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Are 'Police State' Theorists Just Drama Queens?
Insight ^
| 11/25/02
| James Lacey
Posted on 11/25/2002 10:33:36 AM PST by Jean S
Since 9/11 there has been a lot of ranting from the left that America is well on the way to becoming a police state. According to this line of thought John Ashcroft and his evil minions are working overtime to smash all dissent and to deprive Americans of their civil liberties. Such near-great celebrities as Susan Sarandon have taken to the airwaves to announce, "We're living in lockdown."
What more evidence is required?
Countries earn the sordid title of "police state" because they have achieved a certain level of repression that ensures only the very brave or the very stupid ever will speak out against the government. Since Susan Sarandon decided to speak out while in England she cannot truly be considered brave, though it is much too early to rule out stupid.
If America is well down the road toward becoming a police state the proof of it should be all around us. Let's look at the evidence.
- Number of New Yorkers attending October antiwar rally in Central Park: 15,000
- Number of New York antiwar protestors arrested in October: 0
- Number of times the antiwar (and anti-everything-else-American) Revolution Bookstore has been shut down: 0
- Number of Revolution bookstore employees arrested for anti-Bush agitation: 0
- Number of American-born individuals held without charges as enemy combatants: 2
- Percentage of Americans held as enemy combatants: 0.0000000074 percent
- Number of American-enemy combatants held without a lawyer or a judicial hearing: 0
- What it takes to be held as an enemy combatant: planning to blow up a nuclear power plant or being found with a weapon fighting American soldiers
- Number of newspapers shut down for dissenting with the government position on Iraq: 0
- Number of commentators arrested for expressing a dissenting opinion: 0
- Fate of most outspoken celebrities who are against current government policies:
- Susan Sarandon: Still free, still rich, not yet blacklisted
- Alec Baldwin: Still free, still rich, not yet blacklisted
- Leo DiCaprio: Still free, still rich, not yet blacklisted
- Barbara Streisand: Still free, still rich, not yet blacklisted
- Number of people reported tortured by the Ashcroft Justice Department: 0
- Number of times U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth says the Clinton-era Justice Department lied to obtain search warrants against American citizens: 75
- Number of times Judge Lamberth says Achcroft's Justice Department has lied to obtain search warrants: 0
- Number of U.S. municipalities suffering under martial law: 0
- Most recent use of the military for police work inside the United States: assisting in the hunt for the D.C. sniper
- Number of people arrested for anti-American activities since 9/11: 0 (This number does not include the two noncombatants listed above.)
- Number of congressman who on a visit to Iraq potentially committed treason by giving aid and comfort to the enemy: 2 (Some would say three.)
- Number of congressmen returning from Iraq who were arrested for treason: 0
- Number of potentially treasonous congressmen who are running again for office: 2 (Some would say three.)
- Number of senators who voted against Iraqi Resolution: 31
- Number of congressmen voting against the Iraqi Resolution: 133
- Number of senators and congressmen arrested for not towing the line: 0
- Percentage of network-news coverage that has been antiwar: 72 percent
- Number of government-supported radio and television networks: 2 (PBS and NPR)
- Number of government-supported radio and television networks using the airwaves to support the government's position on Iraq: 0
- Number of political prisoners arrested by the Ashcroft Justice Department: 0
- Number of political prisoners held in U.S. jails: 4 (most commonly listed)
- Charges American political prisoners were convicted of:
- Mumia Abu-Jamal: murder of a police officer
- Leonard Peltier: murder of two FBI agents
- Kathy Boudin: murder of two police officers
- David Gilbert: murder of a guard while robbing a Brinks armored car
The cumulative evidence appears to indicate that we either are not in a police state or that John Ashcroft is the most inept secret policeman of all time. Some on the left would argue the latter. To appease them, I will give Mr. Ashcroft one more chance to enforce the principles inherent in a police state.
As of this moment, and for the rest of the week, I am calling for the nonviolent overthrow of the U.S. government (advocating the violent overthrow of the government actually is illegal). If this column fails to appear next week you can assume that storm troopers have dragged me off to Leavenworth. But, frankly, I think I would have a better chance of being arrested if I were to smoke a cigarette in a New York bar.
James Lacey is a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and a New York-based columnist with expertise in finance and military affairs.
