Don't take my word for it...

Thom Hartmann began his program on Thursday by reading from a new Executive Order which allows the government to seize the assets of anyone who interferes with its Iraq policies.

He then introduced old-line conservative Paul Craig Roberts -- a former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under Reagan who has recently become known for his strong opposition to the Bush administration and the Iraq War -- by quoting the "strong words" which open Roberts' latest column: "Unless Congress immediately impeaches Bush and Cheney, a year from now the US could be a dictatorial police state at war with Iran."

That's at least two Reagan officials calling for impeachment (Roberts and Bruce Fein) and another in the growing list of conservatives echoing my prophesies about Iran and fascism.

I just read the Executive Order Roberts references. I'd say we are well on the way to that police state. Our Founding Fathers would recognize the powers it purports to exercise, but only because they would immediately be reminded of the powers their King George exercised and that lead directly to our revolution.

(This is a secondary objection, but think about the absurdity of the order for its announced purposes -- stopping the violence in Iraq. Most of that violence is caused by suicide bombers. How much of a deterrent is loss of property to someone who is willing to blow himself up for his cause? The order is obviously aimed at someone else. Care to venture a guess who?)