Looking Forward to Tyranny

I am concerned on principle by the apparently imminent passage of a bill that guts the habeas corpus rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution, provides a retroactive amnesty to the Bush administration for its crimes, and gives a committee appointed by the president the power to snatch people off the street, designate them, and detain them without review. The Constitution is the highest law of the land, and when the Constitution is disregarded, our nation ceases to become a land of laws, and instead becomes a domain of naked power.

But I am even more concerned on a practical level about what happens next. Do you remember September, 2001? Do you remember how freaked out everyone was? How irrational we all were? For a time, the Constitution repressed our worst urges, at least domestically. But what about now? What happens five or ten years from now when another moderate to major terrorist attack takes place? There won’t be a precedent of respect for habeus corpus. There will be a precedent of indefinite detention. There won’t be a precedent of judicial review. There will be a precedent of shadowy executive commitees without review or restraint. There won’t be a bedrock respect for the bill of rights; a full third of the first ten amendments will have crumbled as of tomorrow.

So what do you think will happen after that attack? Here’s what I think: I think you’ll see havoc that dwarfs any direct damage from the terrorist attack. I think you’ll see mass detention of terrorists, dissidents, activists, family members, and swarthy people. I think “sedition” will be added back to the list of crimes, along with “disruption;” if you can ignore the fourth, fifth and sixth amendments, why not ignore the first? I think you’ll see riots in the street, more jailings, more disappearances, more torture, states of emergency and martial law.

I’ve had a nice life so far; I’ve had my chance for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I don’t want my children to lose their chance. That’s why it is imperative for a bill like S. 3930 to be voted down. And that’s why I am despondent at the prospect that a majority of America’s leaders are set to vote with a hearty YES.

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Update: 7:37 pm. It’s passed. It will be signed by Bush. The Bush Supreme Court will OK it. All avenues within the government have been exhausted to protect and defend the Constitution that embodies American ideals. It’s time to work outside government. It’s social movement time.