Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
In his speech Restoring British Liberties (dated January 7, 2011), Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg talked about the freedom and the “hard-won liberties” that people in Britain have held dear. He talked about the standards of a nation that have been the hallmarks of a civilized society to which people who are victims of oppression in other places around the world have looked to as a beacon of hope…as an example of a better way of life.
Clegg claimed that in recent times under Labour many of Britain’s best traditions have suffered—and that many of its civil liberties “have been undermined, eroded, lost.”
Clegg said:
They[Labour] turned Britain into a place where schools can fingerprint your children without their parents’ consent. Where councils use surveillance powers designed to tackle crime to check if you’re cleaning up after your dog. Where thousands of new criminal offences have amassed on to the statute book. Where you are 7 times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police if you are black or Asian. Where, in one year, we saw over 100,000 terror-related stop-and-searches, none of which yielded a single terror arrest.
They made Britain a place where you could be put under virtual house arrest when there was not enough evidence to charge you with a crime. And with barely an explanation of the allegations against you. A place where young, innocent children caught up in the immigration system were placed behind bars. A Britain whose international reputation has been brought into question because of our alleged complicity in torture.
That record is an affront to everything we stand for.
It has created a fundamental imbalance between British citizens and the British state; disempowering individuals, criminalising innocent people, fuelling mistrust between communities, and diminishing this nation’s moral authority too.
Clegg went on to enumerate the ways in which the Coalition Government would address the problems in 2011, which included the following:
Three: by ending the practices of closed and secretive government; giving people the information and freedom they need to hold us and other institutions to account.
Does any of what Clegg said ring familiar to you? Do you believe that some of our civil liberties have been undermined and eroded in this country—especially over the past decade? Do you think that we Americans need to be ever vigilant about the loss of our “hard-won” freedoms? Do you think that “we the people” should have the freedom and information that we need to hold our political leaders and government institutions to account?
Source: Liberal Democrats
rafflaw,
It must be vastly beyond a reasonable doubt standard for me, also. Direct unequivocal evidence.
Ciphering here, let me see, Ms. EM 77 comments, Na….Just Kiddin’!
Former Fed,
I am not a supporter of the death penalty, but when I see this kind of senseless shooting and murder, especially since a child was also killed, I get pretty close to changing my stripes.
Lottakatz wrote:
“LOL, Well FFLEO, I guess I’m casting blame cause in truth, I’m that kind of guy.”
_______
You always posit good points; however, we must allow such speech or ours will be limited and I *do not* want that to occur.
Lottakatz,
I’ve gone off topic on a number of threads myself. No need to apologize.
I am a proponent of the Death Penalty when a murder occurred as in this case–many eye witnesses, possible direct camera/video evidence, et cetera.
Will J. Loughner deserve death if the evidence unequivocally demonstrates that he killed the people in this incident?
Elaine M: ” … Then I read Clegg’s speech and thought much of what he said about the erosion of freedom and civil liberties in Britain was similar to what was happening in this country.
I’d like to hear one of our leaders make the same kind of speech on this side of the pond.”
—–
All I can do is apologize for hijacking your thread, that which is posted can’t be un-posted, to paraphrase a LOLCats tagline.
I too would like to hear a statement like Mr. Clegg’s from one of our own politicians.
Elaine,
great job! I have been out running errands all day and I return to see that a shooter has struck again. It isn’t a surprise that it happened in Arizona. It was interesting to read the Palin site that had this Congresswoman in her “crosshairs”. Of course, that page was removed from the site today! I wonder why?(h/t to Lottakatz who linked to the Palin site.)
The first thing that came to my mind when I read Elaine’s article was one of my favorite lines from V for Vendetta, “Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot.” I think the character, Evie Hammond stated that line. It really hits home after reading Elaines description of Mr. Kleggs speech. Two of the bastions of free speech and liberty, Great Britain and the US are not too high on the freedom list anymore.
Buddha, I echo your comments about McConnell. He is not alone in egging on the extreme right wing types, but he is near the top of my list too.
