Friendly Fascism Indeed.

I’m not saying that conservatives are idiots, but I can’t honestly believe that even the most Neoconny of Neocons could look at a short story, written by a kid, for school… and arrest him for making terrorist threats.

I’ve heard the talk about that slippery slope… and the debate… you know, “Where do we draw the line? Gee, in this war on terrorism, perhaps we should expect to sacrifice... perhaps losing just a few civil liberties isn't such a high price to pay for liberty and justice after all.” I tell you what; I’m not so sure there is a line these days. I mean, this kid wrote a story about a fictional school in a fictional town being overtaken by fictional zombies. This kid is trying to find a way to sleep in a jail cell as I type this. This kid's bail was increased because of the "seriousness" of his "crime." This kid will go on trial for a felony offense. No matter what else happens, I doubt this kid will be writing any more stories any time soon.

I wonder if he’s thinking back on Stephen King’s The Stand, or Tom Clancy’s Sum of all Fears. Both books depicted the detonation of thermonuclear devices on American soil; both could just as easily be seen as threats against this nation… right? Or Roger Corman’s Rock 'n’ Roll High School? Is it honestly worse to envision a high school being overrun by zombies than by the Ramones? Which would pose more of a threat? Are these scenes playing in his head to the Boomtown Rats I Don’t Like Mondays do you suppose? That was a musical retelling of an actual event... the Bobbies didn't round up the Rats, or hang Sir Bob Geldof in Trafalgar Square when that song hit the top of the pops. Are these artists gonna’ be cooling their Dingos in the cell next to his before his trial date? Has it really come to this?

All evidence to the contrary, I am speechless. Evidently it's safer that way.