The elected officials of this nation, by and large, no longer see themselves as 'civil servants' but as 'civil masters'. That is obvious when one looks at the actions the federal governemt has taken since 9/11.
Times will get tough in this country, but I refuse to believe that we are all sheep. Freedom will reign again. As Thomas Jefferson said, "What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure." --Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith, 1787. ME 6:373, Papers 12:356