Fascist America?

The more freedom we gain, the more of a need by government to controll us.

That process started on 9/11.

Drivel it’s a shame that people like you are able to vote. Anyone who is willing to surrender all their rights to the government and thinks everyone else should be willing to do the same should have no part in the democratic process.

This “war” has no visible end in sight and so to say that we should gladly give away our rights so that the government can protect us reminds me a lot of the story 1984. It’s almost as if you’re saying that we don’t need to worry about our rights because Big Brother will take care of us.

The fact that you don’t care about innocents being subjected to inhumane treatment is also disturbing. Once you start thinking that the ends justify the means and innocents don’t matter then you become no better than the terrorists that you condemn.

Don’t you see? It’s just like McCarthyism. Back then people tried to defend the rights of ordinary citizens and were denounced as communist sympathizers. Even then, people didn’t understand that defending human rights wasn’t about defending communism it was about defending the rights of ordinary people, rights that protect us from our servants in government. The government works for the people not vice versa.

American Woman, let’s say that based on the flimisiest of evidence or just a pure coincidence you are mistakenly arrested by the police on suspicion of having some kind of connection to terrorism, what rights do you think you’ll have? US citizens probably have better protection than non-US citizens but if you take the example of those in Cuba, you won’t be able to speak to your lawyer, you want be able to speak to or see your family members, you won’t be able to challenge your detention and you probably won’t be told exactly why you are being detained or see whatever evidence there is against you. You also won’t get a fair trial.

So as you can see, there is no protection against miscarriages of justice or abuse of power by the state. You might think that people don’t get detained unless there is compelling evidence but you’d be wrong. As I already mentioned, Canadian, German and British citizens have been mistakenly detained by US authorities, an Afghan who fought against the Taliban ended up in Cuba and there have been many other cases. There was a case in Buffalo where 3 arab men were detained and charged with terrorism based on the false testimony of a prisoner who was trying to cut a deal to shorten his sentence. The authorities found a home-video of a trip to Disneyland and decided that the men were planning to blow the place up. Eventually the truth came out and the authorities realized they had made a mistake. There was another case elsewhere in America where some Eastern men were involved in paintball trips and the authorities decided that they were preparing for terrorist attacks. Then of course there was the incident where Cat Stevens was denied entry to America because he was suspected of having links to terrorism.

If you’re not bothered about the government rounding up people willy-nilly and torturing them then there must be something wrong with your head. Surely America shouldn’t be a country where the secret police take you away in the dead of night and torture you. If you tolerate this then don’t complain when more and more of your rights start disappearing.

Mr. B

America is doing what it has to do to keep from what happened on Sept 11th from happening again. Basically you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. If we didn’t watch our back and it happened again, there would be an up-roar. Now that we’re trying to prevent it, people are still bit ching about the way we go about it. Comments on these boards suggest that we Americans are more hated than ever before. But as of today, we haven’t been hit in 5 years. That says something doesn’t it? Regardless of what you believe, our government doesn’t just pick people out and start torturing. They are following leads they’ve been given. Every possible threat does have to be checked out. Who do you consider the innocent in all this? Is it the people whose names are being mentioned by terrorists because they may or may not be associated with them? Or is it the people who go to work, ride the subway, get on an airplane and trust that their government is doing everything in their power to ensure their safety? I’m sorry that you don’t agree with our means of protecting ourselves and any visitors that come here. But I know that I feel safer and I feel that my family is safer.

@Bad Manners wrote:

Total paranoia suggesting that the comments on the Boards suggest that Americans are more hated then ever.
You just dont seem to get the fact that it’s the American Government’s Nazi tactics that people are condeming.
The SNP’s a political party in Scotland. If someone critistising the SNP they aint critisising Scot’s. There’s a difference.

Oh, and in case you hadnt noticed about 70 percent of your country disagree’s with your Governments anti-democratric tactics. Are your fellow American’s all out to get you as well?

Try not to twist words around Mr. B
For your information, I’m not being paranoid. It’s proven that Al Queda and other terrorist organizations have increased in members due to our presence in Iraq.
Nazi tactics? Are you kidding me? I won’t dignify that comment a response. Sorry if that disappoints you.
And as far as your last point is concerned – I don’t give a rats rear-end what 70% of my country says. It’s called free will and the freedom to express their opinions. Maybe I just happen to disagree with them. We’re not all one minded so in answer to your question, no I don’t think they are out to get me :lol: . A little dramatic – Don’t you think?

:roll: