Democracy in Action or the Road to a Police State?

Over the last decade, we have seen the ongoing erosion of our civil liberties and attacks on the middle class here in the United States.  Through war under false pretenses, illegal wiretapping, warrantless search and seizures, as well as prison without a fair trial…or any trial for that matter; we as a people remained silent.  There had been no indication that anyone seemed to notice.  The United States is not living up to its democratic principles.

In the past, we as a people would protest against actions like these.  However, even if we wanted to freely protest at a presidential rally or appearance, we have lost that right as well.  The Secret Service can setup free speech zones to contain and control these protests.  In fact, here in the New York City, if a group wanted to protest, they must do so by obtaining a parade permit, which Mayor Bloomberg has failed to grant.  What idiot signed this into law and how did the American people allow this to happen?    

Would there have even been a Boston Tea Party if the colonials had to get permits from the British?  What would have happened to Women’s Suffrage during the 19^th and early 20^th Centuries if they had to obtain permits?  How would the Civil Rights movement have panned out if Martin Luther King had to obtain a permit for the non-violent protesting that took place?  

Can this really be going on in the United States of America?  This is a nation that was founded on the belief that we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  There are a couple of documents out there; you may have heard of them, they are called the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.  These documents clearly outline all the rights and freedoms that we as Americans have, as well as what government can and cannot do.  

Anytime that government has overstepped its boundaries, the people of this nation would come together and protest their actions.  Whether it be Women’s Suffrage which ultimately led to the 19^th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote; or the Civil Rights movements of the 1950’s and 1960’s, which ended segregation in the United States; or the protests against the Vietnam War that helped bring about the War Powers Resolution of 1973, intended to check the power of the President in committing the United States to an armed conflict without the consent of Congress; protesting has triggered the evolution of Democracy in the modern era of the United States.

As a response to the events of the last decade, along with the economic situation, which can be a result of those events, many have gathered on September 17, 2011, for what they would call the Occupy Wall Street movement.  As the Occupy Wall Street protesters began to unite against social and economic inequality, high unemployment, greed, as well as corruption, and the unjustified influence of corporations—particularly that of the financial services sector—on government; many began a campaign to discredit this movement through means of slander, false claims and attack on our Constitutional rights.

When city officials, campus police and certain media outlets try to discredit and break this protest, they are accusing them of unsanitary conditions, massive illegal drug use, indecent exposure and sex in the park, and to top it off, they are accusing this movement of voicing anti-Semitic remarks.  All of which are attempts to break this protest and maintain a status quo that has hurt the United States.  Our influence in the world is beginning to diminish and it can be argued that we are an empire in decline. 

The lobbying firm Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford (CLGC), which has ties to the financial industry, has expressed interest in building a campaign to discredit the Occupy Wall Street movement.   “CLGC’s memo proposes that the ABA pay CLGC $850,000 to conduct “opposition research” on Occupy Wall Street in order to construct “negative narratives” about the protests and allied politicians.” The memo also went on to state that if there are a large number Democratic victories in 2012, this would be damaging to Wall Street.  As a result, there would be less Republican support in Congress for Wall Street firms and practices. 

Most recently, the Occupy Wall Street movement has spread to college campuses where students at UC Davis were protesting peacefully for this movement, were doused with pepper spray by police.  There was nothing violent with these protests.  In fact, the students were sitting peacefully with arms interlocked when they were pepper sprayed.  As a result, the chancellor of the school has openly apologized to the students for the actions of the police.

Are these the consequences for practicing democracy in the United States?  Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic presidential candidate in 1952 and 1956, once said, "It is often easier to fight for principles than to live up to them". We can send troops to Iraq, under the guise of fighting for Democracy, as well as support efforts in Egypt and Libya; yet, when people try and practice Democracy here, they are getting hit with pepper spray and every effort is made to discredit them at every turn.