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Has the US become the type of nation from which you have to seek asylum?

washingtonpost.com

11–20 of 366 posts

Re: Has the US become the type of nation from which you have to seek asylum?

#11
post #3

The real news is a rare violation of Betteridge's Law Of Headlines was spotted in today's Washington Post, a sight that shocked pundits worldwide.

Yes, I agree.

But to be fair sometimes the question is constructed so the answer is "yes" and not no (while still being obvious).

Can't remember an example now.

Re: Has the US become the type of nation from which you have to seek asylum?

#12
post #8

It is strange that the same country which cherishes its 'right to bear arms' on the grounds that it gives them a level of protection that the government is unable to provide is 'happy' to build the infrastructure which allows the same government to peek into their lives. On the one hand, we don't trust the government with the basics (physical security). On the other, we trust them with information we don't want our p…

The right to bear arms is also, explicitly, a protection against tyranny BY the government. Thomas Jefferson: ""When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

Re: Has the US become the type of nation from which you have to seek asylum?

#13
post #8

It is strange that the same country which cherishes its 'right to bear arms' on the grounds that it gives them a level of protection that the government is unable to provide is 'happy' to build the infrastructure which allows the same government to peek into their lives. On the one hand, we don't trust the government with the basics (physical security). On the other, we trust them with information we don't want our p…

Not exactly. A lot of people voted for Obama because he promised more transparency. He appears to be breaking his promises. If he was smart, which he hasn't seemed lately, he would use this crisis to try to regain some credibility.

Re: Has the US become the type of nation from which you have to seek asylum?

#15

Americans might not realise this but we see the USA in the same light as China and Russia when it comes to freedoms. We might be wrong, but thats the perception myself and many other people from outside the USA see the current state of the situation. To think anyone would feel safe in the USA is ridiculous, the USA is one of the last places anyone should seek refuge in modern times. What scares me most is the United…

I can't even begin to comprehend how bad your sources of information are if you think the levels of freedom in the U.S. and China are more closely comparable than those of the U.S. and Australia.

Re: Has the US become the type of nation from which you have to seek asylum?

#16
post #8

It is strange that the same country which cherishes its 'right to bear arms' on the grounds that it gives them a level of protection that the government is unable to provide is 'happy' to build the infrastructure which allows the same government to peek into their lives. On the one hand, we don't trust the government with the basics (physical security). On the other, we trust them with information we don't want our p…

The right to bear arms is also, explicitly, a protection against tyranny BY the government. Thomas Jefferson: ""When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."

No offense to Thomas Jefferson but a government that is afraid of its own people is a pretty peculiar definition of "liberty."

Re: Has the US become the type of nation from which you have to seek asylum?

#17

Americans might not realise this but we see the USA in the same light as China and Russia when it comes to freedoms. We might be wrong, but thats the perception myself and many other people from outside the USA see the current state of the situation. To think anyone would feel safe in the USA is ridiculous, the USA is one of the last places anyone should seek refuge in modern times. What scares me most is the United…

I live in Scandinavia and I don't think most people here see the US in the same light as China and Russia.

But, OTOTH, I do think most people see Europe as more open than the US. It's not like it's a unique and magical "land of the free" like some people seem to believe.

Re: Has the US become the type of nation from which you have to seek asylum?

#19

Americans might not realise this but we see the USA in the same light as China and Russia when it comes to freedoms. We might be wrong, but thats the perception myself and many other people from outside the USA see the current state of the situation. To think anyone would feel safe in the USA is ridiculous, the USA is one of the last places anyone should seek refuge in modern times. What scares me most is the United…

Okay, josephagoss's comparison to China and Russia is a bit too much, but the point still stands. I've thought about moving to the US, but the lack of freedoms, even in everyday life (visiting a friend who recently moved to LA and seeing him scared of the police was very new to me (and him, when he moved there)) is a big deterrent.

Re: Has the US become the type of nation from which you have to seek asylum?

#20

Americans might not realise this but we see the USA in the same light as China and Russia when it comes to freedoms. We might be wrong, but thats the perception myself and many other people from outside the USA see the current state of the situation. To think anyone would feel safe in the USA is ridiculous, the USA is one of the last places anyone should seek refuge in modern times. What scares me most is the United…

I can't even begin to comprehend how bad your sources of information are if you think the levels of freedom in the U.S. and China are more closely comparable than those of the U.S. and Australia.

Killing prisoners -> check

imprisonment of people opposing the regime, especially the intelligence agencies -> check

Torture of prisoners -> check

Overly broad powers of the government without checks and balances -> check

Intelligence agencies spying on all citizens -> check.

Yeah, surely an incomprehensible comparison.

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