>True, but at this point we still have the nominal option of ejecting them from office via the ballot box.
I doubt that is true anymore. Remember Minnesota’s 6+ month election/recount fiasco, remember the massive multistate ACORN voter registration fraud, and multiple stories about county clerks “finding” ballot boxes...
The ballot box may in fact be useless.
Hence my use of the word "nominal". If people would take their votes seriously, educate themselves about the candidates and the issues, volunteer at the polls, lobby for/support voter ID laws etc., the ballot box would remain a truly powerful weapon against tyranny. It's not too late to fix things, but it won't be easy either.