That is disgusting. One of the worst examples of the cross-over between politics and branding. Kudos to Sen. Feingold (D-WI) for having the balls to vote against this affront to privacy and personal freedoms.
The U.S. Gov’t is so concerned with getting everyone’s approval, that they are making any attemps at dissent seem un-patriotic and unamerican. Appropriately, these such opinions could land you in big trouble under the anti-terrorism act. With its sickening title, anyone who opposes the act is almost by definition anti-patriotic (You’re anti-USA PAtrIOT? What are you, some kindof terrorist-loving commie?)
This after the ‘you’re with us or you’re against us’ speech by Dubya. (Speaking of, has anyone else noticed that since Sept. 11th, no media outlets calls him Dubya anymore? It’s ‘The President’, or ‘President Bush’, etc… none of the playfulness continues. Just because America has launched attacks against another country doesn’t mean that he’s not still a simpleton.)
Of course, up in Canada we’re pushing through our own reactionary, draconian measures too. So basically it just sucks right now.
Man am I mad. Not so much at the acts themselves, but the branding and media-spin on all of this just infuriates me.
What intrigued me most about that speech was the fact that Dubya didn’t say ‘You’re either with us or you’re against us’, but rather, ‘You’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists’ which is kinda a whole new spin. Perhaps an acknowledgement that there’s plenty of reasons to be anti-American but none to be with the terrorists. So, my running joke has been that since Senator Clinton rolled her eyes during that speech she must be with the terrorists like the rest of us…
What intrigued me most about that speech was the fact that Dubya didn’t say ‘You’re either with us or you’re against us’, but rather, ‘You’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists’ which is kinda a whole new spin. Perhaps an acknowledgement that there’s plenty of reasons to be anti-American but none to be with the terrorists. So, my running joke has been that since Senator Clinton rolled her eyes during that speech she must be with the terrorists like the rest of us…