Cecily McMillan Verdict Proves Dissent Is Dangerous
Cecily McMillan Verdict Proves Dissent Is Dangerous
Tuesday, 06 May 2014 10:55
By Anne Meador, DC Media Group | Op-Ed
The conviction of Occupy Wall Street protester Cecily McMillan for assault on a police officer shows that the judiciary is corrupt and dissent will not be tolerated. We can no longer call ourselves a democratic society, and as Chris Hedges says, we are living in the post-constitutional era.
Since 9/11, the justification given for incremental loss of our freedoms has been keeping us safe from terrorism. But in truth, governments always seek to accrue more power to control their populaces in service to elite economic interests. It is an imperative which pre-dated 9/11, but one that afterwards spiraled out of control.
A heightened state of fear, a subliminal awareness of being expendable in the neo-liberal economy and the distraction of consumer culture have kept the majority of Americans in paralysis. In the meantime, institutions which protected our rights have been systematically undermined. This, unfortunately, is the regime we now live under:
The Authoritarian State
Dissent will not be tolerated. Cecily McMillan was prosecuted for assaulting a police officer when she herself was assaulted. Prosecuting her for felony assault with severe penalties serves only one purpose: to deter further protest and scare the rest of us into submission. ................(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/23526-cecily-mcmillan-verdict-proves-dissent-is-dangerous