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There must be some way out of here",
said the joker to the thief
"There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief
Businessmen they drink my wine, plowman dig my earth,
None of them along the line know what any of it is worth"

"No need to get excited," the thief, he kindly spoke,
"There are many here among us who think that life is but a joke
But you and I, we've been through that, and this is not our fate,
So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late"

"All Along the Watchtower" - Bob Dylan

The Hour Is Getting Late

The Bush administration has put itself in a position where it must either increase its hold on power or hire lawyers to negotiate plea bargains when they are charged for their many crimes against the laws and Constitution of the United States and international law.

It is becoming clearer and clearer which route they have chosen.

George Bush is less than five weeks away from launching an attack on Iran. A navy "strike force," including the aircraft carrier Eisenhower, has been ordered to make way toward Iran with an arrival date of October 23. A senior intelligence official says that the Joint Chiefs of Staff consider an attack on Iran to be inevitable and have moved forward on contingency planning to deal with the worst case scenarios resulting from such an action.

Just as was the case with Iraq, the decision to go to war has already been made even though the administration claimis that it's continuing to look for diplomatic solutions.

Repeat: October 23 is less than 5 weeks away.

No Reason To Get Excited?

What will a war against Iran mean for Americans?

Here are some definite possibilities raised by experts:

• oil prices over $200 per barrel because Iran has the means to shut off the Straits of Hormuz through which much of the world's oil supply passes;

Perhaps most significant is the prediction made by Daniel Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers whistleblower:

If there's another 9/11 or a major war in the Middle-East involving a U.S. attack on Iran, I have no doubt that there will be, the day after or within days an equivalent of a Reichstag fire decree that will involve massive detentions in this country, detention camps for middle-easterners and their quote "sympathizers", critics of the President's policy and essentially the wiping-out of the Bill of Rights.

There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here

There is, but there won't be for long.

It is still possible to avoid America's economic collapse and detention camps, but just barely. Three factors make it imperative for those who see the light--especially those who are in target groups like Muslims, gays, antiwar activists, atheists--to take action now to escape the coming storm.

• as housing prices and the value of the dollar decline, most people will see significant erosion of the assets they would use to relocate;

Most people are unwilling to completely disrupt their lives on the chance that Bush and Cheney are really crazy enough to take things to the next level. That's understandable.

But isn't it worth investing a little time and money NOW in creating an option for you and your family in case the predictions of war made by people like CIA veteran Ray McGovern, War College teacher emeritus Sam Gardiner and Daniel Ellsberg are correct? You can move some assets, gather documents, even begin establishing a basis for residency in another country while you continue working and living where you are now.

If there is no attack on Iran, if the Democrats take both houses of Congress AND get a backbone, if Bush and Cheney are bunking together in Leavenworth by the end of next year, you've spent a few thousand dollars for an insurance policy upon which you didn't have to collect. That's always the best outcome.

On the other hand, if it's even more apparent three weeks from now that it's a "go" for an attack, you won't be lying awake at 3 AM and wondering what you'll do if the Bill of Rights heads down the memory hole. By then, you could have some start-up money tucked away abroad, your residency documents in hand and maybe even an overseas company created that can be your way to earn a living if you relocate.

This Is Not Our Fate

Maybe you've been doing everything you could to stop the insanity that seems to have taken over the United States. Or perhaps you've never been all that interested in politics, but things are getting to the point now that you're scared for your safety and the well-being of your family.

Whichever is the case, there is no shame in leaving a country that's headed for fascism.

Albert Einstein was a target of the Nazis even before they assumed power. They hated him for his genius and because he was Jewish. As soon as Hitler was appointed Chancellor, and months before Germany had become a totalitarian state, Einstein decided he would not remain in his homeland. Here's what he told reporters:

"As long as I have any choice in the matter, I shall live only in a country where civil liberty, tolerance and equality of all citizens before the law prevail."

Just because you happen to live in the United States doesn't mean that it's your fate to become the victim of the fascists who are at the brink of having complete control over that country.

Today you still have a choice--that choice about which Einstein spoke.

In another six weeks, that choice may be gone.