When Ralph Nader told us way back in 2000 that the Democrats and Republicans were but two sides of the same coin, he and those of us who supported him were vilified. Now, good Democrats (and Republicans of conscience) are shocked to learn the awful truth of the matter.

The only possible course I see available to us is to defend the Constitution of the United States of America from the bottom up. This can be done on a local and state level by, for example, working to declare your school, municipality -- or entire state -- a "free speech zone". Many other ideas come to mind but the point is, defending the Constitution and the Bill of Rights should be something virtually every citizen can get behind, irrespective of party affiliation. I would emphasize that this be done peacefully. As to methods, Ghandi has shown us the way.

The apparatus of the Federal Government and the MSM may be under the control of the enemies of the Constitution, but we can beat them from the ground up. Indeed, it must be apparent that attempts to beat them solely from the top down will have limited success, at best. However, such valiant efforts should continue -- a "pincer movement", if you will.

Whether we live as free Americans under the Constitution or become oppressed subjects of an increasingly totalitarian government is up to us. Waiting passively for any politican to save us is surely tantamount to personal complicity in the destruction of our beloved country.

We now must save ourselves.

God bless us all.

re: walter_map (to whom I send my greetings) -- "Unless the U.S. electorate becomes instead prepared to renounce its political irresponsibility and becomes able to assert its authority through the Constitution over its government, the democratic authority of the people will inevitably be supplanted by one that is corporatist and totalitarian."

This is the heart of the matter. The blame for the present sorry state of affairs ultimately lies with all of us. The solution -- if it is not already too late -- likewise, lies with all of us. Whether we as a nation are up to the challenge is something about which I must remain hopeful. I, for one, am not going to sit idly by and watch these fascist bastards trample our Constitution without trying my best to resist them at every possible turn. However, unless there is a large segment of the population willing to do what it takes in terms of activism and resistance (again, I say, of the Ghandi variety) we are all screwed and you may as well practice goosestepping.

I have to believe that the blatant nature of the Republican corruption and Democratic complicity that we are witnessing is serving to ring the bell of true patriotism in all of us who aren't in the ~30% that are hopelessly brainwashed.

The fascist game is up. We know it is criminal and unAmerican. We are sick at heart and mad as hell. If we yet quietly acquiesce in the face of this, limiting ourselves to rants on blogs and waiting for some political savior to come along, we are complicit in the destruction of all that we hold dear.

So happy to see you posting here. I have missed your keen wit and intelligence since the days of our kicking sorry neocon ass on the NYT forums. Indeed, we were but lonely voices crying out in the wilderness when Dubya was riding high in the polls. Cold comfort it is to know that we were right about everything.

re: "Are we headed for a corporatist, militarist totalitarianism?" - Sometimes, people have to get hit with something right between the eyes before they'll wake up. By then, of course, it's usually too late. However, I sense a growing trend toward defending the Constitution on both the right and left of the political spectrum. There are an awful lot of good Americans on whom this drift into fascism is not lost. I believe our only hope is to forge a common cause with our fellow true patriots and defend the Constitution.

re: "Can we reverse course? Doubtful." - If we allow ourselves to believe that all is lost it will lead to despair and inaction. As patriots, it is our duty to fight all enemies of the Constitution unto our dying breath.

I believe there is also an "X" factor that may come into play. Perhaps a severe economic disaster; perhaps some battlefield setback of major proportions; perhaps some ecological event we cannot now envision. But the ol' fickle finger of fate is always out there. God knows Dubya and his gang of criminals have built up some seriously negative karma that the universe is crying out to redress.

I also believe in the spirit of America -- not of the phony lapel-pin flag variety, but the true spirit of Americans of good will. I believe that spirit, like God himself, is not mocked and will have the last word on all of this.