A long long time ago the ‘founding fathers’ of USA wrote the shortest constitution in the world. Obviously a lot was missing from it and so they started making amendments to it. The notable ones being amendments to include individual rights. They are collectively referred to as the ‘Bill of Rights‘. The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of speech and expression to the individual.
Given that they are so old, our beloved George W. Bush seems to have decided that the First Amendment is too antiquated to be relevant anymore, and so has gone about with alacrity to dismantle it. The most infamous effort being what is called as the Patriot Act.
The Patriot Act, essentially suspended individual’s Habeas Corpus, and allowed the government unrestricted access to any and all records (including private ones) without a warrant. The government could now arrest people without charges and detain them indefinitely. This effectively dismantled the freedom guaranteed by the constitution to the individual.
We have all seen the pictures from Gitmo and other secret prison that caused outrage among the people who still cared about freedom and liberty. But it never quite touched home, in the sense that it was something that happened to suspected terrorists, the Arabs, the Muslims, the people who were not like the average white, Christian male.
That barrier has now been broken. Best seen in what happened on Sept 16th at the University of Florida.
Looks like the law enforcement is now cracking down on anyone who dares to speak their mind. Think twice the next time you ask an unusual question; you might just get tased.
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