Americans have good reason to be afraid of their leaders

Barbara Sumner Burstyn

04/28/2003: (New Zealand Herald) Freed from the oppression of their dictator, Iraqis are now free to complain. From tens of thousands of marchers chanting "down, down USA - don't stay, go away" to individuals spitting at soldiers, Iraqis are flexing a muscle that, paradoxically, had atrophied under Saddam Hussein.

But now here's an irony that no one expected. Back in America, complaining about America is the one thing that's pretty much disappeared, lost under the weight of a collective patriotism and increasing constitutional limitations.

Voicing any sort of anti-war opinion is just not done any more and a number of organisations have sprung up with the express purpose of blacklisting celebrities who speak out.

Susan Sarandon is obviously on the list. She's quoted as saying she doesn't remember ever being in a climate where people were too afraid to even have a conversation about an issue, let alone a debate.

But then in America, uttering any threatening remark about the President is illegal and likely to land you in jail. Writer Jonathan Freedland, looking at America's history of tolerance and diversity, said in the Guardian that the country was turning into a very un-American America, "where the limits of acceptable discussion have narrowed sharply and anyone commenting negatively on the war or the President is denounced as unpatriotic".

It shouldn't come as a surprise. A quick reading of the 2001 Patriot Act, formed in the dark hours after 9/11, clearly shows it's all part of a bigger plan. Under the guise of security, the act allowed all kinds of incursions into private life.

Some - like the right to track organisations suspected of funding terrorists - made sense in light of the attacks. Others - like the right to seize library lending records or the recruitment of posties, pizza delivery guys, and local shopkeepers into a national network of informers - did seem draconian.

But it turns out it was not enough. Sweeping new amendments to the bill have been drawn up. The Patriot Act II or as the brave would have it, the Liberty for Security Act, was leaked to the press in February and in its present form makes for scary reading. It allows things like random arrests, secret military tribunals for presidentially designated terrorists, and concealment of presidential records.

It even proposes reversing a federal court decision authorising the release of the names of the hundreds of people still detained, without representation, in the dragnet following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Perhaps you believe that if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear? The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, in New York, warns that for the first time in United States history, the act will explicitly authorise secret arrests, not to mention sneak-and-peek searches.

That cute term means federal agents can enter your home, download your computer and internet viewing history, take your private business records and any other material, including confidential library and bookstore records - without telling you, without proof of probable cause, or without getting a court order.

And the best part? The legislation does not restrict searches to people suspected of being involved in terrorism.

It gets worse. The act not only increases Government power while decreasing checks on its invasive power. If passed (and that looks likely), the Government will be able to sample and catalogue genetic information, without a court order or your consent. The act also broadens the term "terrorist" to include anyone with views that differ from the Government.

And forget being a whistle-blower. That's set to become illegal, even if your motive is to protect the public from corporate wrongdoing or Government neglect.

But then to whistle-blow you need access to information. Under Patriot Act II information such as the environmental safety of local factories will be off-limits. And you won't be able to contribute to meaningful dialogue on the future of such resources as forests (that constitutes belonging to a "special interest group").

In addition if you don't like a secret decision made by a Government organisation - say, clear-felling ancient sequoia trees - you'll have no right to appeal. And even the press will be barred from publishing contentious information.

Feeling a tingle up your spine yet? Richard Woods, the head of our own spy service, the SIS, wouldn't comment. Even his receptionist Mary "I don't give my second name" would not comment on questions about New Zealand's response to the Patriot Act II.

But in comparison to the US draft, the proposed amendments to our own 2002 Terrorism Suppression Act are puny procedures - like we require a court warrant to use electronic tracking devices.

So for now - while Americans are waking up to a world where, if you're not for your Government, you're a traitor - New Zealanders are safe from the tyranny of an apparently unfettered Government.

America is changing. And it's changing fast and that raises an apposite question. Are we, tucked away in our comfortable corner of the world, up with their play and, if so, how do we intend to respond to it?

...or lose them.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." - Thomas Jefferson From the Declaration of Independence

...Propaganda Press Indymedia is more important than ever.

Check this out: http://indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=315549&group=webcast

Go out protesting and make a fool of yourself, as usual.

By taking his foolish ass out of the gene pool.

Ignore purple dinosaurs who sing.

(A new type of scary creature.)

Have NOTHING to fear from their leaders.

Nor do the Cubans. Or the Zibabweans.

