Road Warrior
Seeking the middle path..
How do you figure? Nothing in current American culture is as bad as the USSR,
"1984" or any other dystopian cultures, fictional or real, but I'd love to hear more on why you think so.
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Is America a Police state?
- Thread starter Revoltingest
- Start date
How do you figure? Nothing in current American culture is as bad as the USSR,
"1984" or any other dystopian cultures, fictional or real, but I'd love to hear more on why you think so.
painted wolf
Grey Muzzle
Why does our Constitutional right stop in public?
That isn't what I was talking about... I was talking about the deliberate tracking of people who have no justifiable reason to be investigated outside of political egos/agendas.
wa:do
painted wolf
Grey Muzzle
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
What's disturbing and frightening about it all is foremost a country touting individual freedoms and peace for its citizenry is also at the same time touting.......
Having the distinction of being the most incarcerated nation on the entire face of the earth.
"reformed" FISA and patriot acts
Private property seizures without first undergoing due process of law. (Property rights)
Over reaching TSA implementations beyond what seems reasonable IMO.
Compound/redundant legislation's creating multiple charges for the same offence (Drunk driving laws for example where laws already exist on the books like vehicular homicide and reckless driving)
Designated free speech zones
Forced purchases of private services under threat of fine and/or imprisonment (Ie Obamacare)
Purchases of private controlling interests like that in the auto industry
Govt camera traps mounted or mobile implemented with teeth and face recognition technology's without due process of law for implementation of such devices.
Various quality of life legislation's under threat of fine or imprisonment (Nanny Laws)
Handcuffing little kids at school and carting them off and fishing through their private lunch bags. (Just thought I would throw that one in.)
Things like this just didn't exist in the US decades ago unless I'm mistaken on it.
That's just an old senile and paranoid mans view on it all anyways............
Having the distinction of being the most incarcerated nation on the entire face of the earth.
"reformed" FISA and patriot acts
Private property seizures without first undergoing due process of law. (Property rights)
Over reaching TSA implementations beyond what seems reasonable IMO.
Compound/redundant legislation's creating multiple charges for the same offence (Drunk driving laws for example where laws already exist on the books like vehicular homicide and reckless driving)
Designated free speech zones
Forced purchases of private services under threat of fine and/or imprisonment (Ie Obamacare)
Purchases of private controlling interests like that in the auto industry
Govt camera traps mounted or mobile implemented with teeth and face recognition technology's without due process of law for implementation of such devices.
Various quality of life legislation's under threat of fine or imprisonment (Nanny Laws)
Handcuffing little kids at school and carting them off and fishing through their private lunch bags. (Just thought I would throw that one in.)
Things like this just didn't exist in the US decades ago unless I'm mistaken on it.
That's just an old senile and paranoid mans view on it all anyways............
What a depressing list!
I'd add
The Supreme Ct deciding that courts may waive a defendent's right to a jury trial.....bye bye, 6th Amendment.
The Supreme Ct deciding that government may take private property from one person & give it to another....bye bye, 5th Amendment.
The Supreme Ct deciding that cops may do full body cavity searches of you any time you're arrested.
painted wolf
Grey Muzzle
I would also add the return of "debtors prisons".
For profit prisons insisting on contracts with the state that guarantee the prisons will be kept at 80-90% minimum capacity at all times.
wa:do
Road Warrior
Seeking the middle path..
Such as?
There's a recipe for mischief!
Road Warrior
Seeking the middle path..
Agreed. There have already been too many problems with the idea. It'd be like paying police based on how many criminals they catch. Huge conflict of interest.
We already have that....sort of, since police departments get to keep seized items.
painted wolf
Grey Muzzle
Other than the McCarthy era?
The FBI is well known for tracking anyone who they don't happen to agree with politically... it didn't suddenly stop in the 60's
USATODAY.com - ACLU: FBI misuses terror powers to track political groups
Supreme Court Ruling Prompts FBI to Turn Off 3,000 Tracking Devices - ABC News
FBI Targets Political And Environmental Activists As Terrorists | American Patriot Today
COINTELPRO - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
more locally...
N.H. man sues ex-sheriff, others over leak | First Amendment Center
ACLU sues Pittsburgh police over post-G-20 conduct | First Amendment Center
Who's Sorry Now? - Page 1 - News - Phoenix - Phoenix New Times
wa:do
Road Warrior
Seeking the middle path..
That is a problem which is coming under more and more scrutiny. It's one thing to seize property or assets of criminals, but of innocent people or people who were never charged, much less convicted, it's, as this article states, "it's blatantly unconstitutional".
Our rights:
Understanding Search and Seizure Law
Searches and Seizures: The Limitations of the Police
Road Warrior
Seeking the middle path..
You do realize that almost all of those links showed that the people who used "police state tactics" were in the wrong and were either fired, successfully sued or otherwise forced to admit they were wrong.
I'm not saying it never happens. People in power sometimes overstep their bounds. It's not right, but it happens. In the cases you presented, many showed how the system works even when it is the police or the prosecutor(s) who are in the wrong.
Of course, misdeeds which make the news are the tip of the ICEberg (I'm so impressed with my puns!) will be
disproportionately addressed for correction. I've seen many abuses of power which just never attract attention.
But the greater problem is when gov't seizes more authority over us, & it's seen as entirely legitimate by the sheeple.
Even on this forum, posters have supported the USSC's decision to let cops strip search anyone they arrest as often
as they like for any infraction, no matter how minor or mistaken. People like to lose liberty if they feel more secure.
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Road Warrior
Seeking the middle path..
Only some people. Part of the problem is, in many ways, our culture isn't like the pioneers who founded the nation and forged it into it's present prosperous state, but more like the spoiled children of extremely wealthy parents. We're the Paris Hiltons of the modern world. A little adversity would do us good. In this case, we'd have to lose some freedoms in order to recognize how important they are and be willing to fight for them back.
http://www.degrata.com/pdf/onsheep.pdf
You're right, of course.
I was being general.
Road Warrior
Seeking the middle path..
Both the Occupy Movement and the Tea Party are very similar in their dislike for the direction of our government. It's good to see people motivated enough to actually do something about it.
You mean to be "revolting"?
Road Warrior
Seeking the middle path..
I don't think they are revolting just yet. Certainly demonstrating about their concerns. I doubt it will come to open revolt. At least not more than a few riots.
One can think of "revolting" as a state of mind, & not all the way to open armed resistance.