huffingtonpost.com— Reports of journalists, bloggers and videomakers being arrested keep rolling in. This intimidation of journalists is having a chilling effect on free speech and freedom of the press.
Sep 3, 2008View in Crawl 4
This is horrible news which I can barely bring myself to believe. All of these reporters are innocent.America crusades around the world violating state-sovereignty which the elites justify by claiming to the people (both American & foreign) that they are merely imposing 'democracy' on these nation-states for the benefit of the 'global citizen' yet all the while...the Government that imposes'democracy' externally, and which goes to great lengths to very publicy portray itself as democratic... cannot even maintain, internally, a democracy that accords with very basic fundamental human rights. Very strange.Average people, in America and all over the world, don't deserve this type of treatment.
This is precisely the outcome expected when the USA-PATRIOT Act was passed: martial law and an erosion of the First Amendment.Some of the people deserved arrest--up to 75 of them. The cops don't care if someone's media, because they aren't taught to be rational: they're taught to fight, fight, fight. Their overaggressive tactics are what we can expect with the status quo. Personally, I don't think Obama's being as informed as he could be about it, and I don't think McCain really gives a rodent's posterior.Freedom is what everyone talks about, but nobody moves to protect it. We've seen what violence does, so can we try some good old-fashioned diplomacy? SOMEONE has to care, SOMEWHERE. I've got two groups of friends there, one is a journalist under house arrest and another is afraid to step outside for fear she'll be arrested because she happens to have an unpopular political opinion (and one, I might add, that I disagree with).We're two steps from martial law. Please, quell the riot before it intensifies.
This country has moved to a become a police state-Americans are sitting on their couches watching the convention while police get free rein to subject 'protesters' ot brutal questioning. Privacy in this country is gone. Rights to privacy are gone. Rights to freedom of speech are gone. The Bill of Rights is gone. America is gone. What we are now is anybody's guess. The stylized -from Kafka I guess- Amerika?The ever popular: Fascist state -what else?Police state-can any one deny it?Totalitarian?Authoritarianism?Authoritarianism describes a form of government characterized by an emphasis on the authority of the state in a republic or union. BINGO!
I eagerly anticipate one conservative comment saying the liberal press deserves what they get, so we can all try and discredit him/her with facts, only to have them ignore the facts and entertain themselves with trying to make people look stupid or crazy. That seems like the common rebuttal for all this Palin s**t, why not just apply that bulls**t logic to all the stories on here? Can I get a "heartbeat away from totalitarianism?"
The Star Tribune seems to cater to the "Nazi" segment of Minnesota....just read the comments left in response to this and other stories about the arrests of journalists and innocent bystanders on the StarTribune.com website. It appears many of the folks who read the Star Tribune think it is just okey-dokey for law enforcement to "sweep" innocent folks into jails. Guilt by association, heck, guilt by proximity!!! "Free press? Not necessary, we white-bread folks just need to be protected from people who don't look or think like us."It's enough to make your blood curdle.
acbla3Sep 3, 2008
This is horrible news which I can barely bring myself to believe. All of these reporters are innocent.America crusades around the world violating state-sovereignty which the elites justify by claiming to the people (both American & foreign) that they are merely imposing 'democracy' on these nation-states for the benefit of the 'global citizen' yet all the while...the Government that imposes'democracy' externally, and which goes to great lengths to very publicy portray itself as democratic... cannot even maintain, internally, a democracy that accords with very basic fundamental human rights. Very strange.Average people, in America and all over the world, don't deserve this type of treatment.
horhay1234Sep 3, 2008
Journalist should be allowed to report the news without intimidation!
utahpirateSep 3, 2008
This is precisely the outcome expected when the USA-PATRIOT Act was passed: martial law and an erosion of the First Amendment.Some of the people deserved arrest--up to 75 of them. The cops don't care if someone's media, because they aren't taught to be rational: they're taught to fight, fight, fight. Their overaggressive tactics are what we can expect with the status quo. Personally, I don't think Obama's being as informed as he could be about it, and I don't think McCain really gives a rodent's posterior.Freedom is what everyone talks about, but nobody moves to protect it. We've seen what violence does, so can we try some good old-fashioned diplomacy? SOMEONE has to care, SOMEWHERE. I've got two groups of friends there, one is a journalist under house arrest and another is afraid to step outside for fear she'll be arrested because she happens to have an unpopular political opinion (and one, I might add, that I disagree with).We're two steps from martial law. Please, quell the riot before it intensifies.
bobnoxious211Sep 3, 2008
The systematic suppression and intimidation of the press is a major tactic of any fascist regime.God Bless America.
rverne8Sep 3, 2008
This country has moved to a become a police state-Americans are sitting on their couches watching the convention while police get free rein to subject 'protesters' ot brutal questioning. Privacy in this country is gone. Rights to privacy are gone. Rights to freedom of speech are gone. The Bill of Rights is gone. America is gone. What we are now is anybody's guess. The stylized -from Kafka I guess- Amerika?The ever popular: Fascist state -what else?Police state-can any one deny it?Totalitarian?Authoritarianism?Authoritarianism describes a form of government characterized by an emphasis on the authority of the state in a republic or union. BINGO!
flannerusSep 3, 2008
I eagerly anticipate one conservative comment saying the liberal press deserves what they get, so we can all try and discredit him/her with facts, only to have them ignore the facts and entertain themselves with trying to make people look stupid or crazy. That seems like the common rebuttal for all this Palin s**t, why not just apply that bulls**t logic to all the stories on here? Can I get a "heartbeat away from totalitarianism?"
spfldnetSep 4, 2008
The Internet is killing the television star.
superduperpal10Sep 4, 2008
Did you guys see Piper Palin lick her baby brother? <a class="user" href="http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Piper_Palin_Hawks_A_Loogie_On_Baby_Brother">http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Piper_Palin_Hawk ...</a>
almom11542Sep 4, 2008
The Star Tribune seems to cater to the "Nazi" segment of Minnesota....just read the comments left in response to this and other stories about the arrests of journalists and innocent bystanders on the StarTribune.com website. It appears many of the folks who read the Star Tribune think it is just okey-dokey for law enforcement to "sweep" innocent folks into jails. Guilt by association, heck, guilt by proximity!!! "Free press? Not necessary, we white-bread folks just need to be protected from people who don't look or think like us."It's enough to make your blood curdle.