Another ridiculous theft of our freedom by the government?
482808
Why not?!\n\nThen let them forbid photographing any government\nbuildings, then malls and offices, then public\ntransportation places. \n\nBetter yet, let's ban all photography and video\ntaping, since some make-belief terrorist can\nconceivably use to plan an attack.
570719
I know of a story that is not so unlike yours.\n\nYou are so totally right. The United States government is not all that it says it is.
1061206
.  First of all our "forefathers did not "give us our freedoms"  they fought to ensure that we had that with which  we were rightfully   "endowed by our Creator".   Those freedoms that we commonly speak of like the freedom of the press, the freedom to worship, and the rights: to assemble, to free speech, to trial, etc are all part of that single concept of liberty.  I would not give up one of those individual freedoms or rights because to do so would be to diminish liberty...and liberty is our God given right.  So I agree with several of the other answers in that one respect.  However once again we have our president being accused for eroding our freedoms.  I challenge anyone to offer any evidence that an action on the part of the president has violated the bill of rights.   If you want to talk about an erosion of freedoms lets talkabout some of the liberal legislators in both state and federal  government who have made a habit of imposing arbitrary taxes.  Take for example taxes on tobacco products.  Whether you are a smoker or not, the principle should outrage you.  You have a few politicians who want to raise money who say well...".hey..i don't smoke..how about if we add 50 cents onto the cost of a pack of cigarettes...those smokers are in the minority, we can get away with it".  How fair is that?  Seems to me we fought a revolution in this country over less than this.  How about eminent domain?  You don't think that is an erosion of your freedoms.  A city can just decide they are going to buy your property from you and sell it to a developer because they can make more money in taxes from what will be built there.  What ever happened to private property?  I guess that doesn't mean so much to you liberals.  And why?...Because...private property is the first thing to go under communism and the liberal left mentality in this country today is a direct result of the influence of communist/socialist educators.  Talk about rights.  You are more concerned about a persons right to have unprotected sex without consequences than the right of a living innocent baby to survive.  Of course you are so concerned about crime that you don't want law abiding citizens to own firearms...you'd be just as happy if they banned them all, when statistically these gun owners aren't causing the deaths.  Yet your liberal minded judges continue to give repeat offenders light sentences or grant probation so that young kids can continue to be raped and murdered by these animals.  Yeah, I'd say we have an erosion of our freedoms due to an unresponsive government that does not act in many cases in the best interest of the American people but rather for their own personal agendas.  In my opinion that agenda by and large is the perpetuation of themselves and their positions ala Ted Kennedy.  George Bush was the right man to be in office at this time and he is certainly no enemy of freedom.\n    I guess I kind of got off the topic a bit but the bottom line is I couldn't choose one individual right or freedom over another.  To do so would be like asking me to choose a part of my body to cut off.  They are all important to me.  They are all part of the whole that are liberty and I would give up my life to defend any one or all.
304411
While our country falls apart and the american dream becomes more dissolved. Our forefathers would be ashamed of our current government. The great USA is becoming more like communist Russia and communist Germany. We are no longer free. Our freedoms are being infringed upon. The very thing our Government says its fighting, they are inflicting on the american people. There is no representation and Americans were not asked if we agreed with this spying. Power is corruptive and the checks and balances have not stopped corruptions. I am appauled that our government in fear of terrorism has been coerced to change the way we live forever. There has always been terrorism, look at Adolph Hitler, Mousilini, and more, but in all these times what made America different was democracy, we had a choice. We now have no choice in our freedom and big govrnment is making decisions not for the people but against the people. Are we truly free? I think not.
128927
The U S went through a right wing coup in 2000 with a stolen election and a partisan appointment via the Supreme Court.\nAt this time our government is headed towards becoming a fascist police state - No habeus corpus, privacy or right to a fair trial - if the administration chooses it can have people secretly tortured.  Feels like Germany, 1933.
258818
I think our country and our goverment are corrupt, and the country mainly because of the government.The war in Iraq is having a huge effect on today's society, and the fact that a lot of federal funding is being used for a war that i see as huge mistake isn't helping. Taking the federal funding is lowering the funding used on disease control and cancer research. And then all the money going to rebuild New Orleans isn't helping either. Today's society is based off of money and power and eating. Many people's lives revolve around computers and the internet. People wonder why we have an obiesity problem and there's your answer we have to much so close to us. With the internet people don't go gain experience and do research which doesn't help with people's attitudes. America seems to be a corrupt and war based country. We say we're fighting for freedom when really we're trapping ourselves. The more wars we get into the more "national security" we have. We're watched like dogs we no longer truly have freedom because of the  securities we have. Benjamin Franklin once said, and i'm paraphrasing, that those who would give their freedom for security don't deserve freedom or security. And that's the majority of the people in the US today from what i've seen people would gladly be protected and watched then have the freedom that our forefathers fought so valiantly for. This is what i think, i'm not trying to start anything so i hope nobody takes this offensively, I am a US citizen and a republican i'm saying this about my own country, maybe i can open some eyes to what's going on in the US today.
