There was a fine rhetorical tool used in here over the last few weeks/months/Friedman Units that I was particulary drawn to because I thought it raised the correct alarm/concern/spooky meter that you are talking about -

"Nixon's Golem"

An Attorney General more concerned with polishing the image of the Justice Department than refining its pursuit of Justice;

An administration overly concerned with executive security at the expense of a functioning democracy;

Executive branch toadies completely unfamiliar with, and unwilling to abide by, the concept of legislative oversight;

A President completely baffled by, and immune from, the righteous condemnation of his critics for behaviors inimical to, and unacceptable within, a democracy;

Complete demonization and polarization of any and all opposition;

I am sure there are others here who can add more effectively to this list than I.

I vote for Quislings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quisling

It's not 100% accurate, but it seems to me to connote the proper blend of disgust, contempt, and recognition for service rendered poorly.

Someone used that on Glenn's old site, and it just seems right - particularly for someone like Tenet, who was a card carrying member until he wasn't, and then was for them until it became unpopular, and now he's not. And yes, I know Clinton appointed him. It doesn't excuse a god damn thing.

PR:

...there is no history of the left in America bringing authoritarians to power.

I think he was generally benevolent, and we needed him at the time, but I think one could make a pretty good case for FDR being authoritarian.

Not trying to contradict you, really, but I don't think the arguments are so lilly-white and ebony-black. And I have had this conversation with Mona before, which I finally dropped out of when she reported that she believed Arthur Miller a Stalinist. I figured, at that point, there wasn't any common ground for a reasonable discussion.

Ultimately, I find libertarianism wanting, but I am idealistic enough to not want it to be so.

Ultimately I find liberalism trying, but I am idealistic enough to work through it.

“Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies — ‘God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.’ ”

-Kurt Vonnegut

I was wondering whether the same folks who are calling for leniency in the case of Scooter Libby are also the same ones who are in general so adamant about the "rule of law" with respect to immigration reform and any type of amnesty for illegal aliens.

Seems like the same political segment, although I could just be generalizing.

I think there is a misunderstanding of what Power of Attorney means in the comments some people have posted here.

Power of Attorney means that you are empowered to act on someone's behalf - it implies absolutely nothing about the state of mind or competency of the original person. Having power of attorney does not empower you to make decisions for them, merely to act on their behalf. If someone had not been declared incompetent and it could be demonstrated that a person with power of attorney had acted contrary to their stated wishes - even if there was no malice - it would not be difficult to get the power of attorney revoked. This is not the legal recourse that people are seeking.

What people are intending to invoke in this situation is to be declared guardian or conservator, which would require a competency hearing in court, and would require that the original person's competency was found wanting. This process, in and of itself, is often acerbic and destructive, and really should be avoided where possible. It also, as many people have noted, does not sound like it would be successful in this case, as the LW's mother does not sound incompetent, merely foolish with respect to her sister and nephew.

Having said that, it does seem like this is a case of elder abuse and could be solved through legal recourse with the contact of the appropriate agency. Here in Florida (where the state is probably more likely to be prepared for such a situation) the appropriate state department is the Department of Children and Families. Many local sheriff's offices also have a deputy who specializes in elder affairs.

I worked here in Florida for a Geriatric Care Management company with some truly amazing, dedicated, professional and caring people - I would suggest contacting someone in this field for your mother. There is a national association website for care managers available at www.caremanager.org. (I am putting the link in the signature for this post).

I wish you well, and would reiterate what others have said about needing to address this now, and not taking any prisoners. This situation can only get worse if allowed to fester. But I would also urge a solution of compassion - could you afford to get some help for your aunt? Could you and your siblings/children/nieces/nephews who did receive higher education and presumably have higher incomes afford to help out? I am not trying to guilt you into anything, just thinking of the adage about catching more flies with honey.

Good luck.

Also, if your aunt has legitimately threatened to kill herself if removed from the apartment, it might be the case that she could be temporarily institutionalized for evaluation and safety. Again, here in Florida it would be under the provisions of a state law known as the Baker Act, but there are similar provisions in every state I am sure.