66 Percent of Americans Now Live in a Constitution-Free Zone

[xchrom]

http://www.thenation.com/article/180649/66-percent-americans-now-live-constitution-free-zone


US Border Patrol agents in Yuma, Arizona (Reuters/Jason Reed)

Shena Gutierrez was already cuffed and in an inspection room in Nogales, Arizona, when the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent grabbed her purse, opened it, and dumped its contents onto the floor right in front of her. There couldn’t be a sharper image of the Bill of Rights rollback we are experiencing in the US borderlands in the post-9/11 era.

Tumbling out of that purse came Gutierrez’s life: photos of her kids, business cards, credit cards and other papers, all now open to the official scrutiny of the Department of Homeland Security. There were also photographs of her husband, Jose Gutierrez Guzman, whom CBP agents beat so badly in 2011 that he suffered permanent brain damage. The supervisory agent, whose name badge on his blue uniform read “Gomez,” now began to trample on her life, quite literally, with his black boots.

“Please stop stepping on the pictures,” Shena asked him.

A US citizen, unlike her husband, she had been returning from a forty-eight-hour vigil against Border Patrol violence in Mexico and was wearing a shirt that said “Stop Border Patrol Brutality” when she was aggressively questioned and cuffed at the CBP’s “port of entry” in Nogales on that hot day in May. She had no doubt that Gomez was stepping all over the contents of her purse in response to her shirt, the evidence of her activism.

[cantbeserious]

1. Can There Be Any Doubt - America Is Officially Dead

eom

[tridim]

3. These racist fuckwits are not "America". nt

[woo me with science]

2. We. Must. Take. Our. Country. Back.

[riqster]

4. ^^^This.^^^

GOTFV in the primaries, to get more progressive candidates elected. It's the only way we will see proper action.

[2banon]

5. LOL!

[raouldukelives]

7. As well as ending support of republican candidates.

Every corporate investment leading to more of them as well as funding efforts at propaganda, redistricting and to suppress the votes of the poor.
GOTV is so critical. For every person legitimately working to GOTV for progressives. There are 10 investors directly funding the attacks against us.
Laughably, there are some who think they can do both. Weakening from within while claiming to be calling for change. At best those efforts might be a wash, at worst, we are living in it.

[riqster]

8. We need persistence and consistency.

The goal is to halt and eventually reverse the manufactured rightwards slide of American political thought.

[reddread]

9. is that what you see other countries doing when they turn out the (US backed) dictators?

patience?
this could be over within a year.

[riqster]

14. What I see from revolutions has pretty much been a bunch of cluster-fucks.

Said operations disproportionately impacting the poor and powerless and leaving intact the wealth of the oppressors.

At best, a new gang of oppressors takes over after the smoke clears. At worst, a load of incompetents takes over, leading to oppressors taking over anyway (see Egypt).

Revolutions suck. Change at the ballot box is infinitely preferable.

[reddread]

21. who said anything about violence?

of course this would happen via ballot.
revolutions suck?

[reddread]

23. Robobo's beef

[zeemike]

6. More like 100%.

The 4th amendment has been neutralized.

[Jerry442]

10. People think there is a bright and shining line...

...between democracy and dictatorship and as long as we don't cross the line, we're still a democracy, with maybe a few unfortunate lapses. The reality is that there is no neatly defined boundary where we can take a stand and say, "no further!" Freedom can be lost in small increments, each one seemingly innocuous.

Then one day you wake up and realize you're frog soup.

[90-percent]

11. You think it's bad now?

Last edited Thu Jul 17, 2014, 03:09 PM - Edit history (1)

Consider what it will be like when we suffer another large scale terrorist attack!

Which I consider inevitable and there's probably a hundred false flags schemes to make that happen being engineered as I write this.

The bowels of the CIA and NSA and other rogue government bureaucracies are probably blinking red with all the brainstorming to make it happen. General Keith Alexander and all the other Strangelovian freaks running those places are going to get to ride their Star Trek rooms any time now.

-90% jimmy

[Enthusiast]

24. I'm expecting it.

Another false flag is inevitable. The people are dead set against another war. It's too soon after Iraq and Afghanistan. They® are going to have to gin up a convincing attack.

[ellenfl]

28. (pssst, that's 'rogue'. rouge is makeup that women put on their cheeks, aka 'blush'). eom

[marmar]

12. K&R

[Diclotican]

13. xchrom

xchrom

After reading this - and many other articles of the same subject - I'm sitting with a feeling of a episode of twilight zone or something like that - or maybe a twist back to Germany in the 1930s - specially the few years after Hitler got into power - and SA was running the show and doing as they pleased - paper please.....

In more modern time - I would say even the border agents of the old eastern block - who I have experienced a few times in the 1980s was far more professional than CBP ever will be - as they was polite - but firm if they was unsure if you had any contraband on you - and they did have weapons (ak47 for the most part) all over the place - mostly conscript who was part of the border control.. (and political trustworthy to not run for it)

If anyone had told this to be the "new norm" in the US 20-25 maybe 30 year ago - you would be outed as a hysterical madman - now it is a reality that everyone must "show your paper" and be treated worse than a dog by the same border guards who officially have been there to protect US against enemies - or terrorists - or emigrants who doesn't have the right papers on them....

The US is already on a slippery rope to dictatorship - this is just one history of many who tell everyone with an ability to read how bad the US have been - and that constitution and the bill of rights is just words - to paraphrase neocon -"just words on a dam paper".... A full blown dictatorship never start at day one - it takes years to build up a dictatorship - even Stalin and Hitler was not crushing their subjects to fast - it was slowly making its way to a full blown dictatorship - and by a few years - here it was - a full blown brutal dictatorship with the support of the military and secret police and the rest...

