2010/12/10 Stuart VanZee <StuartV@datalinesys.com>:
quoted text
> I would have to agree that the people of the United States have lost
> some of their essential libertys.  The problem has been in defining what
> exactly ARE the essential libertys and then getting our congress and our
> president to keep their mitts off of them.  Still, I would argue that
> even now there are few places in the world where the people can enjoy
> liberty as freely as in the United States.

<cough>
- the citizens of Baghdad and Teheran can vote their representatives;
  the citizens of Washington, DC can not.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.#Federal_representation_and_ta
xation
- every us american citizen can be spied on or put away indefinitely
  without a court order just on the whim of the us president
- every us citizen is free to be unable to pay for the most basic
  medical services
</cough>

Seems to be a very liberal und justified system indeed. And please
don't tell the rest of the world what democracy is: Why did GWB become
president?

Best
   Martin

PS: Bonus: The united nations general assembly routinely appeals to
    all states to follow international law. Two states have always
    voted against that petition: Israel and the USA.
PPS: There is a consensus over the essential liberties:
     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights