Return of the blather

I'm baaaaaccckkkk! Didya miss me?

My father was visiting over the last week and a half, hence no blatherings. It was a great visit. I hadn't seen him for five years, so it was good to catch up. He also got to know his grandchildren, which was good for both him and the kids.

Anyway, while gadding about with my Dad I saw a bumper sticker that struck me as funny/sad/appropriate. It had a picture of George W. Bush with the words "American Errorist" next to it. I, like many people, subscribe to the view that W is a dangerous idiot. But...

I'm really not a conspiracy theory kind of guy, but I've been thinking about W and his minions and all that they've done recently. It occurred to me that W has set himself up perfectly for an almost seamless transition to dictator. Think about it. He, and only he, has the power to declare anyone an "enemy combatant". Anyone. Even US citizens. And thanks to the power-mad Republicans and spineless Democrats in Congress, such enemy combatants have no legal recourse. No right of appeal. No hope of a trial. At least not a fair one. And thanks also to Congress, W can wiretap anyone's phone without a warrant. And he and his minions have demonstrated time and again that they are more than happy to trample all over the Constitution and people's rights... So, in principle, W could have anyone who opposes him rounded up, declared an enemy combatant, and shipped off to some secret detention camp for a little "torture lite" (also okayed by Congress). Anyone. Including anyone who might point out that he's supposed to step down at the end of his term. Scary isn't it?

Not that I buy into such a theory.