The police state takes a big leap forward

i saw this story on saturday and, as orthogonal at daily kos rightly noted, many of us passed it over, maybe out of sheer "bush fatigue..." whatever... however, on second reading, i am once again flattened by exactly what the bush administration is getting away with in the united states... fatigue is right... the outrages come so thick and fast, we simply can't keep up with them... my outrage meter redlined and blew out its calibration back in 2003...

The federal government has barred two relatives of a Lodi man convicted of supporting terrorists from returning to the country after a lengthy stay in Pakistan, placing the U.S. citizens in an extraordinary legal limbo.

[...]

Federal authorities said Friday that the men, both Lodi residents, would not be allowed back into the country unless they agreed to FBI interrogations in Pakistan. An attorney representing the family said agents have asked whether the younger Ismail trained in terrorist camps in Pakistan.

glenn greenwald rightly grasps the horrifying implications...

Sunday, August 27, 2006
Still more unchecked powers for the Bush administration

This article from the San Francisco Chronicle details the truly amazing story of two U.S. citizens -- a 45-year old resident of the San Francisco area and his 18-year old son -- who, after travelling to Pakistan, have been barred by the Bush administration from re-entering the country. They have not been charged with any crime, and no court has ordered or even authorized this denial of entry. The administration is just unilaterally prohibiting these two Americans from re-entering their country.

[...]

Over the past five years, this administration and its supporters have advocated empowering the Government to detain U.S. citizens indefinitely in military prisons without a trial, eavesdrop on their telephone conversations without any warrants, track and chronicle all of their telephone calls, and now bar their entry into the U.S. -- all without any criminal charges being filed and without any opportunity to contest the accusations, all of which are formed in secret.

i'm sorry to repeat myself but i simply don't recognize my country any more...

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