We see most of our fellow citizens as potential killers (99% who own guns do no harm with them), spread fear of those whose religions we don't like (well, we exempt a few faiths usually), don't mind if drones are killing innocent people since it may somehow, someday, save lives here (and why were those kids with those extremist adults anyway?), etc.
We, like the right, sell fear and want the few in power to do more to save us from each other.
Everyone is a potential terrorist or criminal.
Used to think fellow progressives were more freedom loving style hippies but it appears more and more they are jumping on the bandwagon to restrict freedoms and spread fear of people they don't agree with.
Spying on citizens? Well, that's ok, it protects us. Someone sees a federal agency breaking the law and speaks up? Shame on them - they should go to jail while the real perps walk and let's dig up all the dirt on them we can.
You smoke? Holy crap (unless it's pot)! Let me hop in my car spewing poison out of it and drive home to my house and hop on my computer that is powered by coal burning so I can rant about your choices as I eat a salad made from veggies I could have grown at home but were trucked in from thousands of miles away adding more carbon and such to the planet.
Own a gun? Let me post about that as I drink ignoring that 700,000 a year are injured in drunk driving accidents, 10,000 killed, and that does not even include the other costs like domestic violence and health issues. And I can buy beer without registering it when I do. Oh...but the alcohol is not to blame here, the person is.
Put simply, it is a problem of consistency across issues. Pull out the moral values espoused in one issue and apply it to another and you quickly see where people really stand.
You are right - we are paranoid. And because of that we live in fear and desire control to alleviate that fear. We are probably less free in many ways than ever before but are now more scared (and how I miss the days of being able to walk up to the gate and say goodbye to someone leaving on a plane....)
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