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Freedom in decline worldwide: US report

zimmer

zimmer

Educating the Ignorant
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Global freedom declined for a fifth straight year in 2010 as authoritarian regimes dug in worldwide and crime and unrest plagued democracies like Mexico, a US watchdog said Thursday.

In "Freedom in the World 2011" the Washington-based Freedom House said it had documented the longest continuous period of decline since it began compiling the annual index nearly 40 years ago.

"This should be a wake-up call for all of the world's democracies," said Freedom House director David Kramer, who served as assistant secretary of state for democracy and human rights under former president George W. Bush.

"Our adversaries are not just engaging in widespread repression, they are doing so with unprecedented aggressiveness and self-confidence, and the democratic community is not rising to the challenge."

Elliot Abrams, who served as the point man for Bush's high-profile efforts to promote democracy beginning in 2005, faulted the current administration for not linking human rights to bilateral relations.

Freedom in decline worldwide: US report
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Decline since the vitriol of Gulf War 2. Attacking freedom has its costs. It only emboldens the despots... everywhere.

Obama, his party and the idiots around the world that supported the likes of Obama, Durbin, The War is Lost Reid, Kerry, Levin, Pelosi, Dead Kennedy and Gerhard Schroeder can take a bow. Their work has born fruit.

BTW... Where have all the protesters gone? The close Gitmo, anti-war crowd? They've done vanished. Where are the nightly death toll reports? My how the journOlists changed their spots in January 2009.

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State workers are even losing their freedom in Rhode Island. Lincoln Chaffey has taken it upon himself to only allow state workers to go on NPR or local radio. No conservative talk radio.
This is only the beginning folks. They are going to try and make sure we only hear things that have been approved by this administration.
 
Considering they reiterate the bizarrely annual claim that repression is growing in China I do not care much for what they have to say.
 
Barbbtx said:
State workers are even losing their freedom in Rhode Island. Lincoln Chaffey has taken it upon himself to only allow state workers to go on NPR or local radio. No conservative talk radio.
This is only the beginning folks. They are going to try and make sure we only hear things that have been approved by this administration.
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Well, that sucks. Even though I may not agree with conservatives all the time doesn't mean they should be shut out and have right to free speech taken away.
 
Seeking Gao Zhisheng

The word "missing" is a euphemism in China, where dissident Gao Zhisheng likely has now spent eight months in a frightening system of illegal government detention for his work speaking out for human rights and the rule of law. In a horrifying interview given to the Associated Press during a brief period of freedom last year and published this week, Mr. Gao gives accounts of previous torture sessions carried out by secret police. "The degree of cruelty," he said, "there's no way to recount it."

Sometime in 2009, three agents stripped Mr. Gao and began beating him with their holstered guns, plus other acts he would not describe. It lasted around the clock for two days. "When all three officers tired," the AP writes, "they bound his arms and legs with plastic bags and threw him to the floor until they caught their breath to resume the abuse."..

The AP agreed not to publish the account unless Mr. Gao disappeared again or made safe haven. He disappeared again after the interview, which took place eight months ago.

Mr. Gao's tale began in 2006, when the lawyer, whose work focused on property rights and the repression of religious minorities such as the Falun Gong, was barred from the practice of law and accused of "inciting subversion." He has since been repeatedly imprisoned and persecuted, with only brief respites when his appearance has been politically advantageous for Beijing...
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Unfortunately, much of the world has bought into the "hand out" mentality where they are willing to hand over much of the control over their lives and future generations to government which do not have their best interest in mind. For better or worse, we're heading for more of a world-based government and hive mentality which excludes the individual and promotes the group.
 
zimmer said:
Decline since the vitriol of Gulf War 2. Attacking freedom has its costs. It only emboldens the despots... everywhere.

Obama, his party and the idiots around the world that supported the likes of Obama, Durbin, The War is Lost Reid, Kerry, Levin, Pelosi, Dead Kennedy and Gerhard Schroeder can take a bow. Their work has born fruit.

BTW... Where have all the protesters gone? The close Gitmo, anti-war crowd? They've done vanished. Where are the nightly death toll reports? My how the journOlists changed their spots in January 2009.

