I was listening to the closing statement of a public advocate before the Supreme Court today regarding the detention of an American citizen as an "enemy combatant". This status means that at the whim of the Executive branch, one can be locked away interminably with no access to due process. It is worth hearing this for yourself. I found the two minutes and 28 seconds more chilling than a well-crafted horror film, and it reminded me of the dread I felt when I read Orwell's 1984. There have been many reminders of that book and the two film versions recently, with astonishing examples of doublespeak and contempt for the Constitution that people amazingly find defensible in letters to the editor and political columns.

When we first looked toward Mexico for an improved life, it was because of the color, and the emotional richness. The quirkiness and humor. A simplicity and innocence that we seem to have left behind in this country. All of that is still the primary motivation, but increasingly, there is a sense of fleeing from a malignant and ominous presence here.

I wonder, in November, if there will be a lot more people looking south for an opportunity to find a new life...

---

---