How to Chill Democracy

The world's "shining beacon for freedom and democracy" has gotten a little chillier. And no, I'm not referring to Canadians sending an arctic cold front down to freeze the nether regions of our lovable American neighbours to the south.

The US nether region of corn country Iowa, finds itself at the centre of some police state antics. It appears federal prosecutors and a federal judge are intent on subverting the right to protest through intimidation tactics. They've decided to subpoena a group of anti-Iraq war protestors, and Drake University for records of students and any other participants involved in an anti-war rally. You can read more about it here. Ashcroft and his mob apparently don't like Americans asserting their right to freedom of speech and assembly, at least not when they express a point of view not in lockstep with the current Bush administration.

Ok sure, these people haven't been dragged into some torture chamber or disappeared, like they would have been in Saddam's Iraq. The US government usually only does that to non-Americans. When they do, they ship them off to the concentration camp in Guantanamo or to a state like Syria where they can outsource the torture.

But what is important here is that this move is all about sending a message to those who would dare oppose the Bush Administration. You're being watched. It's also about draining their time and resources with fatuous legal wrangling. And of course it throws a scare into others of like mind who would dare consider adding their voices in protest.