Agreed. Except for FOX News, which is hugely popular.

I must admit, I thought you were a troll. Much of what you say tonight makes sense. I would disagree semantically with your use of the term totalitarian, but a top down imposed socialism is little different. There is little doubt that the US has that. I think that is the implication of your term "soft totalitarianism".

There is a disconnect between the leadership of the US and the people who are the general public. The general public now accepts and espouses ideas that would have been foreign to their acceptance and way of life without it having been pushed by leaders in politics, media, education, religion and corporate america. Media and education are the primary venues by which those views are presented in ways which change attitudes within a generation or two.

You don't state how you view your own situation. I think you have less say in the matter than the general public of America. There are many more Americans who think than you may realize. You just may not agree with their thinking. Maybe you should. Don't give yourself a pat on the back because you are an European and think you have a monopoly on free thought. The European society is much more conformist and controlled than in the US. In America, the kids are being taught NOT to think, while Europeans are being taught WHAT to think. Both avenues are geared to state control.

Unfortunately, what is happening in America is that people are being taught to stay out of the fray and not exercise their individuality. Europe is being taught to follow the mandates of officials blindly and are choosing to do so. It is a loss for the individual in each case and brings all closer to the true utopian totalitarianism.

Dear Saharian:

You stated, "I'm not sure why the Americans here are so smug in their Europhobic attitudes."

Many of us Americans do not fear Europe, we FEAR FOR EUROPE.

In being FEARFUL FOR EUROPE, our concerns posted here and elsewhere should demonstrate that at least some of us are not complacent, i.e. smug. Socialism has made Europe weak. It is a house of cards ready to fall. The not so subtle Islamic invasion and demographics will be the death knell of Western Europe and yet it is "evil America" that Europeans blame.

...Dude, prior to the election, I would have disagreed with these comments you just made...but now, Sadly, I must say, there is probably a certain degree of validity to your thoughts....

Any citizen (not to mention foreigners) can be labeled an "enemy cambatant," and thrown in jail

You'll be able to discuss that with John Walker Lindh when you visit.................he did get off lightly..............must be that passport

The European ideal you seem to yearn for is only a plane ticket and innumerable bureaucratic hassles away. Come express your opinions and the force of the state can and sometimes does come down on you. The differences you describe primarily come from the American grassroots, which still to some degree believes in self reliance and free market. It is not perfect, but not as bad as you try to portray it.

The incarceration rate is high, and too high, for numerous reasons. Part of the reason is the numerous laws passed by the leftists during the 70's, which made it possible to be charged for damn near any reason. They also extended the administrative government to have power that made it oppressive on people in their everyday life. Other than that, there are a lot of bad asses amoung the criminals in the US. Much fewer than Europe, although that is changing.

The laws you cite that provide the means for the government to do it's primary job, protect the US citizens might be objectionable if useage extended to a time when there was not active and duplitious danger from terrorists. The governments of many places in Europe have the same attitude, but often against their own citizens. Often, the "hate crime" or other law they just happen to come up with from their own jurisdiction or the UN guidelines are used against individual citizens under highly suspect reasons. Freedom of speech-in name only-not in practice. Common sense-never.

Persian: "islamic I.D card for every non muslim"

Eh? Why is the proposed ID card "islamic"? Does the Koran recommend ID cards? What do you mean?

Bob Doney

Although his speech focused on the alleged evils of Islam and was supportive of Sikhs, Mr Griffin, 47, could only be charged — alongside Mark Collett, 26, the BNP’s publicity director — with inciting racial hatred. It was their second trial, after a jury failed to reach a verdict at the first.

Mr Brown told BBC News 24: “I think any preaching of religious or racial hatred will offend mainstream opinion in this country and I think we have got to do whatever we can to root it out from whatever quarter it comes. And if that means we have got to look at the laws again, we will have to do so.”

Treasury sources indicated that John Reid, the Home Secretary, was thinking on similar lines.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton, QC, the Lord Chancellor, last night supported Mr Brown’s calls forreform of religious hatred laws. “We should look at them in the light of what has happened because what is being said to young Muslim people of this country is that we as a country are anti-Islam and we have got to demonstrate without compromising freedom that we are not.”

Sources close to the case claimed that it was politically-motivated and doomed to fail. The decision to prosecute was announced a day after Labour called last year’s general election.

The Times understands that West Yorkshire Police had concerns the trial represented a no-lose opportunity for the BNP. It was feared that Mr Griffin and Mr Collett would be portrayed as martyrs for free speech if they were convicted, while an acquittal would be greeted by the party as a huge publicity coup.

565,000 immigrants arrived in Britain, the overwhelming majority from […] [Muslim] Pakistan and Bangladesh."
If Mr Liddle had bothered to follow his own link he would have seen that for the latest year the highest number came from non-Muslim POLAND.
Bob Doney

I assume you are unfamiliar with the EU. I believe Americans distinguish between US Citizens moving from Michigan to Texas and Mexicans moving into Texas. Rather similarly since the Ameterdam Treaty there is a distinction within the European Union between EU Citizens from say Poland entering the United Kingdom and Citizens of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Morocco, algeria, Nigeria, Brazil, Albania etc.

That is why Liddle did not reference the 600.000 estimated to have arrived from Poland - noone knows. However, we do know that the British Govt predicted 13.000 would come. The 2001 Census was so badly organised that at least 1 million men are missing from the data - this means government spending is below what is should be on the data...............in addition some schools now have 12% pupils from Slovakia and non-English speaking, in our locality a school full of non-English speaking pakistani origin children now has Slovaks too - but no money for translators so no doubt property taxes will bear the burden.

31% population of London was not born in Britain - why does it have 25.000 Brazilians ? I wonder how many are legal ? Why does it have so many Albanians ?

The main point is that if the United States had the same population density as England - it would need another TWO BILLION people.

Britain has the fastest growing population in Europe and will grow another 11% over the next 15 years..........there is less rainfall per capita in London area than in Darfur. The infrastructure cannot handle such a rapidly increasing population

It pains me to see so much hatred and enmity going on around the world. Life is short and we will all die someday. Can we just get along while we are visiting here on earth?

Are you talking about Europe of today ?
Do you live in an alternate universe ?
Well there are FAR too many non-European foreigners here because almost all of them are muslim.
And what is wrong with racism to uphold multiculturalism anyway ???What is WRONG with racism to uphold political correctness and controlled multiculturalism under Western values ?
Multiculturalismcan/multiracial societies can only exist thanks to racism !
And everybody from the left to right knows this.
Bi-culturalism is the most vile,disgusting form of racism which will always result in genocide.
Guess what Europe is .
Why do """"non-racists"""" (mostly non-thinking Europeans) love genocidal racism in the end ?
Why do lefties alway race to the extreme right in the end ?
Why, why, why ??