I have always felt that as the stakes rose and the whole Iraq invasion began to collapse in slow motion that things would get worse here at home.
Our peace group in Lexington (MA), has felt since 2001 that the war on terror and the hysteria it has engendered has been used by the republicans to tighten their grip on power, and the media has played right along.
Now- the juxtaposition of two stories brings home the reality of what we face: a resurgence of totalitarian actors at home and abroad.
First, the NY Times reports tomorrow on how the FBI has begun a preemptive program of intimidation against demonstrators who may come to New York for the Republican convention, targeting some of them as "domestic terrorists".
Secondly, the Telegraph is reporting that in Iraq, the "freedom loving" thug installed as a puppet prime minister has ordered the shooting and arresting of journalists for broadcasting from Najaf. Obviously, there is going to be a massacre at the Imam Ali shrine, and they don't want the arab world to see it--nor see the U.S. enforcing this destruction.
We need to remember this backdrop as we work to win this election. It is not for nothing that many people feel this is the most crucial American election since the civil war.