Gee whiz. Why not refute the charges? Issues. Similarities.

To just say that I am free to disagree is proof it ain't bad is one thing. Notice that after that you try to intimidate me into not pointing out the obvious. "The Emperor is naked!" "STFU", says the ol' Buckaroo. Don't tell me you can't see that.

For instance, unprovoked aggression against far weaker countries after stirring up the population with false accusations.

Secret prisons. Torture as an instrument of state policy.

Secret imprisonments at the Leaders disgression, with it being illegal to talk about the arrests even. The imprisoned don't even have to be accused, can be held indefinitely, don't get legal representation. Why would a legitimate government want the ability to imprison secretly, unless it didn't want people to know the degree and extent of these things? (D'uh!!) In this case the desire for the ability to do so is all the information a thinking person needs. To say you don't know of any imprisonments is, well, how about "fatuous".

Spying on citizens.

Enormous military budgets without the corresponding military threats.

Speech after speech after speech saying the same things in an attempt to justify the cruel and irrational. Preying on fear. Lying. "The United States does not torture terrorist suspects."

The average German's response to the Holocaust was that they didn't know it was going on. Oh, they knew people could be arrested, but didn't really know what was happening. That'll be your excuse when the extent is revealed.

And don't forget that Hitler was very popular among the Germans.

Now, if you can be objective enough to stay with facts, you'll say it's a matter of degree. Hitler was worse.

Don't forget that Hitler wasn't always Hitler, he had to grow into it. Don't forget he didn't start out with all those powers. And much of this is like being pregnant. It's not quantity, it's quality. The fact that it can happen legally is the issue. Freedom is gone when that occurs.

The final excuse is that it hasn't happened to you. And isn't likely to happen to you. The tryanny of the majority. That's why free countries have constitutions. Like the one the Bush Administration is happily gutting, with the support of people like you.

Those are issues. You can respond to them, or me. By the time they can shut up very small people like me, it'll all be over. To say that I can mouth off is proof it's not like Germany is pretty weak. And then to try to intimidate me is, well, contradictory.

Arf