"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will
be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."

James Madison (1751-1836), 4th U.S. President and
author of the U.S. Constitution
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in
the flag and carrying the cross."

Sinclair Lewis, (It Can't Happen Here, 1935)
"Unhappy events abroad have retaught us two simple
truths about the liberty of a democratic people. The
first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not
safe if the people tolerate the growth of a private
power to a point where it becomes stronger than the
democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is
fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by
a group, or by any other controlling private power."

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945), 32nd US President
"...An empire is a despotism, and an emperor is a
despot, bound by no law or limitation but his own
will; it is a stretch of tyranny beyond absolute
monarchy. For, although the will of an absolute
monarch is law, yet his edicts must be registered by
parliaments. Even this formality is not necessary in
an empire."

John Adams (1735-1826), 2nd American President
"I'm the commander in chief, see, I don't need to
explain, I do not need to explain why I say things.
That's the interesting part about being president.
Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say
something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an
explanation."

George W. Bush, quoted in Bob Woodward's book 'Bush at
War'
***
It may be partly a consequence of [the terrorist
attacks of September 11, 2001->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11,_2001_attacks]
and the perceived rising external threat coming from
fanatical Islamists,
but it is undeniable that imperialism abroad and
fascism at home are on the rise in 21st Century
America. This is amazing, because, along with
totalitarian communism, these were precisely the two
most disastrous political diseases of the 20th Century
against which the United States and other democracies
fought. They led to two world wars and turned the 20th
Century into the most murderous century in the history
of mankind. —Such a development is important for the
United States, but it is also of paramount importance
for all the other democracies, because if the United
States, which has one of the best democratic
constitutions in the world, falls to a form of benign
totalitarianism, what is the fate of democracy
elsewhere?
Before we proceed, let us define a few terms. Indeed,
what is imperialism? What is fascism? And what is
totalitarianism? What is democracy?
Firstly, imperialism is the
use of force in international relations outside the
realm of international law and the requirements of
self-defense, with the purpose of taking control of
foreign countries, their populations and their
resources, and with the express intention of changing
their cultures or systems of government.
— The best book on imperialism
is J.A. Hobson's Imperialism: A Study (1902).
Secondly, fascism is a political
regime that is characterized by a high degree of
concentration of power in the state, in one political
party or in one person, accompanied by a messianic and
belligerent form of nationalism, by the usurpation of
legislative and judicial prerogative by the executive
branch of the government, by the suppression of
individual freedoms at home, by the worshipping of
national symbols such as flags, and by a rise of
militarism and the pursuit of military expansions
abroad, often so as to avenge some perceived
humiliation.
— One of the best books on fascism
is Robert O. Paxton's The Anatomy of Fascism (2004).
Thirdly, totalitarianism is a
broad concept concerning the exercise of power by one
party or one person within a country through force,
while being unrestrained by laws or by rules.
— Perhaps the best book on totalitarianism
is Hannah Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism
(1958).
Finally, democracy is a form of
government where the citizens’ preferences are
paramount in adopting public policies and where people
elect a government of the people, by the people and
for the people. It rests on the rule of law, the
decentralization and separation of powers, and the
protection of fundamental liberties and individual
rights. It is the antithesis of imperialism, fascism
and all types of totalitarianism.