And the worst is - the US is electing pepole to their own demise.... Pepole that is really supporting the way the US have been on for the last 15-20 years - specially after 11 sept 2001 the US have going down on a path who might end up in a dictatorship... You got a warning shoot when GWB was elected - and he famosely stated that it would have been so mutch easier to govern the US, if he had been a dictator... The next republican you elect to the US presidency is maybe somewhat smarter - and is not stating what he think - but is doing his best to be a dictator...

I for one wil keep myself out of US as long as CBP and the other things is happening - Im thankfully able to wisit other nations who have at least as mutch to offer -for a tourist that is - mostly becouse if I had been treated that way you are - I would have blown a fuse or two by the end of the first "control post" and going beserk - it is just not a word you know - going beserk... Border patrol or not...

Diclotican



Diclotican

[ReRe]

15. Yes, Diclotican

And our society is letting it all happen, just like the public did in Germany in the lead up to WWII. We've always wondered at why the German people did not speak up, step up and stop what was happening around them. Well, we know now.

So glad you are safe on the other side of this madness. The whole world is watching America fall.

[Diclotican]

16. ReRe

ReRe

It is a sad sight to se - and I'm rather bewildered over the fact that most americans is seeing okay with the idea that CBP can do this - without a uproar of anger and resentment from the same public that was swearing Soviet up and down back in the days - because russians was not able to travel out or inside their own country as they wanted it... That checkpoints in and out of city's manned by armed police was something out of a world most americans would never allowed to happened in the US

Many germans spoke up - but was silent because they was arrested and put in a camp - after a while you shut up if you have experienced the camps a few weeks, months or a few years - or get a visit from your local Gestapo office - and a firm warning about the consequences if you continued your outspoken critic of the new order... And the Gestapo could be rather convincing if they wanted...

The majority was silent - and rather content about the political law and order who was new norm - for many it was a step in the Right direction as the german democracy between the wars was rather troublesome and chaotic - it took years and years to even let the majority live with the idea of a democracy and a republic at all - and the majority of germans welcomed the "order" the nazis gave them - and a new porousness about their country - and as more and more people was given employment it was seen as the nazis was able to outdo the democracy many times over - by doing what the Wiemar republic had not been able to do... Even managed to sham France and UK to give up their Versailles treaty who gave Germany just 100.000 soldiers - no navy and air force to speak off... By 1935 germany had reinstated the draft - and was doing it best to build up a million strong army...


I'm glad I am on the other side of the atlantic - and to be honest - I'm not visiting the US anytime soon - sad, but a fact of life - I have just no interest what so ever been harassed by border guards - who are seeing me as terrorist to even visit US... My foster mother was in the US few years back - in New Orleans - she was "not amused" by the Border patrol at all - as they do not even had a passport reader who could read the new type of passport the US more or less demanded the rest of the world to have after 11 sept 2001... She and many others was kept in a far to small room - who was far to hot for her liking - for more than 4 hours - before she was allowed - with doubt to even enter the US.... And the only thing she was after - was to visit Bourbon Street - and listen to New Orleans Blues and Jazz - something she had been dreaming of for years to do... He promissed she would NEVER visit the US one more time after that experience - and have visited Turkey a few times over the last couple of years - where the border guards is far more gentle and polite with her. At least they have some respect for a older woman with gray hears in Turkey....

Diclotican

[ReRe]

17. So sorry that your Mother had to go thru that... :-( n/t

[Diclotican]

19. ReRe

ReRe

She survived - if somewhat vivid about the experience She is a strong old lady But she was not impressed by it all...

In the spring she was on a 10 day trip to Turkey - and visited a bush of old ruins from ages ago - and she said - "this ruins I guess you would love to get a peek on if you was there" , she is right about that I guess...

Diclotican

[lonestarnot]

18. Fucking thugs!

[Taitertots]

20. America has embraced all the worst policies that we used to chastise other countries over

Random checkpoints
Random searches
Excessive police violence
Violent repression of protesters
Mass surveillance
Interference in international affairs
Economic policies that benefit only a tiny cabal of insiders at the expense of the masses...

[Enthusiast]

25. Fixed it fer ya.

Violent repression of left wing protesters.

[woo me with science]

27. +1

[johnnyreb]

22. God Save the USA

Come on American Youth-- wise up, rise up.

(released 2003)

God you must be kidding me, thought this was supposed to be
The home of the brave and the free for you and me
But now there's something wrong - shit's been going on too long.
It's never gonna change, there's no way i say.

What's the CIA and the NRA?
They're all the same - just the names are changed.
Fuck - there's no excuse - any way you lose.

It's all a joke in the good old USA.

All we need is more factories pumping filth into the sky.
Corporate greed and perverted priests, it's the story of our lives.
And apathy's the national disease and there is no end in sight.

God save the USA - blame the president and say your prayers tonight.
The irony of liberty is no one here is truly free
When elections are stolen by the G.O.P.

So watch the nightly news - find out how you are getting screwed.
What you gonna do? - there's no use i say

Fuck the industry - the aristocracy
Fuck they're all the same - just the names are changed.
Fuck ther's no excuse, any way you lose.

It's all a joke in the good old USA.

Government hypocricy - American Idolatry - Corporate philosophy.
Nightly news of tragedies - Where no one cares what's right or wrong
Our heroes now are all long gone - The freedoms that we all abuse
The obituaries front page news

All we need is more factories pumping filth into the sky.
Corporate greed and perverted priests, it's the story of our lives.
And apathy's the national disease and there is no end in sight.

God save the USA - blame the president and say your prayers tonight.

[woo me with science]

26. kick

[damnedifIknow]

29. What I don't understand

is where do they find these people to fill these jobs? They have to know this is against everything America stands for yet they go right along with it. Power trip maybe?

[woo me with science]

30. kick