Erosion of American Freedoms

The other day I was listening to a talk radio show about politics when a caller told the host that our county was turning into an authoritarian or totalitarian regime. The caller was quickly dismissed by the talk show host and described as misinformed. I sat in my car and thought long and hard about what the caller and talk show host both said. My question was, “Was the caller really so wrong in her opinion?” After thinking about it, my answer was “No.”

I am not writing this as a democrat but as a concerned citizen when I say that the freedoms in this country are slowly dissolving. Now in no way does that make us a country with no freedoms like in Nazi Germany or Fascist Italy under Mussolini and Hitler. But there is evidence that freedoms we can for granted daily are eroding. The Bush regime and a Republican Congress are giving new meaning to freedoms and liberties. Part of the reason was due to the September 11 attacks. Terrorists were able to infiltrate American intelligence and strike fear into every American by their devastating attacks. Since then we have the patriot act which allows the government to wire tap people’s phone conversations and arrest people without warrants or cause who are deemed a threat to out nation’s national security.

People who are of Muslim religion or middle Eastern descent have been dragged away for months at a time. In the news pretty recently who was in Chicago, he was of middle Eastern descent and he was taken away by American Intelligence Agents who suspected him of being a terrorist. He was not heard of by his family who thought he was dead or missing. He was not granted a trial either. Finally after a year and several months he surfaced after being released and no longer being deemed a security threat. However the worse part was that he wasn’t granted a trial. When he finally was after more than a year, Intelligence agents released him just before the trial so that the people in the U.S. wouldn’t be able to see how unfairly this poor man had been treated. It is situations like these which have people in this country deeply concerned.

With the Bush presidency going until 2008, and a Republican Congress to back him up, Bush will continue to abuse political freedoms guaranteed by the constitution and Bill of Rights such as the right to a fair trial and freedom of speech. Now people have to be afraid to talk on the phones for fear of someone listening on the other end and suspecting you of criminal activity.

Another aspect in this equation is the Democrats’ unwillingness to stand up to Bush and the Republican majority in Congress. Another action that has been passed enables the president to arrest someone and interrogate them for up to 72 hours without getting a warrant for their arrest. Probable cause doesn’t even have to be shown. And even if they don’t have any cause to arrest them they can let them go before the 72 hours are up. It is freedoms like these such as needing a warrant for an arrest that are guaranteed by the Constitution that are slowing dissolving thanks to the leadership of our nation and it is time we took and stand against it.