Actions of a Declining Nation

As a Soldier, I have sworn to "Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..." Up until this point, most of my attention has been focused on the "foreign" part - terrorists, insurgents, etc - but recent turns of events have raised the flag for me, and others, to start paying closer attention to the "domestic" part of that oath.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/27695244.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUs

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/08/30/police_raids/index.html

It seems that the Republican National Convention has turned the City of Minneapolis into a pseudo police state where dissent or even the intent to protest the convention is grounds for detainment by the police and house using the threat of deadly force to back it up. How is it that our country has strayed so far from its roots that its citizens sit back and pay no heed when this happens to fellow Americans?

Typically, I am supportive of the police and I understand that in the general course of their business they must deal with all sorts of crazy and irrational people who may or may not be a physical threat. On a traffic stop, they don't know - but when they are pre-emptively raiding a house because the people inside might be considering a protest of the RNC, maybe bringing the assault rifles and SWAT gear is a bit much.

In all honesty, why would any law-abiding police agency even consider such Orwellian strategy to keep peace at a political event? I don't think they would. This kind of Policing only rings true for the Ultimate Big Brother - the Federal Government. And, it turns out that the raid was indeed in cahoots with the FBI.

After reading the story and seeing the video of one of the raids (there were at least four), I must express my outrage and disappointment that this is happening, is not being given much air-play in the media, and will probably be swept under the rug within the week. U.S. citizens have been detained and their property seized illegally by the government - that is the ultimate betrayal of the ideals and foundations of this country.

I think there is still time to save the country from tyranny through peaceful means, but that time will not last forever. If we do not do something within the next 2-3 generations, the power to maintain our freedom peacefully will have been stripped by the heavy hand of the government, and the only solution will be violent revolution. I don't want that for me, and I don't want that for my children or grandchildren, so the time to fix the problem is now.

The Federal Government, under the (probably) well-meaning, but less-than-watchful eye of the President has, since 9/11, taken extreme measures to ensure the "security" of its citizens. It has done this through increased domestic surveillance and the suspension of Constitutional rights for many foreigners and even some U.S. citizens. At this time, the people need to open their eyes, realize that nearly all of their elected leaders have supported and continue to support the idea that "security" is greater than liberty, and throw them out of office. Our political leadership must be cleaned up soon, or the country will be lost. Any politician that does not actively oppose increased restrictions of liberty and supports de-arming the population should be immediately removed from office by any and all legal means available - recall elections or impeachment. If that's too much work, then at the next election, they should be voted out.

When we vote bad politicians out of office, we need to vote good politicians INTO office. The problem with that is that neither of the two major parties have any interest in good politicians unless they agree to support their bad policies. That means that the people must vote in candidates from parties that are not Republican or Democrat. That means breaking with the tradition most Americans have of voting for only members of the party they belong to (which they only belong to because their parents belonged to it) and thinking outside of their own little world. Regrettably, I don't think most Americans will do that because most Americans are lazy.

Unchecked, the laziness of todays parent's will either lead to enslaved great-grandchildren or a bloody revolution. I take no comfort from the fact that I will not be around for either.