— A classic analysis of American-style democracy
is Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America
(1835).
Now, let us look at a few facts and events that have
recently taken place in the United States. When they
are placed together to form a whole, they form a
powerful political and legal framework that could
allow President George W. Bush or any other politician
to run the United States by decree rather than by the
will of the people.
First, there is the [September 2002 Neocon imperialist
doctrine
->http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0741418878/qid=1088897483/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/104-9932729-0807905?v=glance&s=books]
adopted by the Bush-Cheney administration that was
used to launch the March 2003 illegal military
invasion of Iraq. This was done according to the
imperialistic "Bush Doctrine" of
pre-emptive wars, of international unilateralism, and
of American assertive military supremacy around the
world. — According to this hubristic foreign policy
doctrine, the United States could invade any country,
especially in the Middle East, in order to impose a
local democratic government friendly to the United
States and its allies. The occupied country would then
become a model to other countries which would adopt
the same type of political regime and the same
policies. — We all know how this new imperialistic
doctrine has fared in Iraq and what have been its
disastrous consequences.
The 2002 'Bush Doctrine', in asserting the right for
the U.S. to invade other nations for vague reasons of
social engineering, nation building or regime change,
represents a repudiation of the Nuremberg Principles
and the United Nations Charter's ban on wars of
aggression, both strongly supported by American
leaders sixty years ago. For example, the Nuremberg
Charter stipulates that “To initiate a war of
aggression…is not only an international crime, it is
the supreme international crime." As for the U.N.
Charter, its Preamble says that it has been
established "to save succeeding generations from the
scourge of war."
Second, in a manner somewhat reminiscent of the regime
of [Adolf Hitler suspending the right of habeas corpus
in Germany
->http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Fascism/Nazification_GermanyvsAmer.html]
on February 28, 1933, the Bush-Cheney regime also
suspended the right of habeas corpus in the United
States. Indeed, [on October 17, 2006, President George
W. Bush
->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Commissions_Act_of_2006]
signed into law S.3930, the Military Commissions Act,
a law that cancels the right of habeas corpus for
foreigners accused of terrorism and for both Americans
and foreigners who have been designated as “enemy
combatants” by the Executive branch. Under this law,
any individual, citizen or non-citizen, can be
deprived of the protection of due process at [the whim
of the Executive branch,
->http://freedominourtime.blogspot.com/2006/10/habeas-corpus-delicti.html]
and be imprisoned indefinitely without legal recourse.
—The United States is probably the only country in the
world where the right of habeas corpus has been
suspended and yet is still being called a 'democratic'
country.
Third, the Defense Authorization Act of 2006
(H.R. 1815), passed by Congress on September 30 2006,
and signed into law by President George W. Bush on
October 17, 2006, empowers the president to impose
martial law
in the event of a terrorist “incident,” if he or other
federal officials perceive a shortfall of “public
order”. The resort to martial law could come, for
example, as a response to a terrorist attack, but it
is not excluded that it could be imposed if some
antiwar protests were to get unruly or after any major
political disturbance. Since the current Bush-Cheney
administration got away with declaring a war abroad on
a pretext, what would prevent them from imposing
martial law at home also on a pretext?
Fourth, let us consider that when Congress passed the
Insurrection Act in 1807, the purpose was to severely
restrict the president’s ability to deploy the
military within the United States. [The Posse Comitatus
Act ->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act]
of 1878, tightened these restrictions, imposing a
two-year prison sentence on anyone who used the
military within the U.S. without the express
permission of Congress. Indeed, its Section 1385 .(Use
of Army and Air Force as posse comitatus), as later
amended, states that "Whoever, except in cases and
under circumstances expressly authorized by the
Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any
part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus
or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under
this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or
both".
These protections are all gone now. — Indeed, the
adoption of the [John Warner National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007
->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.R._5122_(2006)] (H.R.
5122) changed the name of the key provision in the
statute book from “Insurrection Act” to “Enforcement
of the Laws to Restore Public Order Act.” — While the
U.S. Insurrection Act of 1807 stated that the
president could deploy troops within the United States
only “to suppress, in a State, any insurrection,
domestic violence, unlawful combination, or
conspiracy”, the new law allows the president not
only to declare martial law and rule by decree, but it
also gives the president the power to take charge of
United States National Guard troops without the
states’ governors’ authorization. The law also expands
the list of such permissible cases for martial law to
include “natural disaster, epidemic, or other serious
public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident,
or other condition”— and such “condition” is not
defined or limited in scope. All the safeguards
against the use of the military at home have been
removed in favor of new powers being given to the
president to do so nearly at his whim.
Fifth, [the National Security and Homeland Security
Presidential Directive,
->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSPD-51] signed by
President George W. Bush on May 4, 2007, an event that
was generally not covered by U.S. mainstream media
or discussed by the U.S. Congress, goes even further
and declares that in the event of a “catastrophic
event”, the president can become what is best
described as a de facto dictator: "The President shall
lead the activities of the Federal Government for
ensuring constitutional government."
Sixth, on March 15, 2004, the [National Security
Agency's wire-tapping and domestic spying program,
->http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/16/hagel.gonzales/index.html]
without proper judicial supervision, was authorized by
the Bush-Cheney White House, without Justice
Department approval and over the objections of
then-Attorney General John Ashcroft.
This was an illegal program of domestic spying,
because it violated the [1978 Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act,
->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Intelligence_Surveillance_Act_of_1978]
which established a panel of judges to hear wiretap
requests in secret. When a government begins to
violate the law, there
is no way of knowing in advance where this will lead
and how far it will go. It is an open field.
And seventh, there is the [practice of submitting
detainees to torture
->http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/05/verschfte_verne.html]
and to other degrading treatments despite the clear
obligation not to do so under international law and
under U.S. law. It is truly amazing that the
Bush-Cheney White House had to be reminded by the
Supreme Court, in June 2006, that it had to abide by
the Geneva Conventions.
— It seems they could not figure that out by
themselves.
These are seven ominous developments among the most
serious, some having gone nearly unnoticed within the
United States, but which would have the Fathers of the
U.S. Constitution turning in their graves, if they
could see what has been done to their work.
Technically, there is still a fair amount of personal
liberty and freedom in the United States for the
average person, but this could change at the drop of a
hat, or more likely, at the stroke of a pen. Over the
last six years, [the Bush-Cheney administration has
been unmistakably shifting the USA toward imperialism
->http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article12805.htm]
and toward fascism.
— This is not to deny that we live in dangerous and
taxing times, but Americans should pray that no major
catastrophic event occur under George W. Bush's watch,
because all the necessary apparatus has been set into
place to suspend liberties and freedoms and impose a
fascist-like regime upon the American people when the
pretext presents itself. This is a sobering thought.
_______________________________________
Rodrigue Tremblay lives in Montreal and can be reached
at rodrigue.tremblay@yahoo.com
Visit his blog site at:

www.thenewamericanempire.com/blog.
Author's Website: www.thenewamericanempire.com/
Check Dr. Tremblay's coming book "The Code for Global
Ethics" at: http://www.TheCodeForGlobalEthics.com/