This, in the United States of America

I’ve been wanting to blog about this for weeks, and since today is tax day, it seems apropos. Boston Legal (Tuesdays on ABC) is one of my favorite shows. The outrageously funny, yet bittersweet relationship between the attorneys played by James Spader and William Shatner (who both won Emmy’s for their roles) provides witty banter and poignant moments. They play off one another brilliantly.

While the show does have a decidedly liberal agenda that is sometimes so obvious I want to gag, I was pleasantly surprised by a segment in a recent episode entitled “Stick It!” The segment, while still liberal-leaning, voiced some opinions that I was amazed to hear on prime-time TV. Alan Shore (played by Spader) defends a woman who protested taxation by sending her return to the IRS with a post-it that read “Stick It.” In his closing arguments he gives a 5+ minute tirade on a topic that is close to my heart: the apathy of the American people in the face of continual loss of liberty.

From Shore’s statement:

“In fact, if the people of this country have spoken, the message is we’re okay with it all. Torture, warrantless search and seizure, illegal wiretappings, prison without a fair trial - or any trial, war on false pretenses. We, as a citizenry, are apparently not offended. … At a presidential rally, parade or appearance, if you have on a supportive t-shirt, you can be there. If you are wearing or carrying something in protest, you can be removed. This, in the United States of America.”

He goes on to mention that fear breeds repression. Read that again: fear breeds repression. Our government and media excel at keeping us in fear. And under the guise of “keeping us safe,” we are losing our freedom. We are going down the path to the Dark Side, folks.

The entire dialogue of Shore’s closing argument can be read here. There’s also a video clip. Happy Tax Day.