I will have to point out that one of the reasons that I dislike GWB so much is because I disagree with every opinion and platform position that comes out of the man's mouth. I'm certainly not leaning to the right in any way, but that doesn't mean that I don't agree with the occasional Republican position. But somehow I manage to disagree with every Bushian position. (Of course, the condescension with which he presents his opinions just polarizes me that much more.)

There has long been this notion that there are leaders and followers, and -- I don't know -- maybe that was true at some time, but there is a much larger mass of people now that don't fit into those two categories: the free-thinkers. They don't follow, but they don't lead, either, except maybe by example and rant. Most of us here who participate in these discussions, I think, fall in that category. And it makes me furious to see people who just want to follow. (Oftentimes even when what they've chosen to follow agrees with what I've reasoned.)

To change points, and not to draw too strong a comparison, my mother can be one of those people, despite being a Democrat. She however, doesn't really see the harm in stuff like the PATRIOT Act. She's of the notion that she doesn't have anything to worry about. Compare that to Martin Niemoller's quote:

Quote:
First, they came for the labor unions but I wasn't a labor unionist, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for the Communists but I wasn't a Communist, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for the Jews; but I wasn't a Jew, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for the Catholics, but I wasn't a Catholic, so I didn't speak up. Then they came for me-and there was no one left to speak up.

and I start to wonder how innocuous that first step might have seemed to some people. I always assumed that he meant that they came around and rounded up the unionists, but maybe it was presented in the same way the PATRIOT Act is presented. Maybe it wasn't "I'm not going to say anything in order to save myself," as I always assumed, but more "I don't really see anything wrong with that; they're just protecting me from the bad people."

Again, I'm not trying to equate the Bush administration with the Nazi party, but there are some parallels I see.