Nor do the Americans. Do you EVER have a point, or do you like acting like a buffoon?

As usual, you liberals are so self-absorbed in your political dementia that you fail to comprehend a valid point. Or perhaps you'd just choose ignore the truth, because it is the most reliable countermeasure to your agitprop.

Truth is, Americans live in the greatest, richest, most free country in the world. We didn't get that way by living under the fist of despotism either. Term limits are a wonderful thing.

Why is it that we never read articles on IMC about "what the Chinese (or Cubans, Zimbaweans, Cameroonians, Maltans, Cape Verdians, etc.) have to fear from THEIR governments"? You liberals don't seem to give two squirts about those places.

And you call yourselves "humanitarians"!

The US State Department released the Country Reports in Human Rights Practices for 2002 on March 31, at a time when the United States is facing condemnation from people and nations around the world for unilaterally launching a war against Iraq.

With the US pretending to be "the world's judge of human rights," the reports once again assessed the human rights situations in over 190 countries and regions around the world.

The reports carry distorted pictures and accusations of human rights conditions in many countries, but they make no mention of human rights problems in the United States itself.

Therefore, it is necessary to make known to the world the human rights violations of the United States in 2002.

INEFFECTUAL PROTECTION OF LIFE AND SECURITY OF THE PERSON

According to a report released by the FBI on Oct 28, 2002 the United States recorded 11.8 million criminal offences in 2001, a 2.1 % increase on 2000.

The offences included four of violence (murder, rape, robbery and aggrivated assault), and three relating to property (burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft). Firearms were involved in 26.2 % of violent crimes, and murders increased by 2.5 %. A criminal offence was committed every 2.7 seconds, and 44 murders, 248 rapes and 26 hate crimes were committed each day.

The offences led to the death of 15,980 people and 90,491 rape victims.

Crime in many major American cities went up in 2002. In Washington DC, drug abuse gang violence and prostitution ran rampant, and crime rose by 36% from 2001; in Boston the crime rates increased by 67% and in Los Angeles by 27%.

The murder rate in the United States was 5 to 7 times higher than most industrial nations.

During January - November 2002, New York City reported 489 murders; Chicago registered 485 homicides, in which 515 people were killed; and Detroit reported 346 murders.

During the same period Los Angeles reported 595 cases of murder with 614 people killed, up 11.3 percent and 20.5 percent compared to the same period in 2001 and 2000 respectively.

In the United States, the number of firearms owned averages nearly one for every citizen. In 2002 gun sales across the US rose by 13 percent while the number of rifle owners increased even faster.

The number of shootings went up by 40% in Los Angeles from 2001 to 2002. Between the evening of November 19 and the morning of November 20, five separate cases of shooting incidents took place in downtown Los Angeles, leaving two people dead and seven others wounded.

Juveniles account for 20% of violent crime.

Drug abuse among youngsters has continued to increases. Drug abuse among 10th grade high school students in the US went up from 11.6% in 1991 to 22.7% in 2001, and 34.4% of senior high school students in New York City have used the drug marijuana at least once.

In 2001 there were 638,000 narcotics related cases, with drug abuse accounting for 25% of violent crimes in the US.

6% of students still carry guns to school.

10,000 students chose to stay home once a month for fear of being bullied.

Violations of the law have been found in 26% of nursing homes, of which 2% have caused physical injuries.

SEVERE VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW

Indiscriminate arrests are another major problem in the US. According to the ACLU, prosecutors declined to bring charges in 15,798 arrests in 2001, or 26% of the cases they reviewed that year., the vast majority brought by Baltimore police.



The Department of Justice released on August 25, 2002, the adult US correctional population had reached a record of almost 6.6 million at the end of 2001, or four times the 1980 figure. About 3.1 % of the nation's adult population or 1 in every 32 adult residents were on probation or parole or were held in prison or jail. Roughly 2 million Americans are currently behind bars.

According to US Human Rights organizations, cases of brutality against inmates numbers about 100,000 a year in American prisons. A former chief law officer for Virginia estimates the number of such cases at 250,000 to 600,000 per year.

MONEY DRIVEN DEMOCRACY

During the 2002 mid-term elections, spending on campaign TV advertising amounted to 0 million, more than for the presidential election in 2000. According to the Associated Press, 95 % of the seats in the House and 75 % of the seats in the Senate went to candidates who spent the most money campaigning.

