Long Live the Inquisition

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The United States government, not any court, is the best judge of whether to keep programs such as its controversial effort to eavesdrop on citizens a secret, an assistant attorney general said on Wednesday.

It's quite strange to be watching a fascist state materialize right in our midst. Journalists can now be prosecuted for reporting on government activities, uncontrolled spying is taking place and trying to be justified. The world's only current superpower is trying to bring the use of torture for political reasons back into the mainstream. Institutionalized practices to separate the upper and the lower classes are rampant and the middle class is disappearing.

It's strange to parallel this time to historical 'dark ages', but it definitely seems that with as much wisdom as one can have in the present moment without the benefit of hindsight, it certainly appears that humanity is heading for a low. It's interesting to see how this sort of thing evolves.

We hear about how ancient Rome and Greece were indeed much more advanced technologically, politically and philosophically than the times that followed. It appears that we may be headed for another such downswing.