Next time you feel the urge to bitch about the US...

[Kilo0192]

man that girl in the first one cracked me the fuck up!!!!!!!

[Miss Green]

Hey all! :smokin:

Now I like to discuss the intrinsic merits and flaws of American policy as much as the other guy/gal, but next time you want to bitch about America think about this:

http://throwawayyourtv.com/2006/04/d...rth-korea.html

http://throwawayyourtv.com/2006/05/t...orean-kid.html

If I remember correctly, someone on this fourm has said of their location something to the effect that America is a police state!!!!

HAHAHAHA....

If America is a police state, I dont smoke pot. :stoned:

I do think that America makes mistakes and I definitely DON'T agree with 90% of the what the Bush administration has done...at home or abroad.

But for the love of all mankind...I don't think it's remotely logical to call America a police state after seeing those videos.

At least we have freedom....:smokin:

Sure and what freedom is this?And if you think that America hasn't turned into a police state than you need to open up your eyes and have a good look at the way America is truely going.:thumbsup:

[Fengzi]

Sure and what freedom is this?And if you think that America hasn't turned into a police state than you need to open up your eyes and have a good look at the way America is truely going.:thumbsup:

Say's the woman from New Zealand. Have you ever even been to the United States Miss Green? You seem to have a lot to say about our country for someone 6500+ miles away.

[graymatter]

Police state? Who needs it? We're too diverse, too contentious, and relatively low unemployment keeps us from toying [again] with socialism and ararchy.

[mrdevious]

You still have the right to protest or assemble.

That's something that's always confused me. In the states people are supposed to have the right to assemble, then I keep seeing protestors being arrested for "illegal assembly". It's like we all have rights, as long as we ask the government's permission to excercise them.

[Fengzi]

That's something that's always confused me. In the states people are supposed to have the right to assemble, then I keep seeing protestors being arrested for "illegal assembly". It's like we all have rights, as long as we ask the government's permission to excercise them.

The big difference between the U.S. and somewhere like China and North Korea is that when issues of illegal assembly come up it is more often in regards to the "where and when" that the "what".

Should we have the right to assemble and protest? Of course. No doubt about it. But what if that assembly takes place on private property? Do the prostesters' rights outweigh those of the property owners? What if the protest takes place on a major thoroughfare in a large city? Do the protesters have the right to tie up traffic, disrupting the business in the area, preventing emergency vehicles from passing through?

I hate Bush as much as any logical sane person but come on people, we need to use commen sense. The next time you want to bitch, and say we live in a police state, because some protester is forcibly removed from some pro-Bush function think about this: What if some Bush supporter decided to protest your opinion on your front lawn? How long before you forcibly removed them? Does that make you a Nazi too

[graymatter]

The big difference between the U.S. and somewhere like China and North Korea is that when issues of illegal assembly come up it is more often in regards to the "where and when" that the "what".

Should we have the right to assemble and protest? Of course. No doubt about it. But what if that assembly takes place on private property? Do the prostesters' rights outweigh those of the property owners? What if the protest takes place on a major thoroughfare in a large city? Do the protesters have the right to tie up traffic, disrupting the business in the area, preventing emergency vehicles from passing through?

I hate Bush as much as any logical sane person but come on people, we need to use commen sense. The next time you want to bitch, and say we live in a police state, because some protester is forcibly removed from some pro-Bush function think about this: What if some Bush supporter decided to protest your opinion on your front lawn? How long before you forcibly removed them? Does that make you a Nazi too

Hey, Fengzi, I understand your point and largely agree... But mrdevious raises a good point. I live in the Boston area (yes, a bastion of progressive, liberal, some might say, "godless secular humanism" ) and a couple of years ago there was another national election looming and a year under our belt in Iraq. Anyway, the convergent forces of a democratic primary and the growing opposition to the dip shit in the white house made the soil ripe for civil disobedience. Consequently, local law enforcement officials urged local news broadcasters to inform viewers that acts of civil disobedience would not be tolerated, which they did.

My point is there seems to be a sense of helplessness regarding the "WHAT" and not so much the where and when. I only need to look at the conspiracy threads to assess that much (they ooze with apathy and victimization). I'd actually be relieved and more optimistic about the future to see some physical protests from anyone under the age of 50 in the U.S., and I don't care if they do it on my front lawn... hell, I'll even throw in the chips, dip and free bail for the first one hauled off to jail.

Of course all deals are off if a group of Neo Cons decide to protest on my lawnâ?¦ :thumbsup: