51–60 of 81 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The second link looks particularly scary. Does anyone have a rebuttal to this?
Peeling off the grandstanding, hyperbolic huffing and puffing, what's left is that the law enforcement response to the nationally coordinated Occupy movement was nationally coordinated.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Please name some countries with excellent human rights and freedom of information track records. The OP compared one member of the UN Security Council with another. There are five permanent members. Are any of the UNSC on your list?
There would be France and the UK. Why do you consider the UNSC as an interesting subset when comparing governmental abuses? This is a genuine question.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The second link looks particularly scary. Does anyone have a rebuttal to this?
Peeling off the grandstanding, hyperbolic huffing and puffing, what's left is that the law enforcement response to the nationally coordinated Occupy movement was nationally coordinated.
As bad as governmental abuses can be in the U.S. I find it somewhat comforting that suing the CIA doesn't mean some people are going to start disappearing. I'm guessing not too many Russians sued the KGB.
It's a shame you would compare a Developed country, supposedly one of the best, with one that's knows to be not so good. It's like comparing your sports team to one that consistently finishes low on the ladder - your team will always look good, even when they are far from the top. If you want a comparison that will lead to improvement, compare your country to those known to have excellent human rights and freedom of…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The second link looks particularly scary. Does anyone have a rebuttal to this?
Peeling off the grandstanding, hyperbolic huffing and puffing, what's left is that the law enforcement response to the nationally coordinated Occupy movement was nationally coordinated.
That's especially true given that the feds have a history of illegal surveillance of (and even interference with) political activity that powerful people happened to find uncomfortable: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Don't bother trying" -- great advice.
The parent didn't say "don't bother trying". They said it's not going to work. Definitely do it. But don't be shocked and surprised when it gets swept under the rug. Edit: In fact it's important to do it, just so everyone can watch the system wrap it all up and dispose of it in full view. And then there will be less of the false choice inherent in "See how great our system is, you're allowed to criticise! Not like th…
Instead of waiting for the results, you simply plan another step ahead, and you show the farce, as it unfolds, to the legislative branch overseers and directly to the public.
Rather than "Why are you breaking transparency laws?", the question then becomes, "If it is so obvious the executive is breaking the laws you wrote, and the judiciary is letting them get away with it, why do you keep signing their paychecks?"
After it is clear that there is a problem, and absolutely no one entrusted with the power to fix it is willing to do so, then the peaceful demonstrations and violent riots can start, as appropriate. But it is always wise to explore all diplomatic options before putting lives, liberty, and property at risk.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
There would be France and the UK. Why do you consider the UNSC as an interesting subset when comparing governmental abuses? This is a genuine question.
The UK does everything the US does and more, just without the pretense of a concern for freedom. France is a cesspool of corruption and systemic bigotry, particularly towards Islamic people. The Security Council are the most powerful countries in the most widely recognized international decision making body. I think it's a fair way to identify US "peers".
?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Peeling off the grandstanding, hyperbolic huffing and puffing, what's left is that the law enforcement response to the nationally coordinated Occupy movement was nationally coordinated.
Not at all. Occupy was political. Individual police departments cracking down on political dissent is problematic. But when the federal government does it, federal powers make it much more significant. And when you see those folks all working with private security to suppress political dissent, it's deeply problematic. That's especially true given that the feds have a history of illegal surveillance of (and even inte…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's a shame you would compare a Developed country, supposedly one of the best, with one that's knows to be not so good. It's like comparing your sports team to one that consistently finishes low on the ladder - your team will always look good, even when they are far from the top. If you want a comparison that will lead to improvement, compare your country to those known to have excellent human rights and freedom of…
I'd argue that the US lost its reputation as "one of the best" quite some time ago. Communist Russia is probably still an overly contrasting comparison point - the US is not as bad as that - but compared to countries that are actually among "the best", the US has been quite low down the rankings for some time now. So actually the OP's comparison seems fair. "The US may be bad these days, but at least it's not (yet) a…
Pondering how bad things could get is not going to make things better.
Surely the comparison should be "It's not as good as it used to be, let's make it better!"
As bad as governmental abuses can be in the U.S. I find it somewhat comforting that suing the CIA doesn't mean some people are going to start disappearing. I'm guessing not too many Russians sued the KGB.