Measured against the voting age population, turnout in presidential elections has declined from its high of 62.8% in 1960 to an estimated 51.2% in 2000.

In contrast, 60% of eligible voters shunned the midterm elections in 2002 leaving a turnout of 40%.

In an annual report published on Feb 21, 2002, the International Press Institute accused the US of violating freedom of the press. It said the most astonishing event of 2001 was the way the bush administration treated the work of the media during the Afghan war and its attempts to suppress freedom of speech by independent media (Vienna, Feb 21, 2002 AFP)

POVERTY, HUNGER, HOMELESSNESS

The Labor Department reported on Jan 10, 2003 that between 2001 and 2002 the US lost 1.6 million jobs.

In December 2002, the number of jobless people stood at 8.6 million; and employers slashed payrolls by 101,000 workers (Jan 11, 2002, The Sun).

In the US 60% of households own shares. As corporate scandals brought down the stock market, capitalization was slashed by .5 trillion.

The US Federal Reserve reported on Jan 22, 2003 that between 1992 and 1998 the gap in wealth between the 10% of families with the highest incomes and the 20% of families with the lowest incomes increased by 9%. But between 1998 and 2001 the gap jumped by 90%,.

According to the census bureau in 2001 another 1.3 million people fell below the poverty line.

According to the organization Bread for the World, 33 million Americans lived in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger in 2002.

A survey published by the Conference of Mayors indicates that the year 2002 witnessed an average 19% increase in requests for emergency food assistance in 25 large cities across the country. Requests for emergency shelter in 18 major cities also rose by an aver age of 19%, the steepest rise in a decade.

All the cities in the survey expect that requests for food and shelter will increase again in 2003.

Associated Press reported on Nov 3, 2002 that 777,000 people in Los Angeles, or 33% of its population were food insecure and could not always put food on the table.

By July 2002 homelessness in New York grew by 66% compared with 4 years ago (Aug 20, 2002 AP). In 2002 Los Angeles County had 84,000 homeless people and 43% of its vagrants could not find shelter and had to sleep on sidewalks.

The report by the Conference of Mayors indicates that among those requesting food assistance, 48% were members of families with children and 38% of the adults were employed; of the homeless, 39% were from families with children, 22% were employed and 73% were from single parent families.

DISTURBING PICTURE FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN

The US accounts for 70% of all female homicides in the 25 highest income countries, and 4,400 American females are murdered each year (over 12 per day).

Agence France Press (AFP) reported that a St. Louis University study shows that 40% of American Catholic Nuns (nearly 35,000) have been sexually abused, often at the hands of a priest or another nun (January 5 2004, AFP Washington).

Between 1988 and 1997 6,817 children aged 5-14 were shot dead in the US (Reuters Feb 28, 2002)

In the US 58,000 children are kidnapped by someone other than their families each year, and 40% are subsequently killed. Another 200,000 are kidnapped by their family members usually in custody disputes.

15% of US children under 5 live in poverty.

16.1% of US children are not brought up by their own parents.

The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children says in its 2002 report that nearly 5000 children are detained every year by the US Immigration and Naturalization Service for entering the country illegally. Their average age is 15 with the youngest just 18 months old. 30% of these children are detained with handcuffs, shackled and sent to prisons or detained in warehouses with poor safety standards.

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

New Mexico and Florida still maintain laws forbidding the marriage between immigrants of Asian

descent and white people.

According to a study by the Justice Policy Institute, blacks constitute 12.9% of the national population but black prisoners account for 46% of the nation’s jail population. Approximately one in every five blacks is jailed for some time during his or her life.

The number of blacks in jail exceeds the number of blacks in college. In 2000 about 800,000 blacks were in jail compared with about 600,00- blacks in higher learning institutions. Among new inmates imprisoned since 1980, 70% are of African and Latin American descent.

A Federal Reserve Report issued on Jan 22, 2003 said that the gap in wealth between American whites and ethnic minorities widened by 21% between 1998 and 2001.

The US Census Bureau in its 2002 annual report indicated that in 2001 the poverty rate in the US rose to 11.7%; the poverty rate was 22.7% among African Americans and 21.4% among Hispanics, both nearly double the rate for other ethnic groups.

Only four of all 185 school districts across the US witnessed an increase in black-white exposure between 1986 and 2000. The 24 school districts with the worst racial segregation were found in Texas and Georgia.

