Howdy TOROG

I did not mean to suggest that the USA is the least Free place in the world. Certainly we are much more free than Saudi Arabia. That is a pretty extreme example. Maybe the worst place in the world. Its also heavily under the influence of US OIL companies who seem to care little about the state of human rights within the Kingdom. My take on Saudi is that its just none of our business what they do and we should try to make ourselves less dependent on their oil. Then we wont need to run over their culture. If we stay out the business of the Middle east, it will leave us alone. Then we won't need to fight anybody anywhere.
Chinese people can do just about anything as long as they keep their mouth shut and go along with the program. Generally speaking, People there have no interest in fighting the system. The media there is a joke. Blatant lies are told. Nobody cares.
Americans on the other hand can say whatever they like and protest whatever they like. As they have been doing this for a while, the powers to be have learned how to live with it, even benefit from it.
As G.W likes to say when he faces mass demonstrations......"Sure is nice to be in a place with so much freedom". He probably is doing a cost/benefit analysis in his head on how much his corporate pals are going to need to pony up to override not so silent minority.
Indeed, the freedom we are given is losing its bite. Those who do most of the protesting find themselves further and further from the center of the political spectrum. Thats because the establishment can always react to every outburst of social discontent with money. They have learned to work the system to a tee. They can say...."Go out and protest, "look at how free you are"

. If you dont like something you are free to complain and you can vote as you like.
"See how free you are?......"
Of course We are always free to bitch to our hearts content, but who is listening? What difference does it make? As for our wonderfully free form of republican government.... the game is fixed. We have no reasonable control over who we get to vote for, Secondly we must compete with the 'average American dude'. he outnumbers the thinking man by 10-1.
But the average dude in America is too busy with his 9-5 job and his family to really know how to vote. He gets his education from the media. Not just the news media, but the entertainment media in which we learn our values.
Im glad to be American. I am proud of the origins of our country. But I realize that power always will be manipulated and that every country can go down the road of darkness. I am glad I have the freedoms I do, but I hardly think I can change the world.