what we can do about it

hi guys and gals, i'm just lookin to see if i can get some guidance for this topic. i'm looking to give a "persuasive" speech in my speech class showing how the current american government is taking away our freedoms. off the top of my head i can think of the patriot act, and a few other things but i'd like some help from those of you that are experts in this if possible! i basically need sources i can site and some research i can do, i figure this is a good chance for me to gain more knowledge about our government while at the same time doing some homework assignments!

thank you all in advance!

off the top of my head i can think of the patriot act, and a few other things

Out of curiosity, what other things?

Originally posted by Spyke
Out of curiosity, what other things?

Hmm. From a foreigner just looking at the US from the outside and observing, I could probably make you a short list. In no particular order:

The attempted ban on D&X abortions, which is little more than the thin end of the wedge to overturn Wade v. Roe and make abortion illegal;

The hugely increased search and seizure powers of the TSA which for my mind would seem to conflict with the constitutional protection from unwarranted search and seizure;

The right to peacefully protest is being removed through the use of "Free Speech Zones" - the existance of which logically suggests that free speech does not exist outside those zones;

Your rights to privacy - through programs like the FBI's Predator, or the enhanced wiretap rules that came in under the Patriot Act and which are now being used in civil cases;

The right to due process, as shown by the extraction of suspects from the criminal justice system for deportation to Guantanamo Bay, without due process, where they are held indefinitely without any civil rights or human rights as granted by any international treaty;

The right to free and fair elections, courtesy of Diebold&Co.;

And that's just from two minutes of thought from a foreigner who spends far more time looking to his own country's problems. So I'd imagine that a US citizen could get you a much longer and more detailed list, with examples.
I'd recommend reading through the independent news sites as well as the mainstream ones (when you have six companies decideing what's mainstream and what's not, you don't want to trust "mainstream" very much):
http://alternet.org/
http://unknownnews.net/
http://whatreallyhappened.com/
http://www.truthout.org/
http://www.thememoryhole.org/

Take a gander at this thread for some gun control goodness. That's one right that's been systematically whittled away for a lot longer than the others:

http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30022

How about easing down on Power Companies to follow clean air standards by Bush Administration. Also now the Administration is taking the changes made to EPA retrospectively and allowing the previous culprits of Power Industry to go scott free. There goes your freedom to breathe in clean air and drink clean water.

Also because Gray Davis was a Democrat the Bush Administration ignored his request for federal funding to clear out the dead trees ...and now after the fire the Bush administration goes ahead and includes the fire fighting charges of couple of millions in Federal funding ....

I just like to blame Bush for Sun Burst causing electronic signal disruption ...I don't know it just feels good ...:D

Hmm. From a foreigner just looking at the US from the outside and observing, I could probably make you a short list. In no particular order:

The attempted ban on D&X abortions, which is little more than the thin end of the wedge to overturn Wade v. Roe and make abortion illegal;

Well, every Republican administration since Roe v Wade has tried to overturn it, so I don't see that as unique to this administration.



[quote]The hugely increased search and seizure powers of the TSA which for my mind would seem to conflict with the constitutional protection from unwarranted search and seizure;

True, but won't those new powers be because of the Patriot acts?

The right to peacefully protest is being removed through the use of "Free Speech Zones" - the existance of which logically suggests that free speech does not exist outside those zones;

Yes, forgot about the FSZs. Those are courtesy of John Ashcroft.

Your rights to privacy - through programs like the FBI's Predator, or the enhanced wiretap rules that came in under the Patriot Act and which are now being used in civil cases;

Again, we're talking about powers increased under Patriot.

The right to due process, as shown by the extraction of suspects from the criminal justice system for deportation to Guantanamo Bay, without due process, where they are held indefinitely without any civil rights or human rights as granted by any international treaty

Maybe I'm wrong, but I didn't know any US citizens had been deported to Gitmo.

The right to free and fair elections, courtesy of Diebold&Co.;

Well, despite the punchcard system and its hanging chads, and the ensuing aftermath in Florida, the elections were held freely and fairly. It's the way it was resolved that is disputed.

I'd recommend reading through the independent news sites as well as the mainstream ones (when you have six companies decideing what's mainstream and what's not, you don't want to trust "mainstream" very much):

Yes, thanks, I already had all of those sites but Truthout bookmarked, and I added it.

You might want to research restrictive zoning laws as a loss of property rights.

awesome stuff guys, thank you very much for the help so far!

any books you guys suggest reading in to? a lot of the research i am doing so far is web based.. which is great, but i need to back it up with published stuff.. any idea where to start looking there? thank you all!

Originally posted by Spyke
Well, every Republican administration since Roe v Wade has tried to overturn it, so I don't see that as unique to this administration.
No, but it still counts.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I didn't know any US citizens had been deported to Gitmo.
Think you're wrong here - but I can't remember the names involved. Tiassa? Goofy? Anyone recall the details about a guy being hauled out of a court's jurisdiction within the US and dumped into Gitmo?

Well, despite the punchcard system and its hanging chads, and the ensuing aftermath in Florida, the elections were held freely and fairly. It's the way it was resolved that is disputed.
Nope, sorry, you've misunderstood me. I'm talking about the electronic voting systems Diebold makes which have been proven not only to be insecure and alterable without trace, but which have been proven to have been accessed without trace during voting hours, along with a dozen other such acts like patching software with unapproved patches before an election, removing pollbooths and replacing them physically during election hours and so on, all of which are strictly illegal in the US.

You might want to check back issues of REASON magazine for sources. I think they have a website.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by boogaloo shrimp
awesome stuff guys, thank you very much for the help so far!

any books you guys suggest reading in to? a lot of the research i am doing so far is web based.. which is great, but i need to back it up with published stuff.. any idea where to start looking there? thank you all! [/QUOTE

Try this guy:


http://www.lewrockwell.com/suprynowicz/suprynowicz-arch.html
He has written a number of books also.

You also might look for a book written by F. A. Hayek, "The Road To Serfdom".

Nope, sorry, you've misunderstood me. I'm talking about the electronic voting systems Diebold makes which have been proven not only to be insecure and alterable without trace, but which have been proven to have been accessed without trace during voting hours, along with a dozen other such acts like patching software with unapproved patches before an election, removing pollbooths and replacing them physically during election hours and so on, all of which are strictly illegal in the US.

My bad, but can the Diebold systems actually be blamed on this administration?

Think you're wrong here - but I can't remember the names involved. Tiassa? Goofy? Anyone recall the details about a guy being hauled out of a court's jurisdiction within the US and dumped into Gitmo?

I honestly don't remember a particular case, but if either Tiassa or Goofy could provide some input, or anyone else that has a link, it would be appreciated.

Originally posted by Spyke
My bad, but can the Diebold systems actually be blamed on this administration?

They are the ones approving them for use...

quote:
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Originally posted by Spyke
My bad, but can the Diebold systems actually be blamed on this administration?

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They are the ones approving them for use...

Well, no, first off, those who lost in the 2000 election introduced legislation into Congress for a new voting system. It is now up to each individual state to approve which company provides the electronic systems. Diebold is just one of several choices.

In Georgia...

Diebold Election Systems (pronounced Dee-bold) is a subsidiary of Diebold Inc., an Ohio-based manufacturer of automated-teller machines. It was among nine vendors that competed for the lucrative contract.
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/050402/new_20020504026.shtml

Also in Ohio...

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2003/09/08/daily43.html