Elie Dvorin wrote on Thursday that the election has shown that “times are changing” in America. I couldn’t agree more. Neo-conservative values are on the rise; U.S. citizens care more about “moral” issues rather than matters that actually affect our daily lives; and we just declared to the world that we approve of the Bush administration’s insidious incompetence to govern the world’s most powerful nation. Times are changing indeed, Elie. With the Republicans determined to legislate their way into the most sacred aspects of our personal lives, you can forget about Republican “small government.” With the current and future administration’s likening of patriotic dissent to the likes of terrorists, you can forget about “freedom of speech.” And now with all branches of federal government under the control of the GOP, you can forget about checks and balances in our “democracy.” While half of the United States squeals gleefully at Bush’s re-election and the other half sighs in discouragement, I can’t help but wonder, where are the alarmed citizens who realize this election handed the United States over to fascism?

Hannah Son

senior in LAS