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Re: Government and Repression
In article <[email protected]>,
Gary Jeffers <[email protected]> wrote:
>Rishab Aiyer Ghosh writes ind!
>
>>I'm amazed at the way some of you keep screaming about the violence of
>>governments. Maybe you need to experience some _real_ repression.
>
> I disagree: In the U. S. we have real repression. Current real total
>taxation is approx. 45%. I believe the serfs of Europe only paid a
>small amount above 1/12 of their production to their lords. That's a
>little in excess of 8.3% We revolted against English rule for taxation
>that was tiny compared to current burden.
More to the point, the United States has the highest percentage of
its population in prisons (according to Amnesty International
statistics). Enough to swing an election.
That's compared to the entire world, and this was the case before
the USSR dissolved. The only country ahead of us then was South
Africa, and we passed them -- before their government changed.
This *is* a country under heavy oppression -- it's just arranged so
that it's next to invisible to the people who aren't in prison or
don't know anybody there. We're also trained to think that we're
living in a dangerous time by the mass media, while statistics simply
don't bear this out.
People are regularly prosecuted multiple times for the same offense;
The mumbo-jumbo of "different sovereigns" doesn't change this fact.
Property is regularly confiscated without due process: due process
must be followed to retrieve said property. Even without a
conviction.
Under the new Crime Law, people can be hauled off and tested for
HIV infection merely by being accused of a sex crime.
If you don't call this real violence, I don't what you call it -- does
it matter if the victims are anonymously disappeared or if others
know that they're in prison?
Nobody seems to care because Cop Shows tell everyone that it's all for
our own good. Thank you sir, may I have another.
(Sorry for the rant.)
--
L. Todd Masco | "Which part of 'shall not be infringed' didn't
[email protected] | you understand?"