We Are Now a Third-World Nation

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After the American Century: The Supremes Nudge Us Into the Third World

by Ted Rall NEW YORK -- If you've been dying to visit a Third World country but possess neither the money nor the free time to make the trip, your worries are over. Thanks to five men sitting on the U.S. Supreme Court, the Third World has come to you. The groundwork was laid years ago, when businessmen and their politician-employees made a conscious decision to deny Americans the basics of life in a modern industrialized society. Kids smart enough to gain admission to college in Germany, a country we supposedly beat in World War II, worried only about passing exams and cranking out essays; we Americans ran up student loans and worked late nights to pay ever-skyrocketing tuition to for-profit universities. When Frenchman and Mexicans and Chinese became ill, they received free medical care; Americans routinely died because they couldn't afford medicine. Somehow the businessmen and the politicians pulled off the greatest scam of recorded history: They convinced citizens of the wealthiest, most productive nation on Earth to sign the same exact social contract as those of the poorest backwater dumps.

Nevertheless, we Americans continued to take pride in our political system. As long as you were 18 years of age, had never been convicted of a felony, and could convince your boss to let you out of work before 8 p.m., you could choose between two closely aligned political parties at your local voting booth. We might have the fewest vacation days and the worst retirement system in the world, but we had a voice in determining our future.

That ended, of course, in December 2000. A rogue Supreme Court majority overthrew the Constitution -- which gives control of elections to the states -- and ordered the state of Florida to ignore uncounted votes. For the first time since the British defeat at Yorktown, Americans are led by an unelected, self-appointed strongman. The U.S. now possesses the same exact political system as such Third World countries as Somalia, Congo, Afghanistan and Cuba.

With a minor switch in the players, another rogue Supreme Court 5-4 majority closed the deal on April 24: "The question is whether the Fourth Amendment forbids a warrantless arrest for a minor criminal offense, such as a misdemeanor seat-belt violation punishable only by a fine," formerly liberal Justice David Souter wrote for the majority. "We hold that it does not." The dissent noted that the decision "has potentially serious consequences for the everyday lives of Americans." Well, duh. The constitutional protection against unreasonable search and seizure is now dead. The police can arrest and jail an American citizen for any crime whatsoever -- even a minor traffic offense. "The practical effect of the ruling is that police officers can exercise 'extremely poor judgment' and harass citizens for pointless reasons -- and those citizens are without legal redress," said Timothy Lynch, director of the Project on Criminal Justice at the Cato Institute.

Even more than last December's subversion of republican democracy, this revolutionary decision has created a de facto police state; the most frequent impact of the power of the state on the life of an individual occurs when flashing lights appear in a rear-view mirror.

With the exception of a few outposts in the West and South, it's unlikely that cops will begin applying their new sweeping powers right away. But even the most liberal police departments will be sorely tempted to act as roadside judges and juries. It's a funny thing about power: Intimidation is just as effective as handcuffs and nightsticks.

Unless the Supremes reverse their decision -- highly unlikely -- or a constitutional amendment is passed to reverse it -- even more unlikely -- the United States may now have officially left the community of modern democracies. Don't be surprised if, not too long from now, you find yourself being shaken down for bribes at police checkpoints or summarily arrested for espousing the wrong political opinion. These are very scary times, and things usually get worse before they get better. (Actually, they rarely get better.)

On the other hand, America's new Third World status isn't all bad. For one thing, we'll get all those tourist euros from free-spending German backpackers. And admit it -- you probably never voted anyway.

-- USA -- World's Largest Police State (usa@police.com), April 29, 2001

Answers

Good netiquette requires a link.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), April 29, 2001.

Lars,

Do you mean like the links provided on these threads?

good example #1

good example #2

-- (lars attacks the messenger @ instead of. the message), April 29, 2001.


I agree with the message. Not the one about the election, the one about the Fourth Amendment.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), April 29, 2001.

Buried deep in all that hyperbole is at least one little nugget of truth with which I agree. The US is absolutely pathetic about alloting vacation time when compared to the rest of the world. If I recall correctly, the reports I've seen reflected only Japan as ranking lower in the average vacation time category.

