America became the foremost world power after World War II. In the aftermath, the nation took on the notion of world police chief. Our combined militaries became the police force.

        In doing so, we as a nation meddled in the business of other nations unnecessarily. America has a large enough nation to take care of without trying to rule the world.

        The idea of worldwide democracy is an illusion. Democracy is proving inadequate for America where it originated. Other cultures are so immersed in corruption and violence they cannot hope to establish a working democracy.

        Each post war President seems to have found it too difficult to deal with Congress and the nation politically on domestic issues, so their emphasis has been on international affairs.

        Each time America invades the sovereignity of a foreign nation, we have another example of a growing imperialistic presidency. The idea of the President being our Commander in Chief was not intended to give him a license to start wars. He was supposed to defend us against foreign aggression as F.D.R did. By doing so, F.D.R. waited until he had the mandate provided by Pearl Harbor to rally the nation into one mind to overthrow the enemies of freedom.

        Now we have torture and the perpetual holding of supposed terrorists as enemy combatants without bringing them to trial military or civil.

        We have the establishment of Homeland Security, another federal police agency. Instead of guarding against terrorists they have begun a major campaign of persecution against illegal Latino migrants. There were no Latino's among the terrorists who crashed into the Pentegon and the World Trade Towers. Stop Muslims from coming into the country and terrorism will not get a foothold here.

        There has also been a proliferation of national security letters to obtain private and confidential information American citizens have entrusted into secular instututions. These letters have been issued by FBI agents on their own initiative at times and at other times they have simply verbalized requests for confidential information without providing national security letters which leaves a paper trail. A tremendous amount of Police State power has fallen into the hands of federal law enforcement agents.

        President George Bush Jr. has been subpoenaed time and time again to explain his reasoning for his his administration's domestic wiretapping program. The President has been carrying out warrantless secret surveillance of American citizens since September 11th, 2002.

        The Judiciary Committee providing the subpoenas is entrusted with oversight of the executive branch in the areas of Constitutional protections and civil liberties. The committee does not consist of opposition party members but is bi-partisan. Republican senators voted with Democrats on the committee for the issuance of the subpoenas.

        George Bush authorized the NSA to monitor international phone calls and emails to or from the United States involving people that authorities suspect of having links to terrorists. This is something the President says he has the right to do as Commander in Chief in what he has declared as a "War against Terrorism." In declaring war against subversive forces President Bush has subversively invaded the rights of Americans. In saying we are at war against concealed enemies, the President has opened the door to pointing the finger at anyone. Our enemy is not visible. It is not a nation. It is not a people. It is not a religion. It is anyone the Bush forces suspect.

        This would be all well and good if man by nature were not corruptible. Since man is corruptible, what is to stop a future administration from using such subversive tactics to spy on opposition politicians and produce a dictatorship in America? Our two party system is far from perfect, but it is better than a Police State dictatorship.

        George Bush said we have to learn to trust others. He is wrong. This nation was founded on balances of power. Give too much power to one side and they will use it.

        All of these abuses of power and more were brought into the light in congressional hearings and in the media, but George Bush has continued in the course he has chosen. There is no doubt the precedences he has established will lead America further into a Police State as a nation.