USA: Police State

photo by Abby Martin, Disinformation

The mainstream media has done a good job of not making this known but the United States is rapidly becoming a police state. They have NOT covered the NYC policy of Stop-and-Frisk, where police officers are actually ordered to stop and cite citizens on the basis of racial profiling. The video listed here - "The Hunted and the Hated"  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rWtDMPaRD8 -  is one the most disturbing I have ever seen but proves, without doubt, the existence of the POLICY. It is not just a few rogue cops - it is standard behavior for the entire police force. It is true that the US Appeals Court has determined that the policy is unconstitutional but the likelihood is that it will wind it's way to the US Supreme Court. Once there, given the make-up of the high court, the policy could well be upheld.

Also troubling has been the response by police departments across the nation to the Occupy movement which is almost entirely peaceful in it's protests. In spite of such peaceful expression of First Amendment rights, police departments in NYC, Oakland, California and elsewhere have responded by hounding, corralling, arresting and savagely beating protestors. Pictures abound of bloodied protestors who have done nothing more than march and chant. Pictures proliferate of police in riot gear, in formation, suppressing such peaceful marches. These are highly militarized police departments who have the weapons of war at their disposal for putting down legitimate and peaceful expression of dissent. The people of this country are already finding ourselves suppressed and oppressed by the 1% who issue the orders to the mayors and police departments. It is only getting worse and with the support of the Department of Homeland Security (itself a name straight from the bowels of Apartheid and the pages of 1984).

The latest is the "revelation" by Eric Snowden that the NSA has the capability to collect and store the private information of millions of Americans electronic communications. Not only that, they regularly monitor said communications. While not a total surprise to many of us, it is beyond disturbing that they do not seem to be apologetic in the least. The only response by the United States government has been to press for the arrest of the one responsible for telling the truth: Eric Snowden. This has become a profoundly disturbing pattern: arresting and prosecuting whistle blowers, those who have pointed out illegal and immoral behavior. People trying to do the right thing are called treasonous when it is the military or the NSA and other agencies who are guilty of unconscionable and unconstitutional behavior. No wonder Eric Snowden elected to flee: the truth is no longer welcome in the United States. Certainly the mainstream media no longer tries to broadcast or print anything the least bit critical of the 1% or the government. It is up to us to keep standing up to tell the truth because the United States IS a police state.