Among the third graders in elementary schools in California, 70% of white children met the required educational attainment standard compared with 37% of black children and 27% of Hispanic children.

Blacks have a cancer death rate 35% higher than whites. AIDS cases among black women and children are 75% higher than white people. There is a life expectancy gap of about 7 years between whites and African Americans ("Blacks suffer more from managed care," by Julianne Malveaux, Nov. 29, 2002 USA Today).

48% of Muslims living in the US said their lives have changed for the worse since Sept. 11 2001.

By the first anniversary of 9/11, approximately 60% of Muslims had experienced in person, or witnessed acts of discrimination against Muslims, including physical assault and property damage. There have been nearly 2000 incidences of violence against Muslims, including 11 murders and 56 death threats.

In Los Angeles, assaults on Islamic institutions rose by 16 times from 28 in 2000 to 481 in 2001. In the city of Toledo Ohio more than 10000 residents of Arab descent were monitored and wiretapped by judicial departments.

FLAGRANT ABUSE OF OTHERS' HUMAN RIGHTS

The US launched a war on Iraq on March 20, 2003, which openly violated the purpose and principles of the UN Charter and has killed and injured innocent civilians.

Time magazine disclosed civilians killed in the afghan war had exceeded 3,000. Also, 250,000 cluster bombs were dropped of which an estimated 12,400 unexploded duds continue to take civilian lives to this day (Cluster Bombs and their Use by the US in Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch, Dec 18, 2002).

According to CNN, a total of 12,000 Taliban fighters were reported to have been captured since the US launched its military action in Afghanistan, but only 3500 to 4000 of them survived. Numerous mass graves in which the bodies of the POWS were dumped have been found in Afghanistan. (Washington, AFP Aug 18, 2002)

The US is holding more than 600 detainees from 42 countries in its military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. However, the prisoners have been denied "prisoner of war" status by the US government and face an uncertain future.

Hundreds of thousands of US troops are stationed overseas, and such troops have committed crimes and human rights abuses wherever they stay. US troops stationed in the Republic of Korea are annually responsible for more than 400 traffic accidents (more than 1 per day), but less than 10 cases would go for trial in ROK courts. On June 13, 2002 two US soldiers driving an armored vehicle crushed two 14 year old South Korean girls to death, but both offenders were acquitted by a US military tribunal in November.

US troops in Okinawa, Japan are notorious for their constant involvement in criminal cases such as arson and rape. Since World War II US soldiers have committed more than 300 sexual crimes in Okinawa with over 130 rapes reported since 1972.

According to a news report from the Spanish paper El Mundo on Apr. 1 2002, there are more than 52,000 illegitimate children in the Philippines fathered by US marines stationed in this country before 1991.

DOUBLE STANDARDS IN INTERNATIONAL FIELD OF HUMAN RIGHTS

The US is one of only two countries in the world that has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

To date, the US has not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women. It also has not ratified the International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The United States has been releasing annually Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, censuring other countries for their human rights situations, but it has turned a blind eye to serious violations of human rights on it's own soil. This double standard on human rights issues cannot but meet with strong rejection and opposition worldwide, leaving the United States more and more isolated in the international community.

Shaking in my boots. I live in fear everyday. That's all I do, live in fear. Oh, woe is me. Should I have admitted I'm scared? Everyone is watching me. Someone's at the door. Gotta go hide, it could be Big Brother. They can scan people's minds, you know. Concentration camps here we come.

You libs are nothing if not entertaining.

"I suppose we could cane criminals like they do in Malaysia. Or cut the hands off thieves like they do in Turkey. Or just declare martial law and douse offenders en masse with VX nerve gas like they used to do in Iraq."

UNSUBSTANTIATED ALLEGATIONS.

Shaking in my boots. I live in fear everyday. That's all I do, live in fear. Oh, woe is me. Should I have admitted I'm scared? Communists and terrorists are watching me. Someone's at the door. Gotta go hide, it could be a Muslim. They can scan people's minds, you know. Concentration camps here we come.

You conservatives are nothing if not entertaining

Not as we know it, Captain.

Would you like to huff some paint with me?

There's huffing on the starboard bow, starboard bow starboard bow...

Are you into scat or golden showers?

I do, too!

been a way for a few weeks. click on LA IMC anytime of the day or night and I can be sure to be entertained by the idiot that runs this forum. I wonder if he's a shut-in, invalid, or vietnam vet/amputee?

I did not post the above comment.