April 2006 | Hightower Lowdown

The Rise of the Imperial Presidency

By Jim Hightower

Let’s measure how far we’ve gone down the road to imperial government under the reign of King George the W.

Start with 9/11, when al Qaeda operatives crashbombed America. In response, George W misused and fabricated foreign intelligence in order to mislead We the People so he could attack Iraq — a country that had nothing to do with 9/11 or al Qaeda. Some 2,200 American citizens have now been killed in his war of lies, which he now calls a “fight for freedom.”

Meanwhile, in the name of this phony freedom fight, the Bushites have suspended some of our real freedoms. For example, George has illegally been using the National Security Agency to spy secretly on American citizens who have no connection whatsoever with terrorists. When confronted, Bush imperiously snarled at the majority of Americans who oppose this unconstitutional spying program, branded critics as treasonous, and royally asserted that he has an inherent presidential power to usurp our right to be free of snooping by his government.

Now we learn that Bush okayed the takeover of six U.S. ports by a company owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates. These are the same oil monarchs who helped finance the terrorists who crashbombed us on 9/11! So much for homeland security! Tut-tut says Bush, this is “a legitimate deal that will not jeopardize the security of the country.” We’re told we should just trust him.

Trust you? You’re the guy who lied about Iraq and has sicced spies on us. Show us the details of this port deal you signed. Oh, no can do, says the White House — we’ve declared the deal a secret.

So that’s where we are. Our loved ones are dying in Iraq, our phones are secretly tapped, and our ports are secretly dealt to the UAE without us even being allowed to know what the deal entails. All of this is the new “freedom” imposed on us by a president who would be king.

Jim Hightower is the best-selling author of Let’s Stop Beating Around the Bush, from Viking Press. For more information, visit jimhightower.com.

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