You know it’s a sad state of affairs in America when you’re watching TV and you are shocked to notice a well-paid and well-connected broadcast journalist actually doing, well, a bit of journalism.

You call everyone you know. “Turn on the TV, yes tune to MSNBC… journalism is occurring! Hurry!”

What am I talking about? Last night, anchor Rachel Maddow aired what might be the most important 7 minutes of on-air coverage MSNBC has ever done. (Watch the full clip directly below.)

A major cable news network finally covering the NDAA, finally giving it more than a passing mention as a “defense bill” with some “controversial provisions.”

Her producers even booked her an outraged official from the ACLU and everything! And despite being a liberal Obama apologist, Ms. Maddow appeared more shocked than anything that the White House pulled an ultra-shady move and withdrew its veto promise on a bill that quite literally allows the military to detain, interrogate (aka torture, unless you enjoy waterboarding), and forever imprison American citizens — on US soil — without access to a trial of any kind, or an attorney.

The bill, in other words, throws America into the Dark Ages, where a lord of the estate can simply say, “I don’t like this peasant! Throw ye into the tower indefinitely.”

As per the NDAA’s sketchy provisions, the government need only accuse you of being a terrorist or linked to “associated forces.” No need to prove your guilt or any of that burdensome, tiring civil rights stuff you’ve seen on CSI and Law & Order.

So some Islamic fundamentalist Internet creeper adds you on Facebook, even though you’ve never talked to him before in your life — and even though you have thousands of friends on Facebook — the government can now classify you as linked to terrorism and throw you in military prison to rot for the rest of your life. If that doesn’t outrage you, consider this: there’s no Facebook, Angry Birds, or Dancing With The Stars in prison.

In closing, Rachel Maddow last night joined the very short list of American heroes and actual honest-to-God patriots in our mainstream media. (Jon Stewart is also on the list of heroes for his nearly 10 minute long coverage of the NDAA, which is a big part of the reason why #NDAA has gone viral on Twitter and elsewhere.)

In the Senate, there are 7 individuals on the patriots list: those who had the cojones to vote against NDAA. The other 93 Senators are nothing short of traitors — for the first time in history, they have made it apparent they don’t care about citizens at all. They only care about the powerful defense interests, crypto-fascist “war hawk” policy consultants, and handful of transglobal corporations who sign their paychecks and fuel their re-election campaigns.

If you’re not completely disgusted by what Congress has done, it’s time to lower your dose of Zoloft and ask your doctor if the Bill of Rights is right for you.

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