On "police state" and "fascism" [View all]

[IDemo]

If one finds the terms "police state" and "fascism" to be overly hyperbolic or historically inaccurate, does that mean that they really do understand things better than many here? Or could it be it that their viewpoint is clouded; they're not paying attention; that perhaps the idea things have become much worse may have made them squeamish?

My opinion: if you're able to view threads such as this and believe that there's nothing overly wrong here in the good ol' USA, you've failed. That citizens are not being taken away in the night to be shot or buried alive isn't the dividing line between a civil nation and a police state. Yes, things have been worse in other places and times, but this is not a binary equation - it's a matter of degree. When the weight of evidence shows that out of control authoritarianism has become the new normal and that peaceful protest can easily get your head bloodied (with a smile!), we have crossed a very real line, and inertia tends to indicate the trend will not reverse itself anytime soon.

Screw the "police state" and fascism terminology if you feel they're just rhetorical over-reach. If they cause you offense, fine. But try not to use that as an excuse to ignore or downplay the very real threats to lawful, civil society that have been on public display all too often in our recent history.