Land of the free?

[Elmo]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/12/us-press-freedom-index-2014_n_4773101.html

[jjb4900]

Sadly, with the way this world is going, I can't say that I'm totally against the government, whether it be local, state or federal, keeping an eye on people and what they are up to......with terrorism, drugs and the crap that's available on the internet, and that field opens up a whole new avenue for all types of deviant behavior, someone has to keep it in check.

[Elmo]

This national ranking is not about NSA phone tapping.  It is about freedom of speech.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Welcome Komrades

[jjb4900]

This national ranking is not about NSA phone tapping.  It is about freedom of speech.

well, they mention Snowden, a government employee that was privy to certain information that was not to be made public.....absolutely not freedom of speech or press, that's why he's hiding out in a foreign country. 

[covert]

Wasn't Nixon a government employee who had information/recordings he never intended to make public?

[Mr VJP]

This hasn't been a free country for decades now.  You're free to do whatever the government lets you do.  Sure, laws need to prosecute criminal behavior, but when laws are passed that are supposed to stop you from doing something you might do, or have the potential to do, like taking your AR to prevent you from committing mass murder, even though you have never run afoul of the law, that's tyranny and thought control.

 

Imagine if they passed a law saying all males must be castrated to prevent rapes.  How would that be philosophically different than banning black rifles?

[sits in trees]

We are quickly becoming a banana republic.

[Mr VJP]

Except we don't have any bananas, unless you count elected officials.

[Doc]

Sadly, with the way this world is going, I can't say that I'm totally against the government, whether it be local, state or federal, keeping an eye on people and what they are up to......with terrorism, drugs and the crap that's available on the internet, and that field opens up a whole new avenue for all types of deviant behavior, someone has to keep it in check.

 

Old Ben Franklin was a pretty smart guy, and most likely he was dead on with this quote:

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither."

 

Notice how he went out of his way to specify temporary safety. That old "slippery slope" that so many people often talk about seems to have some relevance here. There are evil opportunities that are available and tempting to an over-zealous government when we start down that road of government monitoring and surveillance of citizenry. Just to put it all in today's perspective, how much of that surveillance power would you like to see a "President" Cuomo to have? It seems to me that it is quite prudent for individuals to control their urges to offer unlimited trust to the government regardless of the reasons.

[nyantler]

Very true Doc... the old smoke and mirror trick by the government... taking away liberty's and hyping up the safety issue to justify it. I contend that the first 100 years of our county's freedom was equal to or more dangerous than today... we fought off a handful of attacks on the country then while never giving up liberty... a time where most men and women were willing to die just to keep that freedom... not so sure the majority feels the same today.

Edited February 20, 2014 by nyantler

[Terry]

It's hard enough to get the majority off their couch.