Former Federal LEO: “eniobob, I understand and I know you are not casting any blame. You are not that type of guy.”
———-
LOL, Well FFLEO, I guess I’m casting blame cause in truth, I’m that kind of guy.
If the shooter hadn’t been on the right he wouldn’t have shot at a left leaning Representative (on social issues) or a Judge (if he was the actual target) that ruled in favor of undocumented immigrants. The only way I’d be inclined to not cast this as a left-right issue is if the shooter (a veteran) gives as his ONLY reason for this act, was that Giffords supported the war(s) or that his service left him so damaged he no longer is competent to discern right from wrong.
The link I posted above was supposed to go to the Palin page (but apparently did not) because I think it’s valuable to remember that the hyper-inflated, combative, violence laced rhetoric started before the 2008 election and has only been ratcheted up since then by everyone on the right from politicians to the RWMedia. Someone needs to ask Rupert Murdoch if he’s happy now, finally.
I may eat my words later, and I will as appropriate, but some dots are just too easy to connect to ignore them. The Tiller murder, after years of similar rhetoric and incitement is too fresh in my memory.
On topic but on topic re:Palin
Her show has been cancelled after one seaon,so if she is going to run for President she won’t have that “bogging”her down.
I feel that once she says that she is not running the Palin road show will come to a complete end,
Ms. EM.
Importantly, I answer ‘Yes’ to each of your last paragraph’s four questions.
The Freedom of Uncivil Liberties:
In the world in which I find I actually am able to live, there are no pathetic persons and no evil persons; yet there are persons to whose hurts we are almost all as blind and deaf.
As I heard Marilyn Manson once remark on a television program about Columbine, Harris, and Klebold, as response to what he would have done were it to have been possible prior the the incident, he remarked that he would have listened to them (Harris & Klebold), which no one had done.
People who are hurting beyond what is bearable and who are effectively forbidden to peaceably show or tell their hurts, sometimes find then driven by transient psychotic breaks into acting out hurts in ways utterly tragic for want of any achievable alternative.
For deserved punishment for my writing and posting this comment, in blatant violation of the social contract, I welcome all the “dirty words” that I find have been sent my way. I welcome not violence.
Where have all the flowers gone?
To graveyards?
Who harvested the funeral flowers?
Who planted their seeds?
Where have all the civil liberties gone?
To hatreds?
Who harvested the hatreds?
Who planted their seeds?
…
(emoticon for prolonged weeping)
Not really “competition”, but the other guest blawggers.
You know how guy are, they like to “win”.
BBB: I have written on the subject of ‘suicide by cop.’ I noticed that past tense stuff. My initial impression is that he expected to be killed. Probably saw himself as a martyr to his cause, whatever that was. I have watched his video several times and my take on it is that he is probably mentally unstable, but not enough information yet to come to a conclusion as to what his exact problem might be.
FF Leo,
Who is my competition???
A Note: I had originally planned to write a post about Nick Clegg and libel reform in Britain. Then I read Clegg’s speech and thought much of what he said about the erosion of freedom and civil liberties in Britain was similar to what was happening in this country.
I’d like to hear one of our leaders make the same kind of speech on this side of the pond.
I have a prior engagement that causes me to depart. I’ll check for updates upon my return.
Ms. EM,
I assume that you do not *mind* the increased number of OT hits your thread is getting? (per lottakatz’s comment)
We sill help you *beat* your competition this weekend.
The interview with the nurse who helped at the scene to treat the young girl who died is very painful. She and her husband, a physician, were on their way into the store when they heard the shots and went back out to the “carnage”. She said that 4 elderly men tackled the shooter and that her husband helped treat one of those men who had a small head wound.
FF Leo,
“If they actually like her and think she is “smart”, et cetera, then we are all in big, big trouble.”
We’re in big, big trouble. Water seeks its own level.
OS,
I think there is a lot to learn from the shooter. His YouTube page notes “I had favorite books”, as in the past tense. I think he expected suicide by cop. His identified favorite book are kind of strange for a 22 year old.
What do you think? This is your field.