Editorial

Obama's Dystopian Society

David A. Lombardo

For quite some time I've been saying this president is specifically transforming the United States into a communist dictatorship that will be ruled by elite demi-gods such as himself. Tribune columnist Eric Zorn said my idea of the transformation into a dystopian world was pure fantasy, essentially the hallmark of conservative fear-mongering.

Repeated attempts to ban modern sporting rifles is "to protect the children," though rarely has the firearm been used to harm children. Banning the enormously popular M855 ammunition that can now be fired from a handgun is "to save law enforcement officers," though there isn't a single record of any cop being shot by a handgun firing M855 ammunition.

Fast and Furious was "to trace the flow of illegal weapons across the border to Mexican drug cartels," but in fact was a set-up deal that the Department of Justice was going to use as an excuse for further U.S. gun control laws.

Giving military combat equipment to local law enforcement agencies is "to deal with gang violence and terrorism," yet recipients of the military MRAP-the mine-resistant ambush-protected armored personnel vehicle-and other military grade weaponry are often small towns and counties geographically spread across the country. Dundee, Michigan, a sleepy community of 3,900, received a free MRAP. Its crime index is 53% lower than the Michigan average, which is 10% lower than the national average. To date, no terrorists have turned the local Bob Evans Restaurant into a killing field. In fact the only threat of killing anyone occurs during the fourth quarter of a tense high school football game.

The list of government programs to monitor and control John Q is getting so long that it's difficult to even remember what they are. Red light cameras, speed cameras and now license plate recognition cameras keep track of who's going where, and 24/7 telephone and email monitoring keeps tabs of private conversations.

Did you find it difficult to believe that the federal government intentionally exacerbated the Ferguson, Missouri, conflict? That they sent provocateurs to Ferguson specifically to fire up racist interaction so the Department of Justice would have grounds to begin spreading the word that law enforcement is racist? Still doubt Obama's intent? If you hate ObamaCare, then check this out: ObamaLaw.

Recently Obama publicly stated, "We have a great opportunity to really transform how we think about community law enforcement relations. We need to seize that opportunity...this is something that I'm going to stay very focused on in the months to come," he said. Obama also publicly called upon the press to support his intent to federalize law enforcement and not to give voice to critics of the program.

Look at the pieces: flooding the country with illegal aliens who will support liberalism and dilute the vote; the continuous attempts to disarm the public by legal or illegal means; the development of nationwide surveillance programs; the militarism of local law enforcement and the intent to federalize it; and then add this.

When the President can't muster up enough support for one of his initiatives, he simply does an end run around the Congress by declaring an Executive Order. Most recently he's warned law enforcement at all levels that there would be "consequences" for anyone that doesn't enforce his immigration policy even though the courts are saying it's unconstitutional.

Obama is not only giving a middle-digit-salute to Congress but also to the courts. Of the three branches of government that run the country, the executive, legislative and judicial, Obama has marginalized the other two that are meant to serve as a check-and-balance function against the executive branch. If Obama is no longer fettered by the legislature or the judiciary, if he has national surveillance in place and will soon control local law enforcement, has he not become a de facto dictator?