Because we no longer learn much about our rights or our system of government – the task of being aware of the constitution has been outsourced from citizens’ ownership to being the domain of professionals such as lawyers and professors – we scarcely recognise the checks and balances that the founders put in place, even as they are being systematically dismantled.
Also, as we don’t learn much about European history, the setting up of a department of “homeland” security – remember who else was keen on the word “homeland” – didn’t raise the alarm bells it might have.
Naomi Wolf wrote these when Bush was in office in her book titled The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot
10 Steps that Close an Open Society
Invoke an internal and external threat – People who are afraid are willing to do things that they wouldn’t