"It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once." -- David Hume

If this had been a scene from a movie, we'd sigh at the cheap manipulation of trite terror: brownshirts; the midnight knock on the door; no arrest, merely "taken in for questioning." That's not a terrorist, that's a guy who "the authorities" think had something to do with making a really bad movie. More HERE.

Everyone who's worked for any large organization knows that when your boss decides he doesn't like you, you're toast. You're not going to be fired for incompetence, or for super-gluing the coffeepot in the break room. Instead, your boss will haul out the Big Book of Personnel Regulations, have his secretary clock what time you arrive in the morning, and write you up for tardiness.

We live in an age of environmental regulations, zoning regulations, income taxes, sales taxes, ad valorem taxes, licenses, and permits.

When The Man knocks on your door at midnight, he won't be there to arrest you for murder or blasphemy. He'd just like to ask you a few questions down at headquarters. He will call you "sir."