TOPICS: Editorial; Government
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To: JeanS
They're only "Drama Queens" if the buck stops here, in terms of invading your privacy.
But when was the last time the Government didn't try and expand their power?
Government will always try and expand its power over the populace, as these privacy-killing measures prove. Who knows what a Democrat administration would do with a federal database/profiling system of every American? I don't want to find out.
The potential for future abuse, IMHO, is much greater than the benefits such measures are supposed to accrue. That just seems to be the way government programs go.
And I'm not necessarily talking about explicit programs -- think about the possible behind-the-scenese abuse bureaucrats could heap on citizens (like gun-owning citizens) with accesss to every facet of your personal history and federal profile... it's just a baaaad idea.
41
posted on
11/25/2002 2:58:36 PM PST
by
zoyd
To: dirtboy
All things are not the same.
To: justshutupandtakeit
Except to you. You are a disaster just drooling to happen. Thanks for your reassurance, it's just what we need. John Ashcroft can do what ever he feels he must, YOU said it's OK. I guess our fears are groundless in the face of your reassurance, the track record of FedGov notwithstanding. Is that about the way of it, statist-boy? or girl? or whatever?
43
posted on
11/25/2002 3:23:44 PM PST
by
dcwusmc
To: eno_
Somebody might post a link to an article archived here on FR titled "FEMA: THE DARK UNDERBELLY" if you want to see how such a police state might come about rapily and smoothly especially in light of a possible terror attack using WMD.
To: dcwusmc
MOrons fears are never allayed. Paranoids can find fear in every corner. But Marines fearing the dark? I never thought I would see that day. Pitiful.
Let me know when the midnite roundups start.
To: ctdonath2
As I thought any guns turned in are likely to be not even 50 much less 50,000. Don't you guys ever get any facts right?
Any who turned them in after such a request don't deserve to have them anyway. They probably don't even know which end to point.
To: justshutupandtakeit
47
posted on
11/26/2002 11:43:03 AM PST
by
dcwusmc
To: dcwusmc
To: Cultural Jihad
You are as much a statist, constitution-ignoring thug as justshutupandtakeit so what would be your point? That JimRob doesn't think the Constitution's being changed by the HSB? That's his opinion, which I respect. I think he's totally wrong but I respect him and his opinion. YOU, OTOH, I have zero respect for, as your every post is a paean to the joys of bigger and bigger government. Sorry, I ain't buying. And, in these days of Islam-o-nazis, I'd give SERIOUS thought to finding a new nick. I know you have declared Jihad on America's Constitution but your handle is rather suspect in the post 9-11 clime.
49
posted on
11/26/2002 12:58:38 PM PST
by
dcwusmc
To: dcwusmc
None of those comments refute the point of the main article they are responding to but that is not a surprise.
If this information is readily available why would the National Security forces not use it to protect the nation. It is foolish to expect them not to, criminal, in fact.
As far the fears one expressed of the RATS using against conservatives. What is there to prevent the Party itself from gathering such info and using it for blackmail or political purposes? NOTHING.
To: justshutupandtakeit
What an UNsurprisng response. I suspect that you would say the same if there were posted refutations line for line with pictures and sound. Gooberment can do no wrong as far as you are concerned.
51
posted on
11/26/2002 3:28:55 PM PST
by
dcwusmc
To: dcwusmc
Do you make a habit of making up thoughts for those who don't agree with you? Government obviously can and does do many things that are wrong generally at the urging of some consituency of voters and the supine acquiesence of the masses.
However, it is correct that people like you, in their ignorance, believe government can do no right.
I was supposed to be convinced of something by the blatherings you pointed out? I note no attempted refutation of what I actually posted. Wonder why?
To: ctdonath2
What you did was very, very funny and proved your point exactly. Why so upset, Patriot? Have something to hide?
To: Henrietta
And very nearly got me kicked off. Interesting how a national database doesn't bother many (most?) people, yet they are shocked when someone actually has their data...
To paraphrase an old saw: "A dossier on one person is an outrage, dossiers on 300,000,000 people is a statistic."
Glad SOMEONE "got it".
To: JeanS
Seems to me this is more about what some future admin. could do with such things as the USA Patriot Act.
W's real legacy.
55
posted on
12/05/2002 8:31:50 PM PST
by
thepitts
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