General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: This is what a police state looks like folks [View all]Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)How many times must the government violate civil rights without penalty before we can assume that the rights no longer apply? I would think that once you have legalized torture, your admission into the Police State Fraternity is automatic.
A written Constitution is meaningless if the rights are not observed.
1st Amendment violation: The right of the people to peaceably assemble and petition government for redress of grievances has been violated over and over again, with Ferguson as the most recent example.
4th Amendment violation: U.S. Customs may seize and search your computer without a warrant.
4th Amendment violation: The police can force you to submit a DNA sample without a warrant.
1st Amendment violation: The government has made it much easier to declare any area, such as political conventions, government buildings, or practically any venue that might attract political/civil protest, as subject to special enforcement, lowering the threshold for arresting people. (The article talks about the bill as pending, but it was signed into law by Obama in 2012).
We lock up more people per capita than police states that I assume meet your definition of a police state.
USA - 707
Russia - 470
Iran - 284
China - 172
Cuba - 510
Burma - 113
Pakistan - 41
Syria - 60
North Korea is estimated between 600-800, so we may be in second place.
4th/5th Amendment violation: The government under the PATRIOT Act may issue "National Security Letters" which are not warrants to conduct searches, but are used as if they were warrants. The courts have ruled NSLs unconstitutional, but ordered people to comply with them anyway.
8th Amendment violation: Prisons are being "outsourced" to private corporations to run for profit and who routinely violate the most basic of human rights, like serving maggot-ridden food.
You may be arrested and imprisoned for non-criminal acts like failing to pay your rent.
5th/8th Amendment violation: You may be sent to prison for life for shoplifting or $10 worth of weed.
4th Amendment violation: You may be sexually assaulted by police as long as they call it a search. The police may search repeatedly even after it is proven beyond doubt that you possess no contraband. The search may include surgical procedures. (And yes, some of these cases result in law suits, but none have resulted in criminal prosecution).
These are crystal clear police state tactics in use in America. I could go on, but, I am not going to convince you no matter how many examples i give, so we are pretty much done.