During my travels I had often met people from other countries and I was always amazed (and quite jealous) when the subject came up. Many of the larger countries in the world provide the benefit of AT LEAST 3 weeks vacation in the very first year of a person's employment. As they gain time on the job, it is not at all unusual for them to describe receiving 6, 7, 8, or more annual leave. They are equally amazed when I described to them the average vacation allotment offered in the US. The measly bit of time off granted in the States is often actually hard for a foreigner to belive.

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), April 29, 2001.


Lost in history---who knows what the "second world" is?

--------------------

"Good example 1" and "good example 2" didn't need links because attribution was given to their source. Unless you are Ted Rall, why don't you identify the source of this essay?

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), April 30, 2001.



Uh, okay Lars, whatever you say.

-- i get it now (double.standard@okie.dokie), April 30, 2001.

So I'll try again---in what publication did you find this essay? Not really important to me, just curious. Also curious why you don't want to reveal your copy n paste source.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), April 30, 2001.

CD, sounds GREAT to me.

I am lucky enough to have a job w/one paid vacation (3 days cuz i'm p/t) but can take as MANY as I want to. i just dont get paid is all.

Not bad for p/t. I usually take 2 a year. But I couldnt afford more than that, although the thought is...heavenly.

-- sumer (shh@aol.con), April 30, 2001.


Very very true.

Except for the part about elections. We have no true elections. The candidates all reflect the same power elite. There are no substantive differences between parties and who they represent, so elections are irrelevant. Counting or not counting ballots is irrelevant, as there is not anything at stake anyway. It is entirely controlled by the elite, regardless. They probably rig the computerized vote counting machines anyway - it would be very easy to do, so that nothing is left to chance.

-- Iona (Iona@hologram.net), April 30, 2001.


iona--

So your POV is that the big hassle about who won the Presidential election is just a coverup by the illuminati? Why? What's the point of this esoteric masquerade? If "they" are in control, then why do "they" want to hide it?

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), April 30, 2001.



You ask a very good question. I believe that a good part of the answer lies in higher dimensional issues that I do not fully understand. The Illuminati believed they could enslave human beings in the New World Order. They were really very close to acheiving this. They were darkside Beings. This gets into issues of the design of creation, which are too long and involved for this question. But, one way I like to conceptualize the Illuminati is as very sophisticated gangsters - ie talented con artists. Usually only small time crooks pull a gun to rob, and they don't get much that way. The best crooks of course can steal millions as white collar criminals, as very convincing and charming con artists. So, I like to visualize the Illuminati as a sophisticated mob of white collar criminals, if you will (although can be violent without hesitation also). Many times more powerful than a bold crook with a gun. We have not really known what the Illuminati mobsters have been doing to us, which is a mark of their sophistication and cunning.

-- Iona (Iona@Hologram.net), April 30, 2001.

Or maybe someone should have cleaned out the old chads before the vote in November?

-- count (b@ll.ot), April 30, 2001.

Katherine Heiress and Jebro Bush made sure all the chads were cleaned out in the uppah class conservative neybohoods, but not where dem "niggahs" and "kykes" live.

-- (vote@scam.2000), April 30, 2001.

Hilarious how screams of inidganation go up about the Supremes handing the election to Bush without the recount Gore wanted. But where were the screams each time the federal courts allowed the government to illegally tax us? Or take away our 2nd, 4th, etc Amendment rights? Nowhere. But becuase a Bush clone (Gore) did not get in, they scream. What the hell is that obfuscation!??

-- (laughing@this.post), May 01, 2001.

Anyway you slice it, America is turning into a shithole......sorry

-- Will (righthere@home.now), May 03, 2001.


"The Illuminati believed they could enslave human beings in the New World Order. They were really very close to acheiving this."

Better change believed to believe and were to are. Iona, if you really think that these folks have been transformed or otherwise induced to change their ways then you need a reality check. It's 11:59 on the NWO clock.

"We have not really known what the Illuminati mobsters have been doing to us, which is a mark of their sophistication and cunning."

I definitely agree with you on this one, though.

-- Mr. NWO (it's@later.than.you.think), May 03, 2001.


DRUG TEST!!!

-- Don't (lick@the.lizard), May 03, 2001.

We would all test positive because the drug is propaganda and it is impossible to escape,,,, ahem *most* do not realize that they have been injected......

-- Will (righthere@home.now), May 04, 2001.

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