.
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I'm not sure I see the causal link you are making. So are you saying that war protests from a few years ago in, I don't know, Cleveland caused what's going on in Tunisia this week? :confused:
 
zimmer said:
Decline since the vitriol of Gulf War 2. Attacking freedom has its costs. It only emboldens the despots... everywhere.

Obama, his party and the idiots around the world that supported the likes of Obama, Durbin, The War is Lost Reid, Kerry, Levin, Pelosi, Dead Kennedy and Gerhard Schroeder can take a bow. Their work has born fruit.

BTW... Where have all the protesters gone? The close Gitmo, anti-war crowd? They've done vanished. Where are the nightly death toll reports? My how the journOlists changed their spots in January 2009.

.
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Freedom is decreasing, even here. We give into fear everwhere. We have to fear the terrorists, we have to fear the guns, we have to fear the pedophile, we have to fear the drugs. Fear fear fear fear. And each time we give into fear, we lose. We lose choice, we lose freedom, we lose independence. Yet each party has some fear that it wants to sell us. The War on Iraq was sold on nothing more than fear. And the new gun laws that will be introduced now because of that AZ shooting will be sold to us on fear. I don't see this changing. You want to say freedom is decreasing, well of course it is. Freedom doesn't keep itself, you have to work for it to maintain it. Expend energy to proliferate it. At some point, we're going to have to grow up and understand that while there are scary things out there, we don't need to overreact and being curtailing our liberties because of it.
 
zimmer said:
BTW... Where have all the protesters gone? The close Gitmo, anti-war crowd? They've done vanished. Where are the nightly death toll reports? My how the journOlists changed their spots in January 2009.
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Don't worry... As soon a Obama is voted out in 2012 and a republican sits in the oval office, those protests will be back.
 
Grim17 said:
Don't worry... As soon a Obama is voted out in 2012 and a republican sits in the oval office, those protests will be back.
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What's going to change with a Republican in office? It's the same crap. If you liked Bush, you like Obama.
 
Ikari said:
What's going to change with a Republican in office? It's the same crap. If you liked Bush, you like Obama.
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I'll tell you what's going to change... Liberals phony outrage.... That's what.
 
Ikari said:
What's going to change with a Republican in office? It's the same crap. If you liked Bush, you like Obama.
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I'm hoping for a Conservative or Libertarian to get in office.
 
Ockham said:
I'm hoping for a Conservative or Libertarian to get in office.
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conservative or libertarian? that's kind of a big difference these days. that's like saying you support $1Trillion a year global defense network and you don't at the same time. are you brave enough to protect just the US and not bring the war to all the other nations on the planet? come on, join us, say no to the global war on individuality.
 
The ideal of individual liberty is solely a Western concept. As the power and influence of the West declines in the world, the attraction of Western ideals will also decline.
 
Zyroh said:
conservative or libertarian? that's kind of a big difference these days. that's like saying you support $1Trillion a year global defense network and you don't at the same time. are you brave enough to protect just the US and not bring the war to all the other nations on the planet? come on, join us, say no to the global war on individuality.
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To a point I am. Granted conservatives do like their National Defense but I'm willing to see a Libertarian cut back, close bases and bring 50% of the boys home --- I don't think, in the best of circumstances in 8 years, a Libertarian President could dream of better.... but I also support going back to a Constitutional use of military power again. There's some problems with that especially around terrorism and threats but I could certainly live with and agree more with a Libertarian than I can another Obama. Hell, I'll even take a JFK Democrat instead of these Progressives....
 
Just yesterday I lost four freedom points.
 
Tucker Case said:
I'm not sure I see the causal link you are making. So are you saying that war protests from a few years ago in, I don't know, Cleveland caused what's going on in Tunisia this week? :confused:
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When Carter was in office the despots expanded their reign about the world. I think the following sums it up well.
Carter told an audience at the University of Notre Dame in 1977 that is was time for Americans to get over "our inordinate fear of Communism." But all too soon, Carter was desperately trying to shore up collapsing alliances around the world.

In 1979, after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, and after he had fecklessly allowed the Shah of Iran to be overthrown by the mad mullahs who remain in power to this day, Carter scrambled to stop the Communist juggernaut. More people in Africa and Latin America lost their freedom on Jimmy Carter's watch than under any other American president.

