Scary legislation

Two American pieces of legislation have recently been signed into law, and they scare the hell out of me:

While the Democratic-controlled congress was itching to get away for some vacation time, the Bush Administration was able to push its warrantless wiretapping laws into effect. The government is now able to listen in on phone conversations and emails without any accountability from congress, and scant judicial supervision.

Perhaps even more chillingly, several weeks ago, Bush issued a sweeping order banning the American people from protesting--in any form--against the Iraq war. Broadly written, and self-righteously titled "Block Property of Certain Persons who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq," the U.S. government is now allowed to freeze the assets of someone who has been deemed to fit into the above category.

While freedom of privacy is not a constitutionally protected right in the U.S., it is loosely upheld by the Supreme Court. In any case, with privacy and freedom of speech being tossed out the window by a government that is increasing its consolidation of power, all the while disconnecting further and further from a population it is losing favour with, one can only think how scary it all is.