616298
I don't see how it is giving us freedom either. But I do respectfully disagree with your statement that we are just as free today as we were before. Our freedoms have been greatly hampered since 9-11, and the powers that be are steadily trying to chip away further at our freedoms. IMHO...
1081998
It is definately a violation of people's rights, I can understand for a school or something of that nature, BUT the cases you are hearing about on the news are of companies/ city governments trying to make a profit.  To me this is blatant thievery, and something needs to be done soon. This is one of the reasons we have the right to bear arms.
542800
Trying to figure out how this new "War on Terror" justifies suspension of our Constitution.  In 1812, with a foreign enemy burning down Washington D.C., NO PART of the Constitution was re-written or suspended.  Emergency provisions did not ever give the president the power to unilaterally enforce the law before.  This was in the face of our absolute destruction with an very real enemy on our soil.  Now we have a fantasy enemy over-seas that takes occaisional potshots at us, which we created through our own failed foreign policies, so we now need to give up every fundamental legal and expression freedom we have?  Do Americans just not have balls these days?  Why aren't the real conservatives trying to "conserve" our damned Constitution which has weathered EVERY CRISIS before this?  I just don't get it.\n\nIf you want to hunt me down, I'll be easy to find in the postage stamp sized "Free Speech Zone".  When I was a kid, everywhere was a Free Speech Zone...except maybe in church.
411414
yes  we  are  having alot of  freedoms  stripped  like  privacy  and   rights  of  beliefs   in our  constitution   we  were  founded  on, and  also  rights  taken  by   others  due  to thier  feelings   of  it  and   causing  a  movement  to   feel better  and   blame   people  they  feel  are  to  blame ,  our  american  jobs  are  going  everywhere  else  instead  of  home, we  are forced  to  pay  high  gas  prices  and   live  on  nothing   and  pay it, we  are used  and  left  behind   who  do  i  talk  about  the   little  people  the  people  left  with   reality  of  what counts   the  american who has  to  stick it out in  the  hard times  and  feel   hope  and   not  back  down  for  thier  are  no  other  way  too  make  it  with  scraps  you live  on.
772280
Although I would love to just call this a story, I am att odds with the reality of how many rights we have lost since 911. To be sure, most of what we have lost may seem inconsequential, but in time, when you try to lean on what you thought was a right, it will not be found to remain. \n\nGo look at the intersection. You see those cameras everywhere?\nThey signify the end of our freedoms. \nIf there are no cameras at your local intersection, don't fret. They are coming.... to every city. \n\nThis concept of the pres acting this way is a true mime of what is actually happening under our noses......\n\nBut wait - don't stop the election..... there are too many Venezualan voting machines just waiting to count......\n\nHow we will long for the days of "hanging chads"....
851554
Every time one of our civil liberties is taken by the government, we are hurt. As a nation, and as a free people. Our own govt is trampling on the fabric of the Constitution, and the core values that this country was founded upon.\n\nPeople ask what rights I personally have lost. The right to counsel. The right to due process. The right to privacy. The right to assemble. Habeas corpus. Unreasonable searches. Warrantless wiretapping. The list of rights and civil liberties that have been trampled on by the Bush regime grows longer every year.\n\nEvery one of those rights stipped away was mine. Just because I never needed to invoke them didn't make them less mine. And just because you haven't needed them yet doesn't make them less yours.\n\nWe only have those rights we choose to defend. Only those rights we can defend. And if we do not defend them, we lose them. Not just for those who need them now -- but for all of us.\n\n~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\n\nIn honor of Pastor Martin Niemöller:\n\nFirst they came for the 6th Amendment, but I hadn't been accused of a crime, so I didn't object to denial of counsel.\n\nThen they came for the 4th Amendment, but I wasn't talking to anyone overseas, so they wouldn't be monitoring me.\n\nThen they came for the rest of the 4th Amendment, but I only called my mother, so there was nothing suspicious in my phone records.\n\nThen they came for the 1st Amendment, but I never associated with criminals, so I didn't worry about being convicted purely based on what other people might do.\n\nThen they came for the 14th Amendment, but I never really understood the rules for Due Process (and wasn't allowed an attorney), so I didn't object.\n\nThen they came for the rest of the 1st Amendment, but I never told anyone about what the government was doing, so again I remained silent.\n\nThen they came for the 5th Amendment, ...... and I no longer had the right to remain silent.
