How would a patriot act?

I've become a lot less politically active since Nikita's birth, and I am the first to admit that Bush's reelection has rendered me an ostrich with its head in the sand (which is quite easy in Boston). This book - at 128 pages, more like a pamphlet - may change all that.

Glenn Greenwald, by his own admission, was an apolitical constitutional lawyer until the arrest of Jose Padilla. Greenwald's book, is an outgrowth of his blog, Unclaimed Territory, which focuses on presidential powers, or in the case of George W. Bush, the abuse of presidential powers. Although the book is at times repetitive, Greenwald assembled quite a bit of evidence regarding Bush's usurpation of power:

• The authorization of the NSA to eavesdrop on American citizens without court oversight: a clear violation of FISA law of 1978.
• The imprisonment of two American citizens without due process (no formal charges, no access to lawyer or trial): a clear violation of the Constitution.

Where is the outrage of the American people? Greenwald argues that the Bush administration has so far kept such dissent in check through the use of fear. In essence, the war on terror has enabled the president to become immune to the law.

Although disheartening, Greenwald then reminds us of the Watergate scandal: it took over a year from the crime to Nixon's resignation (and Nixon was a much more popular president at the time of the scandal). The NYT broke the eavesdropping story just last January, so there's still hope for real justice (as opposed to the Justice Department's version) to be done. My ultimate fantasy would the resignation of the entire Bush administration.

Bottom line: as a patriot, you must read and distribute this book.