PARTISAN SCREAM MACHINE

Ron Paul writes a good piece for the Free Liberal. It just serves as a good reminder of where the burden of proof lies:

The administration assures us that domestic surveillance is done to protect us. But the crucial point is this: Government assurances are not good enough in a free society. The overwhelming burden must always be placed on government to justify any new encroachment on our liberty. Now that the emotions of September 11th have cooled, the American people are less willing to blindly accept terrorism as an excuse for expanding federal surveillance powers. Conservatives who support the Bush administration should remember that powers we give government today will not go away when future administrations take office.

Yes, so let's assume that Bush is in fact honoring Americans civil liberties and is choosing to not spy on us (this is just a hypothetical, we all know the truth now). What happens when someone comes into office that really wants to test the limits of the law? Have you heard anyone put it in this way before? This is the first time I've been reminded of the fact that we have to look to the future when making this kind of legislation. Maybe I've been thinking Bush is going to crown himself emperor before we have that chance...

Oh and while we're not exactly to the point of total state dominance, let's just all take a refresher in what the word fascism means:

Fascism exalts the nation, state, or race as superior to the individuals, institutions, or groups composing it. Fascism uses explicit populist rhetoric; calls for a heroic mass effort to restore past greatness; and demands loyalty to a single leader, often to the point of a cult of personality.

...Demands the loyalty of the individual because of the superiority of the states. State over people, the nation above humanity... That does not describe my country. The burden of proof is on my government.