Prepare to fight!

Sometimes our leaders threaten to do something so outrageous that no American worthy of the name can rest until we all feel secure that mass public fury has squelched it. Right now there are two such abominations looming on the horizon.

One of these is a recently-expressed commitment by Obama to push an amnesty for illegal aliens. Not right now, obviously -- he knows full well what a firestorm such a move would provoke in the middle of a recession. But later, when things have improved, he does intend to press the matter. Never mind the effect on the job prospects of American workers, especially the least-skilled who are already backed against the wall. Never mind the attack on the rule of law represented by amnesty for those whose very presence in the country is a crime and an act of contempt for the law. Never mind the slap in the face to all the would-be legal immigrants who are following the proper procedures and waiting in their countries of origin to be accepted, only to see these illegal interlopers shove ahead of them in line. Never mind that tough state and local action may already be starting to solve the illegal-alien problem.

Well, when Bush and a gang of craven Senators tried to force an illegal-alien amnesty on us in the middle of 2007, the American people rose up and roared and showed them who was boss. If and when the time comes, we'll show Obama who's boss too.

The other ominous proposal is being put forward by Congressional Republicans, though some democrats are supporting it too. It's a plan to require all internet service providers -- even libraries and internet cafés -- to keep detailed records on everyone who uses their services. It's unclear exactly what data would be kept, but the implication is that individuals' usage would be monitored; the records would be available to the authorities under various circumstances (easily re-defined at some point in the future on whatever pretext, once the monitoring technology was in place).

So if you happen to take an occasional interest in perusing the website of the American Communist Party, or the John Birch Society, or Dominant-Donna's-Den-of-Discipline-dot-com, or whatever, then be prepared to feel the chilling effect of some McCarthy or Hoover type invisibly peering over your shoulder. The actual monitoring (which might not even be technologically possible) isn't the point; it's that chilling effect itself that's the point. It has long been the fond dream of every miserable, nosy, agitated control freak to destroy the exuberant anonymity and uncontrollability which have made the internet such an oasis of freedom. The slimebucket kiddie-porn purveyors who are being used as a pretext for this (as they are for every proposed attack upon freedom of expression) would of course quickly master whatever technology was needed to protect their revolting business from its effects. Would you feel equally confident that you knew how to defend your privacy? Or would you, perhaps, just quit visiting sites you knew Big Brother might not like if he were watching?

Our ability to stop our government from imposing these two outrages on our country will be a test of our vitality and self-awareness as a people. I'm optimistic that we will pass that test.