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• The Land Of The Free? (Score:1)

  by barbie (2653)

  Yet another reason why non-merkins find the statement that America is the land of the free so ludicous. While America is not the only country guilty of this, there seems to be a heighten emphasis in the last few years (even before September 2001) to detain anyone who might have anti government ideals or not of American birth.

  I follow various commentaries of protesters on a couple of underground networks, and some of them have some horrific stories. A protest last year involving many families (including ki
  • Re:The Land Of The Free? (Score:2)

    by pudge (1) on 2003.04.07 20:04 (#18853) Homepage Journal

    Yet another reason why non-merkins find the statement that America is the land of the free so ludicous.
    
    Furriners can find whatever they like ludicrous, but they should realize that while America has its problems, it consistently stands up for freedom in the world. Sometimes it takes awhile, but this sort of thing, while apparently appalling ("apparently" because I can't accept one side of the story without hearing the other), is nothing new. When the Union was not yet out of puberty, we were jailing people for sedition. Some score years later, we suspended writ of habeas corpus. We enslaved people, and didn't give rights to women. We put people in camps for coming from certain nations.
    
    And yet, we have defended the world through two major wars and continue to protect and provide for the world. It's just that in this age, it is easier to see our flaws. Stop the presses.
    
    Let's have some perspective: as bad as things like this are, it is far better than what has happened in every major war preceding it. We don't have concentration or internment camps. We are not rounding the majority of people of certain nationalities up. The amount of people whose rights are being abridged -- assuming they are -- is miniscule compared to WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam.
    
    That's likely no consolation to the victims, of course, and it is not meant to be. But as tiresome as the pro-America rhetoric might seem to furriners and others, the anti-American rhetoric is of comparable annoyance.
    
    there seems to be a heighten emphasis in the last few years (even before September 2001) to detain anyone who might have anti government ideals or not of American birth.
    
    If you wish to have a serious discussion, please dispense with the hyperbole. If this were even remotely true, most of use.perl would be behind bars.
    

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    • Re:The Land Of The Free? (Score:1)

      by barbie (2653)

      I personally find the statement ludicrous, because there have been far too many instances where the right to free speech and basic freedom, have been taken away. Not just by governments, but also by culture. My observations of these cases has increased, whether that means there are more or just the fact more are being reported I don't know. I suspect the fact the they can now be reported quicker and more widely is a big factor. I wasn't intentionally hiding behind hyperbole, I was just stating how I saw the
      • Re:The Land Of The Free? (Score:2)

        by pudge (1)

        I wasn't intentionally hiding behind hyperbole, I was just stating how I saw the situation.
        
        So you really think that there is an emphasis to detain ANYONE who MIGHT have anti-government ideals, or is not of American birth? You really see the situation that way, you were not using hyperbole? If so, then your perception is so skewed it is useless.
        
        There are many countries who stand up for freedom, thats why we have a United Nations.
        
        That sentence makes no sense. The UN is primarily about peace, not free