Is the US Government Becoming Oppressive?

I'm not generally alarmist about creeping facism and stifling of freedoms in this country. This means that I realize that it could happen, and I'm vigilant against giving the government too much power because I recognize that they will generally us it. However, I don't really think that we are as bad as countries like Iran or Syria, and that we don't face any danger of becoming that way. Clearly, our international image could come to look that way, but generally, I think that is very much hyperbole. I don't think anyone, objectively speaking, could compare us with a society like Iran's or Syria's.

That being said, we are supposed to be better, much better, and even facing comparisons with countries like that is troublesome. We should be compared with the best, not the worst. The fact that we're better than the worst is not comforting.

And now, our government is getting even worse. Today's LA Times speaks about some of the hearings in Federal Court where "Justice" Department lawyers have contended that even a little old lady in Switzerland who gives money to a charity, where some of that money is, unbeknownst to her, siphoned off to terrorists, may be abducted, detained and kept indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay.

Sayeth the exalted government:

"Someone's intention is clearly not a factor that would disable detention." It would be up to a newly established military review panel to decide whether to believe her and release her.

This is where our government is now? More from the article:

[Judge] Green asked if a hypothetical resident of England who taught English to the son of an Al Qaeda leader could be detained. Boyle said he could because "Al Qaeda could be trying to learn English to stage attacks there," and he compared that aid to "those shipping bullets to the front." Some detainees have been picked up in Bosnia and others in Africa.

Absolutely incredible!!! Anyone's a suspect, everyone's guilty, all the world's a crook, it's only up to our "military review boards" to determine whether they escape a life of detention at Guantanamo Bay without the review of any civilian court.

Maybe I'm lacking enough alarmism. This is truly evil.