Whitehouse press secretary Ari Fleischer has made an official statement of U.S. policy, concerning a slightly inappropriate remark made by a TV talk-show host:

There are reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they do, and this is not a time for remarks like that; there never is.

Remember that the press secretary is the official mouthpiece of the Bush administration. Fleischer's statement effectively amounts to "do not say anything we do not like; failure to do so will result in government persecution." Am I the only one who finds this chilling? I'm not and have never been an American, so personally I could care less. But are the American people truly so stupid so that they fail to see what this entails? Remember that the Soviet government didn't officially censor anything; like its American counterpart, the Soviet government preferred to make "suggestions" to writer's trade unions to "write tactfully" so that readers won't be offended by "insensitive" remarks about the government. Of course, those who failed to "act with appropriate tact" were put in institutions for the insane -- because anybody who flaunts public opinion so flagrantly must be obviously psychologically unbalanced.

I know that you (Americans) scoff at what I'm saying; you are too deep in the morass of doublethink already to notice the truth. Just remember that the average Soviet citizen would have laughed in your face if you hold him that his government is an oppressive regime.

Congratulations -- you are now the Evil Empire.