Al Jazeera English: The age of authoritarian democracy

This isn't you momma's democracy we have in the US today

Moscow, Russia - "The world is currently being shaken by tectonic changes almost too numerous to count: the ongoing economic crisis is accelerating the degradation of international governance and supranational institutions, and both are occurring alongside a massive shift of economic and political power to Asia . . .

Dramatically, the Arab world has been swept by a revolutionary spring, though one that is rapidly becoming a chilly winter. Indeed, for the most part, the new regimes are combining the old authoritarianism with Islamism, resulting in further social stagnation, resentment and instability.

Even more remarkable, however, are the social (and anti-social) grassroots demonstrations that are mushrooming in affluent Western societies. These protests have two major causes.

First, social inequality has grown unabated in the West over the last quarter-century, owing in part to the disappearance of the Soviet Union and, with it, the threat of expansionist communism. The spectre of revolution had forced Western elites to use the power of the state to redistribute wealth and nurture the growth of loyal middle classes. But, when communism collapsed in its Eurasian heartland, the West's rich, believing that they had nothing more to fear, pressed to roll back the welfare state, causing inequality to rise rapidly . . .

Second, over the past 15 years, hundreds of millions of jobs shifted to Asia, which offered inexpensive and often highly skilled labour . . ."

Rightardia suggests you read this article that has a Russian perspective of the US political system.

We agree the US is becoming more authoritarian. The Warren Court is gone and the US has morphed into even into more rigid a police state. Of course, the US has been a police state for a long time with its world leading incarceration rate.

The Patriot Act  is responsible for the start of the authoritarianism dilemma in the US. The armed forces is now providing military ordinance to the police department. US citizens can be indefinitely detained as terrorists and carted off the Guantanamo.



Under the HR 347 Trespass Bill’s latest language chances someone could end up in law enforcement custody for entering an area that they don’t realize is Secret Service protected and “engages in disorderly or disruptive conduct” or “impede[s] or disrupt[s] the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions.”

Mara Verheyden-Hilliard of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund tells says that the Trespass Bill  “means it's easier to prosecute under 'knowingly,'” instead of both knowingly and willfully.  Rightardia hopes the ACLU challenges the law. 

graphic source: http://www.russiablog.org

source: http://rt.com/usa/news/trespass-bill-obama-secret-227/

See the complete article at The age of authoritarian democracy - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

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