Who’s Afraid of the Patriot Act (Liverpool)

[I’m copying down my thoughts from my recent European vacation and posting them. They’ll appear back-dated].

I think my cousin is scared of visiting America. Actually, I’m sure of it because he told me he wouldn’t want to visit there.

Because we look like a Security State to the Brits. The Patriot Act, the NDAA that’s winding its way through congress, all the alleged black ops helicopters flying over US cities.

By and large, I’d disagree. I think we’re relatively free to live our lives as we see fit. And I tried to assuage his fears but are we really so far from a security state? Threats to civil liberties come only a little at a time. And I sure as hell don’t see the so-called Libertarians wings of either party doing a damn thing about it. Democrats get pasted as soft on national security/defense if they try to critique such measures. And Republicans are more worried about Sharia creep and fighting culture wars against Gays than fighting the military-industrial complex.

I said this under President George W. Bush and I’ll say it now under President Obama – I trust the federal government to protect white folks’ rights. I don’t trust it to protect mine.

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