As the Bush administration has made abundantly clear, right-wing fascism is still by far the biggest threat to democracy. I'm still worried if our democracy can survive jack-booted mercenaries like Blackwater.

And yet, progressive freedom lovers would just love it if the government was breaking down doors and prying guns from the cold, dead fingers of the people....

Assuming all the criminals who still own their (illegal) guns didn't get to them first.

As a REAL lover of freedom (and owner of several guns, I might add) I still think many of the right-wing nutjobs in the current administration need to be in Leavenworth. My freedom to own a firearm is no more or less important than my freedom to have a private conversation without some Bushie security drone listening in.

The all-or-nothing argument is simplistic. Just because someone doesn't think W hung the moon and the so-called conservatives are the only possible leaders of this country (or even really conservative!) doesn't mean they're the ones screaming "fascist!" all the time.

These days the progressives are among the ones calling for a return to the rule of law in this country.

Gearhead your one of the few people who seem to have formed opinions instead of choosing a party. Both parties have people who are so convinced in the righteousness of what their doing that their ends can justify their means. In a healthy democracy the means are everything and how we do it is just as important as what we do. Unfortunately right now in the White house the fringe has hijacked the Republican party and we are at the behest of people who are so sure of their causes they don't care how they go about trying to achieve them. Wiretapping and Guantanamo are just two examples of an administration that has used the term, "executive priviledge," and signing statements to trample both the spirit and letter of the laws which uphold our free society.

and on a side note, enjoy your guns.

Yes handguns give a person such intense pleasure when used as intended. How do people resist?