Authoritarian behavior: Two cases

First we have the Obama administration continuing to detain marine Bradley Manning under inhumane, degrading conditions (sleep interruptions, no contact with anyone, kept in a cramped cell 23 hours a day, frequently forced to go naked before his guards) even though Manning hasn’t been convicted of anything (and I wouldn’t consider it acceptable conditions if he had been). The White House has now fired a State Department official who dared question the way Manning was being treated.
Second, we have the Michigan governor’s proposal for emergency powers over elected local governments—not disaster-type emergencies, but financial ones, which would (among other things) allow him to appoint anyone he chooses to manage the governments financially, with little recourse or oversight from the public. The piece includes a link to the bill.