In my study of the Asatru, as well as medieval history in general, I am constantly amazed at just how similar things are at the start of this millennium as they were to the turn of the last. Indeed, from the struggle of a tiny Norse Pagan religion to survive, the constant clash between the titans of monotheism: Christianity and Islam, to the questions of if Catholic Priests should be subject only to clerical law or secular law. We live in an era where the politicians rule like the Kings and Nobility of the Middle Ages, wielding vast power and constantly seeking more, ignoring the voices of the people the trod upon. We live in a time where those little people struggle for the freedoms and rights their ancestors held centuries ago, yet are currently being stripped away. No, rulers in the West no longer claim Divine Right, but in the case of Obama and much of the Left end of politics, there is an equivalent attitude. Indeed, one could argue that the messianic portrayal Obama got from his supporters almost sings of Divine Right to power, and for a president that promised transparency and righteous action, there has been very little of either. He acts more like King John of England, that Abraham Lincoln.
There were many problems with George W. Bush. Problems that will only come to light in the future. He made mistakes that will haunt us, but they were perhaps honest mistakes made by a man who was fighting a foe never truly before seen in the West and driven to finish what his father had started. Honest would have been a better policy, but such is the past and we must leave it there even as we learn it. Yet, the wise man knows that there are lessons to be learned from the past, to make a better future, not use it as a springboard.
Someone seems to have for gotten to tell Obama this.
I only learned of this today, yet it so shocked me that I had to write of it instantly. Obama seeks to legalize and create a Preventative Detention program. This is not simply something to make schoolyard bullies get separated from the other kids before they pick on them, oh no. No, this is something far, far worse. In the name of preventing the deaths of Americans, the government would have the power to seize, imprison, and hold indefinitely, any person deemed to be a threat. While Obama says this would be used only on terrorists, we already can see the definition of terrorist changing from an Islamic radical who kills in the name of Allah to anyone that uses methods and holds attitudes counter to the Will of the administration.
Here is the article that details a bit about this proposed move.
And here is a video by Rachel Maddow. I never watch her show, finding her too pretentious and liberal for my general tastes, but for once she strikes well and true.
I cannot begin to say how much of a violation of US Constitution and Law this action would be. I cannot even say how badly a violation of Human Rights it is. What I can say is that the only governments I have ever heard of having this power are in the Modern world were Totalitarian Dictatorships that slaughtered millions. And while some may say it is only to fight terrorists,I ask you this: Who is a Terrorist? Is it Islamic Radicals? Tea Party members? Who? The answer is that it can be anyone who stands counter to the people in power and are willing to consider, not use, but consider the use of violence to defend themselves and their beliefs!
Under Preventative Detention, the Government would be able to take anyone in the world, including citizens of the US, detain them, without trial or due process, and hold them until either the War on Terror was over or until that person died. Wars were waged to keep this from happening. Long ago, Kings had this power and men fought to take it away.
They faced this same imprisonment for resisting that Obama is now suggesting be made legal and given to him to use.
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