"2012 or 1933?"

Many years ago, in a foreign land, a short man with a moustache took control of a culture that had a rich history of music, literature, art, and philosophy that was matched by few nations around the globe. Operas, paintings and great thinkers were prominent in this nation’s treasure of culture.

Through the misfortunes of war, this cultured nation was left destitute; ravaged by war, a populous without work, food or hope. These fine people were pushed to their limit by circumstance; desperation became their only companion. No paychecks and an empty stomach make people eager to find any remedy to resolve their situation, even a remedy they never would have accepted at any other time.

The promises of full employment and food on the supper table overshadowed the darker side of the remedy they accepted, and they were willing to adopt some beliefs that were of questionable moral value to relieve their collective misery.

Before they knew it, their heritage of culture and education was replaced by a dogmatic philosophy that stripped away their rights and silenced their tongues. Freedom in that country was given away; criticism was forbidden and dissidents vanished to places unknown. This didn’t happen overnight; it took a little time, like taking poison a tiny bit at a time. The next thing you find out is that freedom is dead!

It took decades to return freedom to that country. Occupation of half of that nation by another totalitarian government stifled it until the 1980s. Unguarded freedom takes a very long time to recover, once it is stolen by a despot.

Last March. a bill was passed by the United States Congress; it was H.R. 347, and it is a direct attack on the First Amendment of our Constitution. This should even be a concern to those OCCUPY people, although I doubt that they will be bothered by our current President as he supports this movement. The A.C.L.U. should be screaming to “high heaven” about this.

What this bill does is allow the Secret Service to arrest someone for speaking at a political appearance if their words are “unpleasant” toward the speaker. This is not just a misdemeanor, it is a FELONY with prison time of one year (for starters). This is also a judgment call by the Secret Service agent, as this policy is very ambiguous. If an agent doesn’t like your looks and you decide to speak out, you may be hauled off to jail on the spot!

Obviously, if you are shouting out words like “Kill the President”, then you are breaking the law, and are subject to incarceration. If you are saying “Your policies are dangerous to America, and you should be impeached” this should be perfectly legal under your First Amendment rights. That statement is now going to be put under scrutiny by the Secret Service, and they will decide if you are going to jail on that day! Freedom being chipped away, a tiny bit at a time; does this sound familiar?

We currently have a President who cannot stand criticism or scrutiny, and his facial expressions are easily read when he is confronted by those who point out his foibles and misinformation. Could it be possible for a man who has made a point of “going around the Constitution” to use this legislation as a way to limit criticism of his ability, perhaps even eliminate it completely?

This may be America in 2012, but with a law like this, it could easily be Germany in 1933! Remember that freedom being chipped away, a tiny bit at a time; it can happen here if we American citizens allow it!