Quote:
Originally Posted by dykeumentary
Ok, I was going to have a conversation about this, but I think you made my point for me.
That is: a university security officer who pepper sprayed an informed protestor (who chose to be at a demonstration), with witnesses, who was given warning of consequences that would befall him for refusing to move, and who can trust that there will be legal recourse, DOES NOT EQUAL "the tactics used by the Nazi secret police."
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I may choose to participate in a peaceful demonstration and I may expect to be arrested for my choice but I never, until now, would i have expected to be pepper sprayed directly in my face from 6 inches away or have my mouth held open and be pepper sprayed down my throat. I might have expected to be arrested roughly, especially if i chose to peacefully resist arrest, but if I held my hands out to the arresting officer, I wouldn't expect to offer my wrists to be arrested and have the police instead pull me around by my hair. I wouldn't expect to be asking the cops if this was okay or if i was too close over and over checking with them constantly and have them just shoot me with a less lethal weapon. There are a hundred images, at least, of excessive force used on peaceful protestors. Choosing to peacefully demonstrate because you feel there is something wrong with your government does not give the police the right to brutalize you. It is not the fault of the peaceful protestors because they are taking a stand for what they believe. It is the fault of the abusive police who are denying the rights of citizens to protest peacefully.
In January 1933, when Hitler was appointed Chancellor, Germany was a democracy. There were various political parties and people had the right to vote in fair elections. 50% of those who held seats in the Reichstag were against the Nazi Party. It was highly unlikely he would have gotten anywhere. Hitler used the burning of the Reichstag building as an excuse to take control. He claimed a communist conspiracy and got the President to give him emergency powers playing on fear and the rest is history.
Doesn't sound that difficult to duplicate really. The United States of Fear, I mean America, is not going to roll over as quickly as Germany did, but then the U.S. is not in the condition Germany was in because of WW1. But fear is the tactic they use successfully against us. And you are right about Martial Law since the Patriot Act. So why would you think things aren't going to get worse, much worse? As the economy worsens, as unemployment continues to increase, as we become weaker and more vulnerable we will be even more susceptible to fear. I'm not saying the police will become the Gestapo exactly but they are definitely paramilitary already. I think it's scary.
And I don't think people deserve what they get when they choose to peacefully assemble and demonstrate to draw attention to the abuses our government has allowed the financial sector to inflict on the 99%.