A Repressed Nation

You would think that a country at war which tolerates the likes of "Fahrenheit 9/11" could be fairly characterized as being an open and robustly pluralistic society. Right?

Wrong. At least according to writer Gary Younge, whose grim byline in the Guardian declared this about America:

"Democracy is under threat in the United States; anyone who objects to the conflict in Iraq is not allowed to say so."

Really? Did you hear that John Kerry? Could someone also please clue in Howard Dean, Michael Moore, the Dixie Chicks, and assorted Hollywood halfwits? For a repressed political crowd, they certainly have been making a lot of noise.

Younge's article entitled "McCarthy's Ghost" describes an America on the verge of constructing political re-education camps and holding book-burning rallies.

"Barry Steinhardt, director of the American civil liberties union programme on technology and liberty, told the New York Times that authorities have been demanding records from internet providers and libraries about what books people are taking out and which websites they're looking at.

The result is a symbiotic relationship between the mob and the legislature, whereby official repression provides the framework for public scapegoating with each gaining momentum from the other."

This from a nation which requires a license to buy a TV. Go figure. One wonders whether or not Mr. Younge was hallucinating while writing this story. Perhaps it was Marley's ghost he really saw after indulging in one too many hot rum toddies.

[Posted by bob at The Breakdown Lane]