but not since the callow toadying to Authority - which began minutes after 9/11. Bush, Cheney, Ashcroft and the slimy toady Fleischer! (who advised us to, watch what we say!) ... have begun the momentum towards just about every step you describe.
Even if *some* of the above is narrowly averted, it's clear that already large damage has been done to all ideas of 'personal rights', via tacit acceptance of restrictions which have Zippo to do with "terrorism" - except in advancing the local kind, in its creeping 'gradualism'. Pick any US War - the incarceration of the Japanese was no aberration; we trash individual liberties - casually. Who actually reads and understands that 'Constitution' amidst the daily noise, today?
Probably many will try to assign the assorted blame for this current time of pewling-fearfulness, and general madness. A few candidates:
24/7 Corp bizness and its cancellation of the 40-hr. work-week?
Against the trends everywhere else, in the rich countries - even the 2-week vacation is now expected to be taken - a few days at a time (or not at all.. if you really Care about The Company). Leaving no one to raise children, except the video game.
Manpower Inc. replacements for all normal employee relationships. The NAFTA syndrome and other aspects of the WTO.. so prematurely rushed-towards: Yeah Bill C. has to eat That one first. Only Corp can love it. Baby Bells, Infotainment Corps and others - remassing, heading for Monopoly everywhere. (Walmart may be one of 3? 6? national retailers, soon.)
Enron? we shall soon see just how effectively the above players manage to declare it irrelevant - an 'aberration' only: Move on, nothing to see here.
However assorted the blames, let us not forget our first USSC political coup, baldfaced and - against every 'principle' the major-Troglodytes formerly professed. All scrapped, for this assured "retirement friendly" environment - for perpetuating an only Right-wing USSC in future. Today! some comments on 'admin-friendly' candidates for judicial posts: by the Senator from Mormon.
Pax Romanus carried with it the elements of cultural growth, the ideas necessary to form a potentially civilized homo-sap environment. Pax Americanus appears to contain merely the Jingoistic euphemisms which ever discourage any self-examination -- and may well find new techniques (what with the transistors and all) for making dissent an actionable offense: forget habeas corpus and much else. (Already - that last!)
Of those who have read any history and also thought about it, before.. Who?! - just a few years ago - could have imagined the events since 11/00 - and especially, the overwhelmingly OVINE ACCEPTANCE? since 9/11/01: Now *THERE's* "someone" to BLAME!
(Handing an entire technology to an unprincipled sociopath, suffering from autism - dovetails exactly with the escalation - since 9/11 gave the *perfect* opportunity for Emergency Powers\ufffd)
After the weeping, we'd damn well best get to work - if anyone remembers how it used to be done (?) MP-3s may just turn out to be - not the Most important use of the web.. next. *You* are the folks who will have to live within this New Order <<<
Ashton
Who, for being older than most here (?) may well turn out to be also: the more Fortunate one, in the end.. y'know?
Ed. for date change. D'Oh.