This is a busy day for me. I have a memo on plea bargaining that has to be finished for an attorney by this afternoon.

Meanwhile, there are a few short articles definitely worth your time today.

The first is one of those exposés of Bush’s “let’s call the kettle black” policy on how to campaign without discussing issues. As you know, Bush is afraid of debate; he not only actively works to silence it, but he avoids debating the Democrats, saying he will do it “when the time is right.” (It’s unclear whether he means “after I declare martial law and suspend the presidential election because of ‘tuhrsts'” when he says that. It’s also unclear whether he’s attempting to say “tourists” or “terrorists” when he pronounces it that way. Makes you want to lose it and go all nu-kya-lar trying to figure him out sometimes.) Yes, George Bush is “Flip-Flopper-in-Chief.”

The “second article” is actually a small set of articles that show how the Bush Administration is turning America into a fascist state. Bertram Gross years ago said that fascism would not come to America the way it did to Germany: political parties would not be formally banned; there would be no massive book-burning rallies; no doctrines of racial superiority; no straightforward repeal of the Constitution or express elimination of the three branches of government implemented by our Founders to keep government weak. Instead, it would be “fascism with a smile.” Sure, there would be violent military conquests — all fascist states require militaristic expansion. It not only gives us a common enemy to fight, but allows the Administration to justify dismantling the Constitution without looking like they’re dismantling the Constitution. After all, they’re just “protecting America.” As President Bush says, “There ought to be limits to freedom.” And why blatantly and visibly outlaw political opponents when the Republicans can just tell you “a vote for Democrats is a vote for terrorists,” or that “Democrats hate our country,” or even that “Democrats are unpatriotic” and convince you G-d just has one party without looking like a fascist?

The best of three articles to recommend on this point is “Wake up and smell the fascism” over at Project for the Old American Century (not to be confused with Project for the New American Century).

A shorter read is provided by State University of New York sociologist James Petras’ article, “Signs of a Police State Are Everywhere.”

For a more graphical view, check out the Majority Visiblity Project’s “12 warning signs of fascism.”

And, for the few brave Christian readers still here, I believe Jesus put it more succinctly in Matthew 7:15 (“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”) Even braver Christians might take a look at eschatologist Hal Lindsey’s works, such as The Late Great Planet Earth, where the world is hoodwinked into following a charismatic Christian political leader who convinces them that by supporting him, they are fighting G-d’s wars, as he slowly eliminates freedoms and takes over the world through his secret machinations. This would be an even scarier read if our current administration operated in secr— . . . oh, uhm . . . .

Well, try not to get too depressed. After all, you can make a difference in November!