WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE THAT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION HAS SUPPRESSED DISSENT?

How does one know if political dissent has been purposely or actually suppressed?

One sometimes has to go by instinct and perception.

Here are some of the observations that dissent from the administration's policies, e.g. the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the so called "War on Terror", have been suppressed:

There has been the denigrating way the right wing zealots have characterized the Democrats, the group most likely to represent the dissenters.

For example, the Republicans have tried to deny the use of the word "democratic" as an adjective when it applies to the Democratic Party but instead repeatedly use the word "democrat" which is a noun.

How can this seemingly minor use of language be interpreted as suppession of dissent?

It is an imposition of a subtle slur by the ruling Republican party, of the Democratic Party's identity.

In other words, it is a form of name calling.

It implies that the Democrats are not "democratic" and do not deserve to be called "democratic."

In other words, it is a slur, an insult. And an implicit warning, saying, "we are in power and we can even influence your use of language."

There was also a successful campaign to control the use of images:

The refusal to allow the press to photograph the killed in action soldiers coming home in their flag draped caskets was a clear and powerful way that the ruling majority controlled an image that might have aroused popular opposition to a war. Opposition that would have been inconvenient to the rulers.

The attempt to monopolize the "support the troops" concept also was another subtle way to suppress dissent. What they were trying to say was, if you don't support the administration, you don't "support the troops", therefore you are not a good American. If fact you might even be a traitor, the Republicans seem to imply.

The wearing of the American flag in the jacket lapel also was a way to try to impose a form of ostentatious patriotism, to the point that if one didn't have the American flag on the jacket, one could be thought of as less than patriotic.

Of course, at public events, the corraling of protestors in offsite, off camera locations was a blatant way the adminstration successfully suppressed dissent.

One can imagine there was a conscious organized campaign to use these methods, techniques and control of images, to futher the Republicans' political ambitions.

It is reminiscent of what the German leaders did in the run upto WWII, as they manipulated the German people into supporting a horrifying and evil campaign.

And guess what?

The President has now targetted "Move On.Org Bloggers" and "Code Pink Protesters" as more of his enemies.

Could you hear the contempt in his voice as he snarled those comments?

He and his cronies have got to go. They are destroying our country.