601863
Yes we cant even get our own government functioning and were trying to fight wars to promote Democracy around the world........makes no sense at all.... another thing  were all surrendering our civil liberites to fight for freedom what kind of bunk is that?
492830
Unfortunately, we are losing our freedoms and we don't seem to care or are too ignorant to see that fact (as evidenced by some of the earlier responses).  There have always been attempts to make inroads into our civil liberties (guaranteed to us by the Constitution of the United States), but at least during most of those times past those attempts were veiled.  Now, there is absolutely no attempt to cover the erosion of American freedoms.  What's scary is the fact that the majority of Americans don't seem to be paying attention and the majority of the ones who are paying attention don't care.  We point a finger of shame at other countries that deny these rights to their people and then we turn around and remain silent while our government does the self same thing.  Yes, these things are not done to the same degree in most cases, but you have to realize that erosion's of freedom ALWAYS start small.  Saddam Hussein didn't start where he finished.  Do I think that the United States will ever get that far? Of course not.  But, we have already come so much farther than our Founding Fathers wanted to go.  Even worse than all of this is the fact that the few people who see what is happening and are speaking out about it are IMMEDIATELY and FALSELY labeled as terrorist.  Terrorism/McCarthyism; same thing different generations.
1129452
Erm, 'love 2 b curious'\n\nExcuse me, hate to interrupt, but you do realise of course that your government is locking people up, with no contact to the outside world, no representation, no charge and no trial, for an indefinite period of time, and is not even trying to cover the fact up. It is totally public knowledge. It is not media hype. It's happened and is happening. Like the sun is shining.\nNow you may believe that of the hundreds of people that were rounded up and put into these prisons and made to kneel in the boiling heat for days on end all deserved it, but couldn't you just entertain the possibility, just humour me a little, that some of these people may have done nothing wrong?\n\nThink about it. Just maybe?
845238
your on the right track buddy many including me didnt notice and kind of didnt realise yet youve kind of worked it out for your self ,many people just go on about there lives and it doesnt even occur to them our governments could be working against us .all through out history governments and people that put them selves in high places eventually try to enslave the people they are suposed to be working for ,yet people dont seem to learn this lesson and history repeats itself .the main way in which they do it is by problem ,reaction,solution.they create the problem ,then they get the reaction from the people and then they give the solution in which they pass laws that affect the rights of the people yet the people dont see any thing wrong in that because the government is there to help us right ?these laws they pass will end up affecting us all .this subject is so vast and goes so far back that the picture is so big alot of people find it hard to comprehend any way i was lucky to stumble acrosss this link from someone on here and it totally woke me up to whats going on around us http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=786048453686176230&q=terrorstorm  any way from everything youve said your on target.\n\n"people that give away neccesary liberty for tempoary safety deserve neither liberty or safety" benjamin franklin
1179477
"through the use of fear, societies gave up their rights under the guise of security."  i think this statement sums up best all the uproar over what the bush administration is or isn't doing to 'protect' us as americans. there is a fine line being walked (and not very delicately if you care to notice the details) between "security" and "loss of freedom". and the culture of fear and separation noted in the article is all too apparent today... after all you're either a "patriot" or you "support the enemy". \n\n"those in power are of a smaller segment of society, but they hold the wealth and control" is an accurate description of where america is today. a minute percentage of people possess the lion's share of the wealth: the inequality has always been present but never to this degree. if this is indeed a part of the definition of fascism, you could argue that we are getting closer...\n\n"fascist nations... typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections." let diebold reign! here's to florida, and to ohio, proud supporters of the winning side!\n\n"governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion...." and how often to religious leaders echo the sentiments exactly of the us government? do you watch the 700 club?\n\nwhere did the platform for intelligent discussion of the issues facing the US go? why are people (being manipulated?) becoming so polarized? where has 'the beauty of the gray' disappeared to? isn't it funny how so many things in life are suddenly black and white, like apples and oranges?\n\nif you deceive often enough and use the proper (official?) channels, one of two things will happen. they will come to believe it as gospel ("this is a delicious orange! when did they start growing stems?") or they will use the knowledge they already have to resist ("THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!" -jean-luc picard) the lies. \n\nare you really willing to doubt that this is in fact an apple? and will we be reluctant to let go of a moniker we've worn proudly for over two centuries? stay tuned...