Habeas Corpus is an interesting topic, because as a right it is a uniquely English invention: if you were to file a writ of Habeas Corpus with a French Court you'd be laughed out of the building. Free speech is also another interesting topic, because while in the United States it is a constitutional right, in most countries it's a legislated right: and whoever passes the laws granting you a right can repeal that law. It's something we are right now seeing in Canada where reporters are being brought up on trial for the crime of writing something unpleasant and losing their jobs due to the acts of a governmental tribunal. And so is privacy rights: the UK have covered that island with police surveillance cameras which have arguably invaded the rights of UK citizens without preventing crime.
So while it may be true the United States has some challenges, it would not even be fair to say that our challenges are worse than those of the rest of the world.
As to our history, Habeas Corpus has been suspended several times--most famously during the Civil War, but also with the Japanese internment camps. Lincoln famously also arrested and jailed reporters who were critical of his handling of the Civil War. Our country also faced many other political scandals, ranging from the Whiskey Ring of 1875 to vote rigging in the 1800's and 1900's to Credit Mobilier of America in 1872 and the Teapot Dome scandal of the 1920's to the Business Plot of 1933 where a number of wealthy businessmen, including the Du Pont family, and Prescott Bush, grandfather of the current President, conspired to overthrow the government of the United States. And that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface, though when you compare scandals from the 19th century (such as the Yazoo Land Scandal) with today's "scandals" such as Palen's daughter's pregnancy, you really have to conclude they don't make scandals like they used to.
Why today scares most people is because the Internet has proven to be a billion-watt light shining into every corner of every facet of every little detail and potential conflict, and a sounding board for every possible conspiracy theory and rhetorical claim of disaster. The reality, however, is that the increased light shined upon our public officials has made our government far more transparent than it has been at any time in history, which, ironically enough, reduces the chances of powerful conspiracies behind closed doors while it simultaneously heightens our vigilance and of our fear of those same conspiracies. It's like the FBI reports of increased crime reporting making us far more worried that we may be a victim of a crime--yet, ironically, making us far safer in the process.
This period of history doesn't alarm me one whit. I see trends I'm not happy with, sure; increased social and economic pressure to force people out of the suburbs and into increasingly denser urban centers will lead to a whole host of problems about two to five decades from now. But I'm certainly not anywhere as fearful as many other people I've read here on LiveJournal profess to being.
So while it may be true the United States has some challenges, it would not even be fair to say that our challenges are worse than those of the rest of the world.
As to our history, Habeas Corpus has been suspended several times--most famously during the Civil War, but also with the Japanese internment camps. Lincoln famously also arrested and jailed reporters who were critical of his handling of the Civil War. Our country also faced many other political scandals, ranging from the Whiskey Ring of 1875 to vote rigging in the 1800's and 1900's to Credit Mobilier of America in 1872 and the Teapot Dome scandal of the 1920's to the Business Plot of 1933 where a number of wealthy businessmen, including the Du Pont family, and Prescott Bush, grandfather of the current President, conspired to overthrow the government of the United States. And that doesn't even begin to scratch the surface, though when you compare scandals from the 19th century (such as the Yazoo Land Scandal) with today's "scandals" such as Palen's daughter's pregnancy, you really have to conclude they don't make scandals like they used to.
Why today scares most people is because the Internet has proven to be a billion-watt light shining into every corner of every facet of every little detail and potential conflict, and a sounding board for every possible conspiracy theory and rhetorical claim of disaster. The reality, however, is that the increased light shined upon our public officials has made our government far more transparent than it has been at any time in history, which, ironically enough, reduces the chances of powerful conspiracies behind closed doors while it simultaneously heightens our vigilance and of our fear of those same conspiracies. It's like the FBI reports of increased crime reporting making us far more worried that we may be a victim of a crime--yet, ironically, making us far safer in the process.
This period of history doesn't alarm me one whit. I see trends I'm not happy with, sure; increased social and economic pressure to force people out of the suburbs and into increasingly denser urban centers will lead to a whole host of problems about two to five decades from now. But I'm certainly not anywhere as fearful as many other people I've read here on LiveJournal profess to being.
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