America: The Police State

Even if people wanted to revolt or protest (even peacefully), which it doesn't seem they do, they couldn't without seriously risking their lives.

There's video from the G20 protests in Toronto of people holding up peace signs, holding their arms above their heads to show they mean no harm, having their faces cracked open by cops' sheilds for absolutely no reason. I saw a longer video that someone shot of many cops up close. To be honest the cops, their faces and body language, looked more scared than most of the people. They (the cops) lash out in fear, like a tweeker.

Another protest that comes to mind was one in BC Canada that comprised of about 5-7 people very peacefully protesting/advocating the return of Marc Emery and their right to use cannabis. One of the men smoking weed, who had a medical license to do so, was arrested, shoved, pushed around, etc. Then the cops put the cuffs on so tight that the guy lost circulation in his hands.

After this about 20 cops, including a chief, showed up and stood guard while about 20 peaceful protestors stood and chanted.

The thing I noticed about the cop who arrested the guy; the guy went to hold open a door and the cop thought the man was reaching for him (the cop) and so out of his own jittery fear he lashed out and shoved the man, then claimed that the man was reaching for him (not the door) and arrested him on that condition. He refused to say what the man was arrested for.

Moral of the story;

Yes cops have guns and sheilds, but they are afraid. They are afraid of people, and they are afraid of people who are not afraid of guns and police presence. It is out of this jittery, anxious fear that they often lash out, like someone who sees red and comes to after the act.

Remember that man who was recetly shot in his home during a drug raid? The door opened and the police saw a man standing there holding something elongated. Out of fear some of them pulled their triggers and shot the man.

They say we have the right to protest, yet when we exercise that right, we're often met with violent opposition.

 

Just gonna point out from the above story before anyone says it, Canada is also not a police state.

It could just be protests and such naturally bring out the most confrontential part of people. Like sure everyone can focus on the police, but what about all the protests for example in the US over the health care debate, some of them were literally quite violent, and heavily armed from both sides, and I'm not talking about the police being either of those sides.

 

Cops seem to forget that it is human nature to defend oneself. When someone instinctually responds this way they get beaten or shot.

 

I don't know, with Harper in power, more and more "American Problems" may start visiting your beautiful country.

And I refuse to believe that there is life outside the USA

 

Harper's nazi Bill S-10 is proposing new prisons to be made to house all the inmates it will create. With those new prisons many Canadians are now fearing privatized prisons, to pay for the billions it would cost to create the prisons. Definitely a scary thought for most of us. Last week I saw him interviewed and he stated that, although he's not considering one now, he's thought about a drafting bill before.

 

With companies competing for cheap prison labor, it's only going to get worse.

 

I love how everyone thinks not being able to smoke weed makes a place a police state despite the fact California last year and Washington this year are both having a referdenum on whether to fully legalize and tax marijuana and sell it like alcohol. Something that has never, ever been done anywhere else in the world, be it a vote on it, or full legalization(even in the Netherlands it's still technically illegal). Police state yo.

Also 15 states have decriminalized marijuana, including the 1st and 3rd most populated. This puts them ahead of various other nations in this regard. So is only part of the US a police state then.

 

Yes but federal law for growing doesn't affect 99% of people, and it's still quite illegal in a good number of western nations to grow a serious amount of weed.

"When I get busted"
I've or someone I've been with has been found with weed by cops several times, let go each time, in a state where it's still illegal. Mad police state going on.

 

Cannabis aside, why does the government need to know what library books I check out, how is it people can be arrested and held without charges indefinitely, the list goes on. Look at what powers the Patriot Act gives to the government. I can see the day coming where we get stopped at state borders just like international ones.

 

Face it, America isn't a police state, otherwise every western/democratic nation except maybe New Zealand and Iceland is a police state. And actual police states are apparently some kind of Orwellian project all on the same par as North Korea.

You can throw the words patriot act out all you want and while it may have greatly increased federal investigative powers, the fact it it's still actually less than what other apparent police states(first world nations) could already do in investigating terrorism. On top of it, when it comes to most policing matters, the need for warrants, and the ability of police to search even of those charged with a crime is much stricter even compared to other common law nations such as Britain.

I really want to know if the US is a police state, than what defines a place that isn't a police state. Are Germany and Italy police states? I mean they fully complied with the patriot act and even let us secretly ship terror subjects there. Britain?

 

No, strictly speaking this is not a police state, but we are sliding down that slope. But that being said, this country has become something I don't think the founding fathers could of imagined. Maybe we're a corporate state, they seem to influence most of what our elected officials do.

 

Hey I like what you had to say Slappy..Skip..it's big, this issue, isn't it? I think what you, and this site, does is the most important part in changing this..informing the people of the facts and what's going on. Thanks..DD

 

15 minutes ago CNN was going on about all the shit they found on Jared Loughtner's (spelling?) computer. They found that he had looked up lethal injection, solitary confinement, he had looked up other people who have gone on rampages/killings.

Lawyers want to use that against him in case he tries to plead insanity. The fact that he looked that shit up shows, according to CNN, that he had intent and that he, "knew the difference between right and wrong."

What you search can and will be used against you. Imagine if you were arrested for whatever reason and the news started talking about what was found on your computer.