Democracy in Action?

[pameladlloyd]

I've been reading a number of journal posts recently about recent actions threatening free speech in association with our national conventions:

Repression in Everyday Life via pecunium

today's dispatch via catherineldf

Permibus Seized via permibus

Bill of Rights? via mmerriam

From these posts, you can follow links to news articles about these events. I find this sort of thing really scary. I love my country and its constitution.

Comments

[crinklequirk.livejournal.com]

I live in a suburb right between Mpls and St. Paul - and I don't like what's been happening in my metropolitan area, uh-uh, not at all.

Nice (ice?) living in a police state.

I don't even feel safe going grocery shopping right now.

Hope my anarchist friends are okay and not arrested. Hope my photographer friends are being careful.
Hope no stupid pg notices our vehicle has a pididdle (one headlight out).

Hope the UNwelcome RNC LEAVES and never returns. !!!

[pdlloyd.livejournal.com]

I am wishing for the safety of all. But, even more, wishing for freedom from tyranny for all.

I was going through a set of inspirational quotations I've collected over the past year or so, to be printed and posted in my office. The following is one that has special meaning for me now:

Freedom, Sancho, is one of the most precious gifts that the heavens can give to men. The treasures buried in the earth and covered by the see cannot equal it.
-Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote de la Mancha

[crinklequirk.livejournal.com]

I should read that one of these days - I only know the overview.

Personal freedoms are most often eroded away in miniscule amounts, until we try to turn around and find we cannot, as turning around is no longer allowed.

The only way to prevent that is to wake others to the call, early, and often - and it's dangerous.

[pdlloyd.livejournal.com]

I started to reply here, then decided to make my comment a full-fledged post, even though my political posts seem to result in resounding silence from most of my readers, because I believe this subject is very important.