Build more rails

No, not Atrios' beloved "supertrains", but more "third rails" of things that you cannot do out of complete and total fear. Thanks to the combination of the GOP loving the military irrationally and the way military spending is loved by all parties you cannot even slow the growth of the beast without accusations of being a wimp.

And, of course, that's not the only rail. You have to duly love the Jeebus; you have to love Social Security Reform --- but not too much; you have to hate drugs, but love drug companies.

And now, thanks to Bush, but not exactly being run away from by Obama, you really have to dislike those GITMO detainees.

Digby has a great post on all this -- the way the villagers just fall in line for supporting Dear Leader, no matter who Dear Leader is, making sure rights get limited -- how a legal system centuries old seems to be preordained without any evidence or logic to be unsuited as a trail court over whatever ad hoc shit the President can throw together, etc.

But the real reason is, politically, whoever is in power, thanks to Bush/Cheney rhetoric, is terrified we've created a bunch of folks who may not have originally been guilty of anything into resentful people who how REALLY hate America and will some day lash out against the country.

And woe to the politician who let that person get an actual day in court which absolved them from whatever trumped up crime we originally held them for.