If that's what you think, you really need to visit one of these countries and find out what it's really like. In many areas, I'd say they have a greater respect for human rights than Americans do. In particular, the great Australian firewall doesn't actually exist and you can actually defend yourself in England; you just can't get away with killing the other person in doing so unless you have a really good reason.
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I don't "think" those things, I know those things. Try reading the news, blogs, and other sources of info from somewhere outside your little neck of the woods. Also avoid TV, its shit.
In england if you use a FAKE gun to SCARE an assailant you WILL go to jail. (like happened to an 82 year old man who held up two burglers with a fake gun, he was sentanced to prison), and that is just one of MANY cases. And its not "killing" the assailant you have to worry about, its "HARMING" the assailant. If you INJURE a person in self defense (nevermind what they intended to do to you) you are facing prison time.
And the great firewall of australia is being deployed, but is not yet operational. It is a bipartisan effort (the current administration claims it inhereted it from the previous one, but they are pushing it forward with gusto), people speaking against it are being shushed, and if politicians, labaled supporters of child pornography (which, tests done on the hardware show it doesn't actually stop. It has false positives, missed negatives, and slows down the internet browsing speed by 25 to 80%... thats 80% as in going from 10mpbs to 2mbps).
Besides which, I said myself that civil rights in america have ALSO been chipped away. But there is a reversing trend going on now of reinstating them. It helps that there is a written constitution and term limits.
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