Really, the USA Most Free Nation in the World?
Which nation-state is the best at upholding Freedom? Not USA
posted about 10 years ago
I am trying to figure it out: what is the most Free nation-state on the planet?
As an American citizen, I am constantly told/reminded that we here within the United States of America are the most Free. In general, that our nation is the "leader of the Free World (TM)." I was told this by Jon Huntsman when listening to him address 1L students at Georgetown Law School. This sentiment is "our brand." Oddly, not a single student questioned the general assertion's truth.
If you compare our laws to, say, Iran we should find the slam-dunk truth. Surely! There, we are told, you can have your hand cuff off for theft! That women are stoned for infidelity, which seems barbaric and awful. To be certain, being stoned is a horrible consequence for breaking any law; to be stoned to death is worse. Iran's leaders say that the punishment is needed because it solidifies and strengthens their societies' values, thereby making them more safe. Many would say that because the USA does not stone people, to death or otherwise, illustrates one aspect of how we are more Free.
I ask, how is the consequence of going to prison (AKA Rape Dungeons) here in the USA fundamentally different than getting publicly stoned in Iran? Mind you, we have the largest prison population on the planet (25% of the world's total prison population). That is larger than Iran's, larger than China's even North Korea's. In large part, we must thank our political leaders of the Democrats and Republican parties for this situation.
When in prison, one can have CS gas thrown at them. CS gas causes them to; choke, suffocate, dizziness, possible vomiting and temporary loss of vision. A rock causes possible dizziness and blunt force trauma. Then come the enforcers, the gang members whom issue/apply physical pressure and force, ultimately leading to their restraint. All of this done in order to enforce compliance of their prisons' policies. The policies of a prison, it is stated, are there to ensure that everyone is more safe. These gang members, to be sure, wear costumes with badges and always demand the prisoner's respect.
But how is getting a chemical agent thrown at you more human than a rock? The particle(s) that abrades one's skin is just smaller: Ought the physical dimensions of the particle really be the defining issue of humane treatment to uphold safety and values of a society? While rocks leave bruises, so often (I would imagine) the guards grabbing the prisoners arms and legs, the holding them down on the floor/against the wall, where additional chemical agent awaits their epidermis, also leaves bruises. Not to mention shackles that are placed on them by these excited pumped-up thugs. So the outcome in both instances will leave bruises. To be sure, both stoning and CS gas outcomes (all from not abiding to some Law/Policy/Belief) may lead to death. I would imagine no one means to throw the deathblow rock, either.
Then there is the issue of outright torture that occurs within the Leader of the Free World's prisons (click the link, in the title). When someone refuses to eat, the prisoner will face a feeding tube. This is inserted against the individual's will! So they are restrained, to be sure. The feeding tube is forced through the nose, passing to the throat; then the food is injected in to the tube. How is torture a more Freeing experience/human consequence than getting stoned? Could it be that "our brand" of "the Leader of the Free World" is nothing more than a lie -- an illustration of our global propaganda?
Perhaps, the people in Iran should only throw handfuls of pebbles at their guilty because, apparently, particle size is what counts for the Leader of the Free World. Are we really the leaders of the Freedom across the Globe? I may be just too ignorant to see the Truth; please open my eyes for me.
As an American citizen, I am constantly told/reminded that we here within the United States of America are the most Free. In general, that our nation is the "leader of the Free World (TM)." I was told this by Jon Huntsman when listening to him address 1L students at Georgetown Law School. This sentiment is "our brand." Oddly, not a single student questioned the general assertion's truth.
If you compare our laws to, say, Iran we should find the slam-dunk truth. Surely! There, we are told, you can have your hand cuff off for theft! That women are stoned for infidelity, which seems barbaric and awful. To be certain, being stoned is a horrible consequence for breaking any law; to be stoned to death is worse. Iran's leaders say that the punishment is needed because it solidifies and strengthens their societies' values, thereby making them more safe. Many would say that because the USA does not stone people, to death or otherwise, illustrates one aspect of how we are more Free.
I ask, how is the consequence of going to prison (AKA Rape Dungeons) here in the USA fundamentally different than getting publicly stoned in Iran? Mind you, we have the largest prison population on the planet (25% of the world's total prison population). That is larger than Iran's, larger than China's even North Korea's. In large part, we must thank our political leaders of the Democrats and Republican parties for this situation.
When in prison, one can have CS gas thrown at them. CS gas causes them to; choke, suffocate, dizziness, possible vomiting and temporary loss of vision. A rock causes possible dizziness and blunt force trauma. Then come the enforcers, the gang members whom issue/apply physical pressure and force, ultimately leading to their restraint. All of this done in order to enforce compliance of their prisons' policies. The policies of a prison, it is stated, are there to ensure that everyone is more safe. These gang members, to be sure, wear costumes with badges and always demand the prisoner's respect.
But how is getting a chemical agent thrown at you more human than a rock? The particle(s) that abrades one's skin is just smaller: Ought the physical dimensions of the particle really be the defining issue of humane treatment to uphold safety and values of a society? While rocks leave bruises, so often (I would imagine) the guards grabbing the prisoners arms and legs, the holding them down on the floor/against the wall, where additional chemical agent awaits their epidermis, also leaves bruises. Not to mention shackles that are placed on them by these excited pumped-up thugs. So the outcome in both instances will leave bruises. To be sure, both stoning and CS gas outcomes (all from not abiding to some Law/Policy/Belief) may lead to death. I would imagine no one means to throw the deathblow rock, either.
Then there is the issue of outright torture that occurs within the Leader of the Free World's prisons (click the link, in the title). When someone refuses to eat, the prisoner will face a feeding tube. This is inserted against the individual's will! So they are restrained, to be sure. The feeding tube is forced through the nose, passing to the throat; then the food is injected in to the tube. How is torture a more Freeing experience/human consequence than getting stoned? Could it be that "our brand" of "the Leader of the Free World" is nothing more than a lie -- an illustration of our global propaganda?
Perhaps, the people in Iran should only throw handfuls of pebbles at their guilty because, apparently, particle size is what counts for the Leader of the Free World. Are we really the leaders of the Freedom across the Globe? I may be just too ignorant to see the Truth; please open my eyes for me.
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