Guarding Jimmy Carter's Tongue - Opinion - PatriotPost.US
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The Left's idiocy during GW II, and Obama's weakness only invites people losing their freedoms. I mean how damn stupid do you have to be to say your will sit down with NK and Iran without preconditions?

Think if the protesters stood for the despot to fall in Iraq? Or came out worldwide to protest against Iran, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas?

Reagan rolled back the Evil Empire, and after he left they fell. People mocked him for standing up to the despots, and ridiculing them.

The actions of the Left do not happen in a vacuum. Vietnam illustrated that too. We won the Tet Offensive, the press reports it as a loss, and our enemies find strength through the protesters, knowing it will weaken the resolve of the country.

Despots take over and kill millions.

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zimmer said:
Think if the protesters stood for the despot to fall in Iraq?


Reagan rolled back the Evil Empire, and after he left they fell.
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These two sentences contradict each other. If Hussein was a despot, Reagan didn't do jack **** to decrease despots. He helped them.
 
zimmer said:
When Carter was in office the despots expanded their reign about the world. I think the following sums it up well.
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Oh? where exactly? Give us some examples then... I dare you.
 
Tucker Case said:
These two sentences contradict each other. If Hussein was a despot, Reagan didn't do jack **** to decrease despots. He helped them.
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Yes they do..

In fact dear Reagan was instrumental in keeping depots around the world in power. He saved Saddam's ass against the Iranians by feeding Saddam intel and weapons tech to help keep the war at a stalemate and not a defeat. Reagan was also in control when South Korea had yet another coup in which another dictator took over.. oh and yes the US had even troops in the country. The US also backed various right wing dictators through out central and south America.. Pinochet for one.
 
Ikari said:
Freedom is decreasing, even here. We give into fear everwhere. We have to fear the terrorists, we have to fear the guns, we have to fear the pedophile, we have to fear the drugs. Fear fear fear fear. And each time we give into fear, we lose. We lose choice, we lose freedom, we lose independence. Yet each party has some fear that it wants to sell us. The War on Iraq was sold on nothing more than fear. And the new gun laws that will be introduced now because of that AZ shooting will be sold to us on fear. I don't see this changing. You want to say freedom is decreasing, well of course it is. Freedom doesn't keep itself, you have to work for it to maintain it. Expend energy to proliferate it. At some point, we're going to have to grow up and understand that while there are scary things out there, we don't need to overreact and being curtailing our liberties because of it.
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Today there is talk of bringing the fairness doctrine back. There is talk of toning down the rhetoric. All things brought about by a shooting that had nothing to do with political discourse, or anything done by the right. Yet immediatly they were blamed and still no apologies.

Please, everyone look at this link and tell me if this is worse than any Hitler mustache on Obama or any guy saying "you're dead" to a tea party leader. Yet none in the link were ever arrested and to my knowledge Bush is still alive and no violence occured due to the viciousness of the signs these protesters carried. Again, please look at them and then tell me Sarah Palin spreads hate and violence with her Don't retreat, reload! and her crosshairs map.
We must fight to keep our freedom of speech, even if it protects the rights of those we find repulsive.

Death Threats Against Bush at Protests Ignored for Years
 
Barbbtx said:
Today there is talk of bringing the fairness doctrine back. There is talk of toning down the rhetoric. All things brought about by a shooting that had nothing to do with political discourse, or anything done by the right. Yet immediatly they were blamed and still no apologies.

Please, everyone look at this link and tell me if this is worse than any Hitler mustache on Obama or any guy saying "you're dead" to a tea party leader. Yet none in the link were ever arrested and to my knowledge Bush is still alive and no violence occured due to the viciousness of the signs these protesters carried. Again, please look at them and then tell me Sarah Palin spreads hate and violence with her Don't retreat, reload! and her crosshairs map.
We must fight to keep our freedom of speech, even if it protects the rights of those we find repulsive.

Death Threats Against Bush at Protests Ignored for Years
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Barb, one guy in congress has called for a return of the fairness doctrine. It is not going to happen. You all bring it up more here on the boards than the dems do across the country.
 
Demon of Light said:
Is this intended to be a sign of increasing repression?
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just an individual case. since the Obama administration made clear to the Chinese that 'human rights were going to be on the back burner', the ChiComs have had free reign; which they have abused.

the last nation to imprison their nobel peace prize winner and then create their own prize was a central European one back in the 1930's.
 
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