The beginning stages of a police state exist when:

a leader is brought into power through illegal means (oh, please -- let's not go there)

a national catastrophe is used as the pretext to begin a war and institute extraordinary restrictions on constitutional liberties (agree on this one -- I see the "1984" scenario playing out if we're not careful -- but we're far from that now)

citizen dissent is held to be treasonous (come on! Just because someone in Washington questions the patriotism of someone else when they dissent, don't believe we're to the point that dissent is truly being quashed -- take a trip to China or Saudi Arabia for heaveb's sake)

the constitutional separation of powers is abrogated by a power-mad executive branch which controls or intimidates the other two branches of government (Republicans can't even use their majority to get THEIR OWN agenda through -- please!)

I will have a Belikin -- put it on klcman's tab.