Interesting Commentary

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Truchaos () aol com
Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 15:41:32 -0400
To: dave () farber net, rsmith () wbal com
Subject: Interesting Commentary

The article below came from the Worldnetdaily which is traditionally a
conservative news source.  [ I can not vouch for that djf]
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http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=32543
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America is a police state

Posted: May 13, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern


© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com


About 10 days ago, some obscure British diplomat opined that America was
becoming a police state. This utterance brought on the usual expressions of
outrage from Americans who have grown somewhat weary of the anti-American
sentiments of foreign leftists.

Now that the rhetoric has died down a bit, can we take a second look at what
this anti-American firebrand had to say? While it's almost certainly true
that this British politician's statement had malicious, rather than
benevolent, overtones, perhaps we should consider whether there might be
some truth in his words. Let's take that "police state" charge and run with
it for a few hundred words.

First, a definition: The Internet's dictionary.com website defines "police
state" as: "A state in which the government exercises rigid and repressive
controls over the social, economic and political life of the people,
especially by means of a secret police force."

Simple enough! All we have to do now is discern whether or not our beloved
country exercises what might be called "rigid and oppressive controls" over
our "social, economic and political life." I'm certainly not here to argue
that America has become a police state in the image of any number of
communist, fascist or theocratic regimes you could name. Let's just say that
we need to look at this picture a bit more closely.

First, our social life: We begin early here, with zero-tolerance rules in
our schools. Would you say that kicking a young girl out of school because
her Tweetie Bird key chain is a weapon is just a bit rigid? How about
expelling an Eagle Scout who inadvertently came to school with his Boy Scout
ax in the trunk of his car after a Scout meeting the previous night?

As we move into adulthood, we face Republican Sen. Rick Santorum's expressed
belief that the nuances of our sex lives ought to be subject to government
regulation based on majority rule! In Santorum's America, you would
presumably have to get your government's blessing before you became too
adventurous with your mate in the privacy of your home. In some states ­
Alabama, for instance ­ the "improper" use of a battery-operated device
could land you in the pokey!

And what of the sanctity of your home? In Covington, Ga., you are required
by law to submit to government inspections of your home. They even measure
the temperature inside your refrigerator! If you resist the inspection, you
will be arrested and jailed while the government inspectors prowl through
your stuff. 

In government colleges and universities across the nation, students are
subject to disciplinary action if they utter an "offensive" or "insensitive"
thought. 

We're running out of space ... so let's move on to our economic lives.

The level of taxation burdening the average American family in 2003 is
higher than that imposed by the British Crown in pre-revolutionary war
America. Many Americans work into the month of June without earning one
single penny for themselves. We are forced to "contribute" almost 15 percent
of our earnings into a bankrupt income redistribution /vote-buying scheme
that is sold to us as a retirement and insurance plan. Our government goes
to extreme measures to make it as difficult as possible for us to provide
for the health-care needs of our families, preferring instead to build
dependence on employers and government.

Our government can pry into your bank accounts without your knowledge or
permission, and just recently tried to enact a program that would require
your bank or credit union to notify the government in the event you engage
in any economic activity that doesn't track with your past behavior.

Remember, also, the forfeiture regulations. We actually had a U.S. senator
introduce legislation that, if it had become law, would have permitted any
local or federal law enforcement officer to seize your cash if he happened
to find you carrying more than 10 grand in an airport, bus station,
interstate highway or most other public places. No arrest, no questions, no
charges ... just take the money. The legislation failed, but police agencies
seize cash from hapless citizens just the same.

We find evidence of government rigidity and oppression in our political
lives too. Just try to get a third party on a ballot in almost any state.
It's difficult to impossible. Gerrymandering voters into congressional
districts shaped like drunken tapeworms denies many voters an effective
voice in Congress. And let's not forget the Democrats' efforts in 2000 to
wipe out the votes of Americans serving abroad in the uniform of our armed
forces. 

Finally, what about the definition's reference to "secret police?" Consider
the IRS, the DEA and the ATF. The IRS, for instance, pays your neighbor or
co-worker to spy on your economic and social behavior.

Space runs short, the examples do not. For further reading, I refer you to
the Bush administration's Patriot Acts I and II.

Happy reading.


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