Texas' War on Women sign of Governmental Despotism. Where Citizen Protests are called "unruly mobs," and the "Occupy Wall Street type mentality" will not be tolerated.

Two words describing the current direction the Republican Party is taking us, in lieu of winning over voters:

 

Despotism:  A form of government in which a group, as in an oligarchy means to "rule in the fashion of a despot."  

Authoritarianism: Characterized by or favoring absolute obedience to authority, as against individual freedom, expecting unquestioning obedience.

Like our new direction? That's were we're headed, and all without one peep from the press about these exciting "new" action words to describe our government. Ironically, this nation began as a movement away from despotism. More on that at the bottom of this post.

Not to get too sidetracked, but I also did a post about the tired and silly argument made by Republicans that we are “not a democracy, we are a republic.” Yet in the outrageous story below about the abortion debate in Texas, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst repeats over and over how in a “democracy,” the will of the people must not be abridged.

Forget the Constitutional protection against the tyranny of the majority. Republican lawmakers think they are the “respected” elite, and thus, must be obeyed. I've edited the clip to the shocking essentials:

Media Matters: The Texas lieutenant governor's recent threat that statehouse reporters could potentially be arrested and jailed if their behavior is deemed "not respectful" of the legislature is being called "worrisome" and "absurd" by Texas journalists. Several editors and reporters said Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's threats of potential arrest. "As I listened to this, I said, 'what the hell is this, you're going to throw us in jail?'" said Wayne Slater, a longtime political reporter for the Dallas Morning News, who posted video of the HotAir.com interview on his blog. Dewhurst said: 

“…if I find as I've been told examples of the media waving and trying to inflame the crowd, incite them in the direction of a riot, I'm going to take action against them. That is wrong. And we have a provision in our rules that if people (are not) respectful of the legislative process, one of our rules says we can imprison them up to 48 hours … we take a democratic policy seriously."

Within a day, Dewhurst's office backpedaled from the threat, claiming they had reviewed tapes of the session and found nothing worth pursuing.

Steve Proctor, managing editor of the Houston Chronicle (said) … even a hint of such action can be negative to reporters' work.

Jonathan Tilove, an Austin American-Statesman reporter who covered the session (said), "It presumes there was a riot that was incited. There was no riot, there was a raucous display. And they barely even gaveled to try and restore order. If [the arrest threat] was serious, it would be a terrible thing."

Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News, a 13-year statehouse and political reporter, called the talk of arrests "surprising" and said it could have a "chilling effect" on coverage."

What's frightening is how many times Republican have to to be reminded, by the press, that they are headed for despotic/authoritarian kind of government. How long will it be before even these reminders won't be enough? Ironically, our nation grew out of its opposition to despotism: 

Encyclopedia: In the United States Declaration of Independence, the British government is cited to have been reducing the American people under absolute despotism: "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security".