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More fun from the US government
Aug. 23rd, 2005 12:47 pmFascists!
Okay, I can understand a senator wanting to have police at a book signing. After all, there are terrorists out there, and people who want to impress Jodie Foster (or flavour of the month). However, when you hear that there are people in the audience about to question your views, it seems bad form to get a Delaware state trooper to start forcing customers out of a store without consulting said store's management about it first. "It's private property", they said. Yeah, but they didn't consult the owners or managers of the property, so where the hell do they get off?
Honestly, if you are really secure in your views, you'd think debating them with someone who doesn't agree would be no hardship, wouldn't you? But apparently it's become common practice for politicians to keep "dissenting voices" away from the political people. Seems like there's a big ol' crackdown on free expression. Not that it's any better here, mind you -- last I heard, we still couldn't protest within a mile of Parliament.
Seriously, forcing dissenting opinion into silence does not get rid of the underlying problem. It just makes the whole mess fester under whatever you used to cover it up. Maybe it just dies. Maybe "dissent" becomes "revolution". Depends on the situation, really. Doesn't change the fact that it isn't fair however you look at it. Communication should happen and everyone should have a voice without being bullied into toeing the party line.
The US just disturbs me more and more all the time.
Okay, I can understand a senator wanting to have police at a book signing. After all, there are terrorists out there, and people who want to impress Jodie Foster (or flavour of the month). However, when you hear that there are people in the audience about to question your views, it seems bad form to get a Delaware state trooper to start forcing customers out of a store without consulting said store's management about it first. "It's private property", they said. Yeah, but they didn't consult the owners or managers of the property, so where the hell do they get off?
Honestly, if you are really secure in your views, you'd think debating them with someone who doesn't agree would be no hardship, wouldn't you? But apparently it's become common practice for politicians to keep "dissenting voices" away from the political people. Seems like there's a big ol' crackdown on free expression. Not that it's any better here, mind you -- last I heard, we still couldn't protest within a mile of Parliament.
Seriously, forcing dissenting opinion into silence does not get rid of the underlying problem. It just makes the whole mess fester under whatever you used to cover it up. Maybe it just dies. Maybe "dissent" becomes "revolution". Depends on the situation, really. Doesn't change the fact that it isn't fair however you look at it. Communication should happen and everyone should have a voice without being bullied into toeing the party line.
The US just disturbs me more and more all the time.
