A Sobering Self Realization

America is home of the brave....land of the free....right?  Not so much.

Here's an article by the Washington Post about how America's liberty light is dimming, darkened by the vastly growing police and security state.

Heritage just published its annual freedom index.  America has to rank high on that list, right?  No.  We're not even in the top ten anymore.  What the hell is going on?

We are losing our freedoms and no one even notices or seems to care.  Each year like clockwork Congress enacts more laws and statutes, all aimed at protecting us, but at what cost?  Every aspect of our life is now under the watchful eye of big brother.  It's no wonder that 25% of the world's prisoners remain incarcerated in American prisons.

America’s Great Police State

Here’s a disturbing article in the WSJ about the growing police state in America.  It seems that every little government agency now has its own law enforcement office.  As Congress and the federal bureaucracy churn out more laws and more regulations, an army of law enforcement is needed to police the scofflaw American public.

Imagine a team of SWAT agents numbering in the teens bursting into your home, rifling through your personal belongings because they suspect you are in possession of…..coral.  You obtained it legally, of course, but forgot to fill out the “proper” paperwork.  Your penalty: $500 fine and one year of probation. 

 

Welcome to the Great American Police State.

Locked up in the Land of the Free

The United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population, but _________.  

I’m sure this coordinating conjunction can be completed using any number of (in)dependent clauses depending on your political persuasion.  However, cast your political bias aside for a moment and consider this one:

But has a quarter of the world’s prisoners. 

Here are some startling facts.  There are roughly 2.3 million people in American prisons; there are about 1.6 million prisoners in communist China.  Within the US adult population, 1 in 100 is locked up. 

Per 100,000 people, there are:

·         751 prisoners in the U.S.

·         627 prisoners in Russia

·         151 prisoners in England

·         88 prisoners in Germany

·         63 prisoners in Japan

No matter your political bent, this should concern just about everyone.  This is the result of the State gone wild banning this and mandating that.  Criminal statutes lurk in just about every activity Americans undertake.  Do the wrong thing, and chances are you’ll end up in jail.  In some cases, you won’t even know you’ve skirted the law.

Scary for a country that espouses to be land of the free. 

See here for the 2008 article.