No, it's a long way from being worse. It's gotten pretty bad, but most activists have no perspective on the situation, because most of them will never feel the worst effects of increased government repression. There are people out there who are feeling the effects: people who are being arrested by the INS, people who are being deported, radical activists who get arrested for minor offenses and face trumped up charges.
Perhaps it's a good thing that most activists who won't be affected have this warped perspective, because that means that they will fight back, thus amplifying our resistance to the new repression. Many middle class white radicals and activists like to get excited about the Patriot Act, because they've all know about the history of McCarthyism and COINTELPRO. What they forget is that people of color in this country undergo systematic repression every day. You almost have to ask why these activists who are worried about Patriot Act haven't been more involved in Cop Watch and anti-police brutality campaigns.
Of course, we all know that these new government programs will mostly impact communities of color, not white activists and leftists who go to anti-war meetings.
The biggest danger in these programs is that we start self-censoring ourselves and withdraw from activism and resistance. We all know that the government doesn't have enough resources to monitor each leftist and activist out there, but these programs can hurt us if let our fear get the better of us.
How does it feel? Well, I'm probably one of the few, if only, persons on this list who has recently been the subject of a government conspiracy. It's quite sobering (and validating) when you find out one day that the local police department has an active program to "get" you. But I haven't let that knowledge change what I do as an activist, nor have I publicly backed away from any militant positions. You just gotta do what gotta do.
I pretty much went through the gamut of emotions last week when the war "ended." I was mostly angry that the Bush administration was getting away with yet another propaganda victory. I was pretty angry at and disappointed with the American population, which resolutely refuses to wake up to what is going on. But I've also felt the bitter taste of seeing my predictions about the war playing out pretty much on schedule.
The "war" only lasted a few weeks, but at least the anti-war and peace movements climaxed BEFORE the war started, instead of waiting till the conflict became a Vietnam-style "quagmire." This war, of course, isn't quite over, but it has gotten to the point where the Bush regime can play it like they want to.
Barring another 9-11 wildcard.
One thing I plan to do know is spend more time on organizing anarchists and the anti-capitalist movements. Unlike many activists, I didn't seek all of my time and resources into anti-war activism. I decided last year to work on balancing my different activism projects with each other and with my personal life. Which means that I've been working on many projects this year that have little to do with anti-war activism.
I've been an activist since 1985, so I've been to my share of anti-war protests. I protested Gulf War I. I protested the Balkans War. I was out there in front of the White House when Clinton fired those missiles at Sudan and Afghanistan. It gets to the point where you start taking the long view and try not to burn yourself out, as you focus on fighting capitalism, the state, and the war machine, not just the war du jour.
Chuck0