The Homeland inSecurity Act is now a shoe-in.  Through political trickery, smoke and mirrors used to delude the American people (and probably not less than a few shady deals with the Democrats), the passage of the Act is now the only thing that stands between little King George and Absolute Power.

Through the Patriot Act (which is unconstitutional, corrupt, and a very, very bad thing), the government now has the power to declare anyone a terrorist, and take broad measures to build a case against them.  Freedoms of Speech and Assembly are now pretty much gone.  The right to keep and bear arms (against a tyrannical government-- like, say, this one) is out the window.  There is no such thing as an unreasonable search and seizure anymore, thanks to the secret court ruling on the wiretaps.  Any evidence gathered against any citizen is reasonable cause to require illegal means of gathering that information in the first place.

You might think that you're safe, maybe even more secure than you were before.  Because you're an upstanding, patriotic American.  I have news for you.  They don't know you from Washington, and they don't care that you give to your church each week.  If you step out of line, you become a target.  If you send an e-mail that contains a reference that the government doesn't like, youre a target.  If you make a joke that could be construed as a threat, no matter how slight, you're a target.  If your neighbor decides to turn you in for no real reason, if it's just on a lark, you're a target.

The right to a fair and expedient trial?  If you're branded an "enemy combatant" (remember that candy bar you bought from the neighbor kid last year for a fund raiser? are you sure that it cant be traced to support for some type of un-American activity?) for any reason, you can be tried in a secret court without recourse to the law.  No trial by jury.  Secret military tribunal.  Don't believe me?  It's already happened.  It's in the papers.

Lets take a quick look at the first two Rights that were given up (way back during the Civil War).  Try to puzzle this one out for yourselves, people.  These are the capstone Rights, the ones that ensure, in perpetuity, the other eight.  That have been given up.  To the same powers that they were in place to protect the people against.  (To put it another way, We, the People, have allowed the government to strip aspects of these ten most basic human Rights, and some of the Rights themselves, because We, the People, wanted the government to keep us safe and secure against outside invaders.  When the threat that these Rights guard against is the one that comes from within.  They were in place to ensure freedom from an oppressive government.  Like the one that we have now.  Got it?)

"Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

These Rights won't be infringed upon or taken away by additions to the Constitution.  The courts are in place to interpret the Constitution, and keep our most basic Rights from being denied.  Which they haven't done significantly for about 150 years.

"Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Anything that isn't in the Constitution is in the hands of government at the state level.  Or in the hands of the people.  However, the states and the People have given so much power to the federal government that there are no longer states' rights.  Or individual liberties.

The passage of the Homeland inSecurity Act is the equivalent of declaring war on the American people, on American freedoms.  And we've allowed ourselves to be disarmed.

If any of this concerns you, if you don't like the implications of the New World Order and the kind of world that the next generation will inherit, call, write, fax, e-mail, talk to your representatives.  Make them understand that this is not good policy for a free America, that they are only serving to hand the keys to the world over to Bush.  (Do you really think that he'll give up power after two terms in office, after gaining direct control over every armed department of the government?  We didn't vote in a president, we voted in a king.)

Think about the implications.  Don't go along with it because it sounds good, or because you want to be safe from terrorists.  The real threat isn't the one beyond our borders.

Knowledge is power.  Arm yourselves.