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We've never dealt with an authoritarian dictatorships before.

Also, if you think we're living in a dark time now, you're in for one rollercoaster over the course of this century.

If that is your opinion so be it, but with that comment about an authoritarian dictatorship If you're among those who are making the connections of the many similarities to things as they are now in the US to Wiemar Germany, then I would say don't be overly dramatic about something which the United States has almost never come even close to. This nation was founded on being a Republic, and now more than ever I would say people would fight any sign of a dictator rising.

I stand by my saying that we are living in dark times when children are so used to seeing acts of terror and violence that happened on US shores on the news that it causes little more than a shrug.

Does that mean I think things can't get worse. Fuck no, things can always get worse, and I sense we haven't seen the worst of it yet here in the US, but to suggest that we're on the verge of seeing a US version of Hitler is preposterous, the vast majority of people in this country would never accept a dictator, they would fight and die before letting it happen.

We've never dealt with an authoritarian dictatorships before.

Also, if you think we're living in a dark time now, you're in for one rollercoaster over the course of this century.

If that is your opinion so be it, but with that comment about an authoritarian dictatorship If you're among those who are making the connections of the many similarities to things as they are now in the US to Wiemar Germany, then I would say don't be overly dramatic about something which the United States has almost never come even close to. This nation was founded on being a Republic, and now more than ever I would say people would fight any sign of a dictator rising.

I stand by my saying that we are living in dark times when children are so used to seeing acts of terror and violence that happened on US shores on the news that it causes little more than a shrug.

Does that mean I think things can't get worse. Fuck no, things can always get worse, and I sense we haven't seen the worst of it yet here in the US, but to suggest that we're on the verge of seeing a US version of Hitler is preposterous, the vast majority of people in this country would never accept a dictator, they would fight and die before letting it happen.

Ah, but the American people have sat by and watched as the Democrats and Republicans have made themselves the only two parties in the US, actively using their influence to suppress any opposition. The American people have sat by and watched as the US government established a secret police to destroy internal opposition by any means necessary, up to and including assassination, as was the case with Fred Hampton. The American people are sitting and watching as the NSA runs a massive surveillance system to monitor the populace.

We are transitioning into a police state, if we aren't one already. The American people have happily sat calmly as the government destroys any semblance of democracy. I doubt they'll act when somebody powerful and or charismatic enough comes by to complete the transition that started decades from now.

Ah, but the American people have sat by and watched as the Democrats and Republicans have made themselves the only two parties in the US, actively using their influence to suppress any opposition. The American people have sat by and watched as the US government established a secret police to destroy internal opposition by any means necessary, up to and including assassination, as was the case with Fred Hampton. The American people are sitting and watching as the NSA runs a massive surveillance system to monitor the populace.

We are transitioning into a police state, if we aren't one already. The American people have happily sat calmly as the government destroys any semblance of democracy. I doubt they'll act when somebody powerful and or charismatic enough comes by to complete the transition that started decades from now.

And this is why George Washington warned us about political parties...

I haven't heard about the secret police stuff you mentioned, but I do know about the NSA surveillance. I don't understand why the US is still trying to arrest Edward Snowden for showing the people the things the NSA was doing that was determined to be downright illegal/unconstitutional! It's one of the biggest things that make me somewhat question America's government. However, the US has been way, way worse in the past multiple times. I don't believe it's very bad right now. It's one of the best in the world right now, in my opinion (I might even go far enough to say it's the best, but I don't know enough about other countries to really say. And teachings in school are probably very biased into saying that the US is the best).

And this is why George Washington warned us about political parties...

I haven't heard about the secret police stuff you mentioned, but I do know about the NSA surveillance. I don't understand why the US is still trying to arrest Edward Snowden for showing the people the things the NSA was doing that was determined to be downright illegal/unconstitutional! It's one of the biggest things that make me somewhat question America's government. However, the US has been way, way worse in the past multiple times. I don't believe it's very bad right now. It's one of the best in the world right now, in my opinion (I might even go far enough to say it's the best, but I don't know enough about other countries to really say. And teachings in school are probably very biased into saying that the US is the best).

It's definitely not the best in the world, by almost any standard. There are countries that are more free, there are countries that have a better standard of living (I guess we have the best standard for the rich), there are countries that are healthier, etc etc.

Don't get me wrong, America was founded on noble ideals, but we've done a pretty shitty job of aspiring to them in the last few dozen years. The trend has been to sacrifice individual liberties and privacy for security, to empower the Executive over other branches of government, and to put the rich before the poor. In 2014, Princeton University released a study that showed that when the interests of a rich "oligarchy" conflicted with the interests of the majority of Citizens in general, the rich almost always won. Other studies have showed democratic processes in some American states to be on par with third-world countries because the political parties work to disenfranchise people that would vote for the other side. At the same time, individual political power for most people has been in decline due to the downfall of groups such as labor unions that politically represented them...and most people are too busy trying to make ends meet or too apathetic to the process to even engage in politics today.

tl;dr: American democracy is drowning in money, corruption, and tribalism.

Ah, but the American people have sat by and watched as the Democrats and Republicans have made themselves the only two parties in the US, actively using their influence to suppress any opposition. The American people have sat by and watched as the US government established a secret police to destroy internal opposition by any means necessary, up to and including assassination, as was the case with Fred Hampton. The American people are sitting and watching as the NSA runs a massive surveillance system to monitor the populace.

We are transitioning into a police state, if we aren't one already. The American people have happily sat calmly as the government destroys any semblance of democracy. I doubt they'll act when somebody powerful and or charismatic enough comes by to complete the transition that started decades from now.

And this is why George Washington warned us about political parties...

I haven't heard about the secret police stuff you mentioned, but I do know about the NSA surveillance. I don't understand why the US is still trying to arrest Edward Snowden for showing the people the things the NSA was doing that was determined to be downright illegal/unconstitutional! It's one of the biggest things that make me somewhat question America's government. However, the US has been way, way worse in the past multiple times. I don't believe it's very bad right now. It's one of the best in the world right now, in my opinion (I might even go far enough to say it's the best, but I don't know enough about other countries to really say. And teachings in school are probably very biased into saying that the US is the best).

Look up COINTELPRO and the assassination of Fred Hampton on Wikipedia. This isn't conspiracy theories here, this is common, universally accepted information that the government has managed to obscure over the past few decades. And many believe that the FBI still carries out the same functions as COINTELPRO to this day.