"So this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause."

The country wants change, and we will get it. Perhaps Bush's legacy will be that he was perceived to be so bad, that we elected the most extreme political candidate in our history. President elect Obama campaigned as a centrist, but his record is clear, he is no centrist. His voting record is extreme left, and despite his promises and pledges, he will move us in that direction.

Last night, he said the rest of the world was watching. They were, and they were pleased. They love him because whatever will make our nation weak will make them strong. They were rejoicing in the caves of Pakistan, in the halls of the Kremlin and in the palace in Venezuela. His party's record on defense and national security is quite clear. The multiple terror attacks during the Clinton administration should be a clear indicator as to how that party deals with our enemies. Perhaps President Bush kept us too safe. We forgot the real threat of Islamofacism is still there. They never give up, and they are still plotting today.

So, what is the summary? That President Obama will be to the left of Bill Clinton? He will release the terrorists in Gitmo? We will have higher taxes, and perhaps another small terrorist attack or two? We can overcome, right? After all, we have a Congress, we have courts, we have term-limits. It will be bad for sure, but it will end eventually, right?

It can be much worse.

In my book, the Presidency is too important a position to elect someone about whom we know so little. All we really know is that he is a charismatic man, who won his presidency on the emotions of a nation who was tired of an administration they have been told was a failure. While the signs of Bush's administration being a bad one are clear (Harriet Mires for the Supreme Court, a poor economy, an illegal war, fractured alliances, etc.) it is not as bad as the media have portrayed it, and certainly no worse than Jimmy Carter's.

So, in addition to his charisma, and emotional support from a weary nation, he has blind support from the media, and we know how important a fair and free press is. The press is currently free (at least until the Fairness Doctrine comes back), but certainly not fair. In addition, he will have a willing and able Congress to implement any policy. Do we really need "The Fairness Doctrine"? No, but it will be step one in stamping out those who oppose his regime.

I just read the other day that he wants to have a citizen army. It kind of reminds me of the brownshirts. If anyone reading this does not know who the brownshirts are - shame on you. Those ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it. There are many other stories and dystopias like this on the Internet, and I am sure many of them are probably exaggerations; these combined with the above factors are too frightening to ignore.

Remember Hitler, Pol Pot and many other despots were socialists and leftists, and not right-wingers like the media and your teachers would have you believe. I recommend that we study their rises to power. I only have a cursory knowledge of these histories, but so far the similarities with Obama's rise to power are interesting. I plan to learn more history, I plan to watch for the signs, and I plan to buy a gun before it becomes illegal.

We made our choice, and it was the wrong one. There were many celebrations that I watched on TV last night. It reminded me of Natalie Portman's great line in one of the Star Wars movies. She said "so this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause."

I have three young children, and I am very sad for them. They may not grow up in the free society I did. I hope I am wrong. I fear I am not.