What you describe is precisely why they’re ‘so-called conservatives’ and not real conservatives. The ‘Right’ hasn’t known a real conservative since Teddy Roosevelt.

The Right today are the big-spending, big-government, anti-Constitutional, phony-religious, weak-kneed and frightened segment of our society.

The 4th, 5th and 6th Amendments were written because those who wrote them knew there would be people come along acting like today’s ‘so-called’ conservatives.

At the same time, these same people who claim to be in favor of “small government” think it’s perfectly in order for the government to be able to lock people in cages, forever, just because the president thinks they might be involved with terrorism. Suspicion is enough — they decide you’re an “enemy combatant,” and that’s it. American citizen or not, it doesn’t matter.

These so-called “conservatives” trust the federal government to never ever make a mistake when it comes to dealing with “terrorists.” Just look how furious they got when it was determined that “War on Terror” prisoners have the right to petition for habeas corpus — the most fundamental human right in our system of jurisprudence. As far as they’re concerned, if the government says you might be a terrorist, then by God, you’re a terrorist, end of story. The government doesn’t have to prove a damn thing, they can just do whatever they want with you. Today’s “conservatives,” incredibly, are OK with this. They claim to be distrustful of government, but this is OK with them.

Today’s “conservatives” think it’s OK to break the law, as long as someone from the US government tells you to. It’s the “patriotic” thing to do.

Today’s “conservatives” think the US government should be able to listen in on anyone’s phone calls, read anyone’s emails, have access to whatever private data they decide they want, and do their spying in total secrecy — no warrants, no judicial oversight.

The “limited federal government” would NEVER misuse this power — how dare you even suggest such a thing might happen? It’s unpatriotic — maybe even treasonous — to think that’s too much power for any government to have.

If the Republicans and the wingnut weaklings had lived during the days of Patrick Henry we’d all be still speaking the King’s English.

They’re all pathetic.