This is NO JOKE!

Things are gonna get worse before the get a whole lot worse.

I was gonna get "cute" here, was gonna run through a brief resumé of the president's jobs before he became leader of the Free World. I was gonna joke about "Daddy" or how Daddy's pull in influential circles had landed Bush every job opportunity he'd had up to his takeover of the White House. About his skirting of military active duty to avoid Vietnam. How Bush had failed at all of them but always, he moved on to something else, something bigger to screw up. As governor, he left Texas with a huge debt/financial burden, then moved on. Why, even in his successful ascendance to the presidency, strings had to be pulled.

But there's nothing cute or funny about Bush's career in light of his total mishandling of his current job. I'm not saying he's screwing it up out of incompetence, although that's certainly an element of the reality we're seeing unfold. No, much of what he does is pathological, but make no mistake, it's precisely calculated and intentional. The consequences of which are deadly serious for way too many people, as more and more of us are going to discover I fear.

Judging from the most recent polls, the majority of American's have a sense that something's gone awry with this presidency. But if you're one of those disappointed with things now, I'm afraid you'd better clear some attic space for heaps more. Things are gonna get much worse if someone doesn't step up and take the keys to the family sedan away from "Junior".

As I mentioned recently, Bush is now hinting at quarantining parts of the country from the rest of the nation should a bird flu outbreak occur. Today, there's a headline of Bush urging, no, "pressing" vaccine makers to prepare, almost as if drooling in anticipation . Normally, I'd think nothing of any president planning to protect the public's health and well being. But this is Bush and the history of his administration shows such "concerns" for we the people are red herrings for a far graver agenda. So forgive my cynicism, but Bush preparing us for the isolation of parts of the nation under the guise of protecting us entails something far more malevolent.

How are these quarantines to be accomplished? By a little thing called martial law or the deployment of our own military to be used against U.S. citizens here, on American soil. And how is it this can be accomplished? Well, if Junior gets his way, our Congress will cede him the power by voiding an 1878 law that prevents the use of the military on U.S. soil for policing activities. It's called the Posse Comitatus Act. Keep in mind, our congress has given "the kid" everything he's asked for, hence, there's cause for deep, alarming concern here. If you sense the constitution has been attacked under Bush, hold on to your hats if Junior gets what he wants next.

Having loaned him the car, Bush is taking us all for a ride. And he has a resumé of some very reckless driving. But to properly place this latest quest for more power in proper context, let's look at Bush's recent authority acquisitions. (For this I credit Mike Whitney in his article, "Martial Law and the advent of the Supreme Executive.")

- "Three months ago, Bush issued an executive order that created the National Security Service (NSS); a branch of the FBI that now works entirely under his authority. It is America's first secret police; no different than the East German Stasi or the Soviet Union's KGB. It operates completely beyond congressional oversight and is answerable to the president alone. It is Bush's personal Gestapo.

- "Less than a month ago the 4th Circuit Court ruled that the president had the power to declare any American citizen an "enemy combatant" and summarily rescind all of his human and civil rights; including even the right to know the reason for which he is being imprisoned. The ruling confers absolute authority on the president and ends of any meaningful notion of "inalienable rights".

-"Last week the Senate Intelligence Committee "approved legislation that allows Pentagon Intelligence operatives to collect information from US citizens without revealing their status as government spies." The Pentagon may now conduct clandestine investigations of American citizens without the traditional safeguards that are applied to FBI. In effect, the legislation revokes the fundamental guarantees of privacy under the 4th amendment and "green-lights" the Pentagon to operate covertly against American citizens whether they are legitimate terrorist suspects or simply political enemies.

- "In another shocking development, President Bush said he will veto the upcoming Pentagon budget of $435 Billion if the bill contains any provision that limits the "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners". The President's action implies that he has the right to torture and abuse according to his own judgment, a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions, the 1996 Treaty on Torture and the 8th amendment.

(Dada side note: Isn't it ironic that torture is something carried on by the lowest eschelon of our military enlisted, that Bush decries it, but he will veto the budget if denied it?)

- "The revised version of Patriot Act is quickly moving through the Congress. The new edition eviscerates the last feeble strands of the 4th amendment and paves the way for "administrative subpoenas", which allow law enforcement to carry out searches without judicial oversight. "

In light of the above power grabs of the executive branch, do you feel really secure that Bush is simply interested in protecting you from the spread of the bird flu by deploying military troops to dole out vaccines?

As Mike Whitney warns, "If the congress chooses to overturn the Posse Comitatus Act, they will have removed the last bit of rickety scaffolding that protects the country from becoming a de facto military dictatorship. The power to deploy troops within the nation is the power to use the military against American citizens. It transforms the "people's army" into a direct threat to the democracy it is supposed to serve."

There's an old Chinese proverb that says, "May you live in interesting times." It's intended as a curse. But it's not old and it's not Chinese. (Best expert's estimates are it originated in America 30-40 years ago.) Just like the faux proverb, Bush's concern is phony as well. Our health and security are not the concerns that motivate his actions. Those are the ruses for his unprecedented consolidation of power. Power he is not afraid to use. We've seen it manifest in a number of heinous ways.

If granted, I wonder how he plans to use his new powers? It's certainly quite an addition to the resumé of one who's done nothing to earn his credentials!