Hate speech laws have been voted to silence jihadist hate preachers, silencing others at the same time.
"Racial profiling" by the police has turned innocent people into possible suspects, often inversing the burden of proof.
Habeas corpus has been limited, periods of detention without charge extended, sometimes indefinitely (for "enemy combatants").
However, in spite of all this, the constraints on a government's actions within its territory are sometimes still considered to be inhibiting.
"Extraordinary rendition" has been
covertly practiced, allowing suspects to be tortured outside of the
territory by professional torturers in other countries.
Extra-territorial prisons have been
created, in Guantanamo,
but probably elsewhere as well, where suspects can be tortured
or held indefinitely and where the
2. Mentalities
The war on terror has also changed people's minds and attitudes.
The media have started to censor themselves. Solidarity with the government at war and the commander-in-chief, or the fear of being perceived as unpatriotic, appeasers, "useful idiots" or even open allies of the enemy has turned them into uncritical supporters of the war.
Citizens have turned on Islam and Muslims. Xenophobia and more specifically Islamophobia have undermined the ideals of tolerance and multiculturalism, and have in certain cases even led to hate crimes against Muslims.
A "culture of fear" has been created by the terrorist but also nurtured by irresponsible western politicians. This fear has damaged democracy. Not only have the media relinquished their traditional role as watchdogs. Politicians as well, and especially incumbents, have abused the fear of terrorism to harness support. Alert levels seem to go up just before elections.
3. Preemptive war
The US government has elaborated and implemented the strategy of preemptive war, a war waged in an attempt to repel or defeat a perceived inevitable offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending (allegedly unavoidable) war. (source)"
We have seen all of these things come to fruition within our American society and abroad, through our militaristic policies. Recently, as if to test the resolve of us "patriots" in the path of these "national security" initiatives, the U.S. Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, or the "NDAA". This Bill allowed indefinite detention of those people "suspected" of terrorism or associations with those who would propagate it. Even the man who promised to veto this Law, President Obama, as if to cow down to the special interests controlling our government, signed it with only the words of "I have the power to detain Americans" but I won't", as if that makes it all better.
Censoring
the Internet, outlawing "assembly", creating laws to arrest dissidents and
continuing to denounce any who would stand up in protest of this system on
anti-American governance continues, unchecked.
What We the People must do is strengthen our War on
Those of us
who are aware and know differently, the truth is something unspoken by these
quasi-representatives. We recognize that
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