here since its Obama and the Democrats who have gone along with it, started by the Bush administration and the Patriot Act. Shhhhh, everything is ok, and anyone who is against the police state must have something to hide anyway.

Classic fascism - in Mussolini's Italy, Franco's Spain - consisted in 1) strong patriotic nationalism; 2) conviction that the use of the military was the best solution to all our problems; 3) a link-up with a strong secret police/surveillance system; 4) all offered in the name of big business/industry, and 5) the Church.

In Republicanism, of course, things are completely different: we 1) love our country (nationalism); 2) we "support the troops" (militarism and wars); 3) we love Homeland security and NDA (Intelligence/ secret politice); all offered 4) in the name of the 1%, and big business, and 5) the Church.

What's scarier? Conservatives like Neut know this perfectly well. Newt was a PhD in Modern European history. I'm convinced that he has literally been raiding Fascist history ... as his playbook.

Reagan - who worked for the Army, as a propogandist - certainly knew the value of brainwashing propoganda: staying on a simple message, and repeating it a thousand times. No doubt his 1979 example, taught Rush Limbaugh to raise up his army of "ditto-heads."

Worst...

Democracy Inc (inverted totalitarianism) and the Shock Doctrine should be required reading. It's almost to wishing it was "just" fascist.

actions. When you have a President who basically says a man is guilty without benefit of his consitutional rights and the "Golden rule" we hold dear Innocent UNTIL proven Guilty. It makes you wonder.

Neither can he deny their connection with being a police state.

Pathetic.

Now that it has, the truth of the original query has been confirmed.

If your views on the subject of the degree to which the US is a police state are formed by any thought outside of your hatred for the author of the op-ed, then what are these views you hold? Do you see the US as a police state for the reasons stated in the piece, or do you see it differently, and if so, why?

reduce our rights without us complaining.

Police abuse seldom results in police being fired.

Patriot Act is still in full force.

Now we remove our shoes and allow pat downs and body scans.

New York's "stop and Frisk" being tolerated.

Etc.

Democracy Inc

Your answer is in there.

The America I live in isn't.

I had a flat tire on the freeway. I called 911 to ask for assistance. The operator was very nice and said they would send a state patrol officer to help me. I started to tell her where I was and she said, that's ok, we already have your location.

I'm assuming it was my cell phone that was "bugged" and revealed my location. On one hand I was grateful help would be coming, but on the other hand, I was appalled that the state patrol had located me by electronic surveillance. Surveillance is a very subtle but definite form of police state.

P.S. Officer assisted me; he was friendly and efficient and I was on my way in no time. But I still felt odd about being located while I was still on the phone asking for help.

makes it more accurate and easier to track locations. If you use your phone to browse the internets, now many sites can very very very easily use geo location built into browsers to get your exact location. Assuming you browser settings are correct, you still have to say 'allow this site to track my location', but how many people just start clicking away at anything that pops up? While this is nothing new, it's just the ease at which it can be done these days.

As for 911 knowing your location, ehnnn.. I think that's one of those things that probably is better to have than to not have. Like what id you had some major problems in the middle of nowhere and no clue where exactly you were located? I know I'd personally be glad that they could use one method or another to find me.

*I didn't know you were allowed to call 911 for a flat tire..

there can be advantages to being tracked, but it weirds me out nonetheless.

I didn't know that the state patrol would respond to a flat tire, but they did. I had called 911 thinking that they could connect me or give me the number of someone would could help. I made it clear that it was not an emergency and I was in no danger. I was surprised that the dispatcher said the state patrol would be there.

I believe the reason the Police State works is because most citizens have been brainwashed to believe the police/law enforcement are ALWAYS right and ALWAYS deserve the benefit of the doubt. On Sunday a police officer pulled a gun on a pregnant woman and her husband at a local walmart for holding up a line. According to reports he never identified himself as an officer and there were hundreds of people present. The officer, Kendall County Sheriff's Deputy Craig French was NOT arrested, but the pregnant woman's husband was charged with arrested for misdemeanor battery against a police officer. And this officer is on paid leave. It feels like no one is safe from those who have a badge and/or security clearance.

Link to the story: http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpp/news/metro/kendall-county-sheriffs-deputy-craig-french-pregnant-woman-jason-thurmond-gun-oswego-walmart-20120208

What about Google and Facebook, giving all your computer info over to ... people who want to know what you are doing?

Woops! Got to go!

Those two are like gunshot wounds on the body of the Bill of Rights.