The realisation that their country is in trouble may be finally becoming clear more of the inhabitants of the USA.
The Guardian had a story by American writer Naomi Wolf describing the steps to fascism the Bush administration seems to be taking. It is well worth a read.
Even throughout history the roadmap to control a populous has been known by leaders:
“Naturally, the common people don’t want war, but after all, it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a parliament or a communist dictatorship.
Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy, all you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.
It works the same in every country.”Hermann Goering, Hitler’s Reich-Marshall at the Nuremberg Trials after WWII
There is another quote that is wrongly attributed to William Shakespeare on the net, but is poinient none the less:
Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind …. and when the drums of war have reached fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry.
Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded with patriotism, will offer up all their rights unto the leader, and gladly so.