A number of his predecessors were as well. Damn near every one from 1800 til the west was settled was "Imperial." They expanded the borders with or without approval from congress, ignored the people who happened to be living there whether it be the natives, Mexicans or Spanish. In Jackson's case he ignored the Supreme Court to do whatever he wanted. Lincoln had members of the press arrested and got rid of habeas corpus. Compared to back then the US is doing alright freedom wise. Particularly if you are a woman or racial minority.
The ends do not justify the means. Take that to heart as a rule to live by.
What importance is individual liberty? Individual liberty is guaranteed by restrictions on the accumulation of power. That's why the US Constitution created such a cumbersome apparatus for governance.
Only a moral relativist would ignore the historical process. You excuse Obama's present violation of the checks and balances of the US Constitution, designed to protect American citizens from overreach by any branch of the federal govt., to actions taken long ago against peoples who were not considered at the time to be American citizens. In doing so you make an error in the nature of the polity and how it has been shaped by historical evolution. Do not attempt to hold the past to today's standards. Doing so can easily be used to discredit all of the past of every civilization.
Don't attempt to play the "women and minorities" argument where it has no place. Never before in American history has the executive branch attempted to permanently govern without the cooperation of Congress. Obama has even admitted he intends to govern unilaterally without recourse to Congress. This approach has never been attempted before, and threatens to change the very character of the polity from that of a representative republic to that of an autocracy. This is very similar to what occurred at the end of the Roman Republic when the two Roman Consuls became mere figureheads as complete power passed to the emperors. That break signified the change in the essence of the polity. A change for the worse as both plebians and the equestrian order became less free.
Russia is experiencing a conservative adrenalin rush it actually comes from a
flip flop. they went from Communist repression to the new Russian Orthodox
repressive religious conservative message.. As for America they have two
problems. One the newsrooms are now entertainment redistribution centers
and have more to do with opinion than information. Second to that the ultra
conservatives and ultra liberal elements have taken charge of the agenda.
Its also why more and more people are watching entertainment.
The trouble is there is no substance to the news we are getting in many cases
not all cases though
Imo those two faults are mere symptoms of the underlying malady. I think it's necessary to look at process. Start with the American public school system.
