Friends:

ONE MONTH AFTER HITLER GOT HIMSELF APPOINTED CHANCELLOR, the German parliament was set afire. Communist "terrorists" were blamed, although evidence indicts the Nazis themselves. This “catastrophe” set in train Hitler’s invasions, racist alarms, mass killings, and World War II.

For the first five years things in Germany looked normal on the surface, though his “emergency” powers enabled Hitler and his Nazi police to work in the shadows to control the media, schools, and workplaces, and kidnap thousands of dissidents and other undesirables, while building a superior military establishment. His inspiration in part was the Teutonic myth of the "Ring".

So too in the U.S.—on the surface—things appear normal even after 9-11. President Bush blamed “the terrorists” and immediately invaded strategic Afghanistan, and then oil-rich Iraq, moved in part by the Biblical myth of "Revelation". Declaring himself wartime president, he began yellow and orange signals of perpetual danger. Now people are afraid that terrorists might pop up on the morning commute, at the entrance to city hall, in the theater, or in a neighbor’s garage.

After his Patriot Act was passed to enhance federal police powers and override citizen rights, President Bush has been issuing executive orders not reported in the mainstream media or debated in Congress. These orders give himself alone the powers—-following a “catastrophic emergency” which he identifies—-to “coordinate” all three branches of government (NSPD-51 aka HSPD-20). He has already declared the emergency necessary to give himself powers to arrest or seize the assets of anyone seeming to interfere with his “democratization” of Iraq (Exec Order 13438) or Lebanon (signed Aug 1, 2007). That means any of us with a different opinion.

Wake Up America! We are fast becoming captives. It has done little good to petition our far-away congress members. But we can "set ourselves free” by “knowing the truth" in our own communities. To protect our democracy we must act locally. We can start by engaging our local officials.

This e-mail is a Democracy Protection Kit—ready to forward to your concerned friends. The action component is interviewing your mayor, your strongest city councilors, and your chief of police. Find out how they weigh demands from federal agencies like Homeland Security, and the demands and rights of the townspeople and our Constitutions—US, state, and city charter. Use this information to inform all by newspaper, radio, TV, internet, meetings, and word of mouth. The resulting discussion will help you and your fellow citizens and local officials to link groups and draw up procedures for resisting unwarranted federal demands. This is not Hitler’s Germany! We can and must be the “deciders”—and the agenda-setters.

“We” are the regular mix of local citizens. Organizers of any interview, or set of interviews, should strive for a diverse group representing diverse organizations and citizens—socially, economically, and politically. Start with a small delegation of 5-8. Later you can have forums.

Attached are resources:

* a model letter to your most important local officials (interview request)

* a model set of 5 questions to discuss with them (interview questions)

* a news article detailing problems of federal-local cooperation (police intelligence)

* two executive orders by George Bush, allowing him to dominate (taking over), (seizing assets)

* an article warning how Bush may cancel 2008 elections (cancel elections)

* a readable scholarly article developing the big picture (martial law)

The Alliance for Democracy can encourage and coordinate your use of these materials. Contact:
* Dave Lewit, BCA Dispatch editor: 617-266-8687 boston@newenglandalliance.org or
* Barbara Clancy, Alliance national office coordinator: 781-894-1179 afd@thealliancefordemocracy.org

Even more important...
* Your Local Alliance activists:
* Your Local allied group activists—from ACLU, Rotary, LWV, NAACP, teachers union, SEIU, BORDC, Catholic Charities, Weekly News, ward political organizations, college groups, home-grown organizations, etc.

Thanks! Get in touch! Get started!
---Dave Lewit