers are still dying in this "war" that somehow now looks like a series of preemptive strikes (invasions). I know it's very Orwellian. He predicted the same thing about Britain should the Nazis win the war. The world was fortunate enough that they didn't win and sanity prevailed.

Not to worry, though. There can't be a World War III. The end of the last World War proved it. The existence of nuclear weapons proves it. If someone is dumb enough to lauch some of those things, you better crack open your last cold one, have some chips and hope you and God are straight with each other, cause he's about to get a huge shipment in.

Of course, this is the worst case scenario. And it would only occur if nobody was out there to stop it. I'm here to stop it. It seems that New Hampshire is also full of cooler heads that will not allow the erosion of our freedoms. As long as the constitution stands and checks and balances are observed, we are safe. Government must be by the people and for the people. Let's keep it that way.