Land of the Free?

Land of the Free?
Then: I could go anywhere in this country and not be detained without a legitimate reason.
Now: I can be picked up and “disappeared” forever without any legal representation just because the President can.

Land of the Free?
Then: We tried and convicted certain Japanese individuals for waterboarding.
Now: We waterboard anyone we choose.

Land of the Free?
Then: I remember when going on a plane trip my family and friends would walk with me to the gate, wave goodbye and watch me enter the plane.
Now: I need a boarding pass to get within ¼ mile of the gate and no one else can get near it.

Land of the Free?
Then: I remember just walking to the boarding gate with my carryon and entering the plane.
Now: I need to take off my shoes, walk through a metal detector, dump my personal belongings into a bin, have my luggage scanned, have no bottles of liquid or gel greater than 3 ounces and have my breathing device swabbed and electronically “sniffed” for dangerous chemical residue.

Land of the Free?
Then: I could telephone friends and family and know that my private conservations were just that – private.
Now: The Foreign Intelligence Survey Act now allows the “Authorities” to listen in to any of my telephone conversations without any restraint and keep it in a database - permanently.

Land of the Free?
Then: I was safe in knowing that the military could not take control of anything within our borders.
Now: There is a 20,000 man brigade sitting idly by, waiting to take control of anything within these United States whenever the President feels like it.

Land of the Free?
Then: I could check out any books I want in the library and it was nobody’s business but my own.
Now: The “Authorities” can force the library to turn over the list of books I have checked without any reason whatsoever.

Land of the Free?
Then: I could walk into any church and worship without anyone spying on me.
Now: The “Authorities” may enter any church and spy on anyone one who is attending the service and the service itself.

Land of the Free?
Now: the last line of our National Anthem is “…o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
Future: Last line should read: “…o’er the land of Homeland Security and the home of those in fear.”