A. The public should be scared. In a world where no one knows the criteria for being put on a watch list, where people can be held indefinitely without trial, and where the Bill of Rights is being actively dismantled, it’s risky to act out.
B. Besides being scared, the public is also tremendously divided. Everyone agrees that the status quo sucks, but the people’s opinions are in direct opposition with one another when the question of how to fix things arises. The media seems to like to help broaden that divide. And now, supporters of the two largest political parties think that the other party’s supporters are evil, to put it mildly. This is exemplified by what we see on Congress on a daily basis, where those of different parties refuse to work with each other, even on issues that they should both agree on. And then the congresspeople invariably turn around and place all of the blame on the other party, without acknowledging that they were just as inflexible and pigheaded.
Even here on the BBS, people are quick to dismiss and degrade anyone who says anything supportive of the Republican Party, though friendly debate and education are more productive in working towards getting someone to reevaluate their views. Dismissal and ad hominems do little to forward the thinking of the general populace.
