SimplyMaggies

I read a very interesting, although quite disturbing, article yesterday, which opened my eyes even wider to the issue of American freedom. I have already noticed many discrepancies between what the world believes about the US and its so-called freedoms and the reality, however I never imagined that the American government is, in fact, so close to the police state…

Are you aware that the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution (of the United States, of course) allows invasive searches at border checkpoints? Nothing new, you think. Well, it isn’t but one of the federal statutes defines the border zone as an area of 100 miles inland of the actual border (known as ‘Constitution-Free Zone’).

At first glance 100 miles may not seem like much but consider this: nine of the top ten metropolitan areas are in the zone, 12 states are completely inside the Zone (these are Delaware, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont), 99% of the population of California lives within those 100 miles and, more importantly, 2/3s of all the US citizens live in the Constitution-Free Zone, which means they can be deprived of their Constitutional rights at any moment.

 So what does it all mean? First of all, it means that border patrols can set up random checkpoints within the Zone and ask drivers for their documents (including passports) as well as perform car searches without consent. And this is the law so there is nothing you can do as a citizen if it happens to you. It seems to me like a great abuse of one’s rights, if I’ve ever seen one.

Is this the land of freedom the rest of the world is aspiring to? Somehow, in the course of the history, the Americans have lost their grip on what constitutes freedom and I must say, citizens of other countries all over the world have more rights and freedoms than Americans. Go figure…

photo credit: Chesi - Fotos CC

So Americans have made history last night… I never thought I would actually see this day come… Not long ago I said Americans weren’t ready to have a black man for their president, even though I strongly supported Sen. Obama… However, last night the whole nation has proved me wrong (and I am so glad for it)…

And the whole world was watching… It is amazing when you stop to think about the interest and excitement this election has gathered from other nations. I had a great opportunity to see it first hand here in Europe and it seems as all the Europeans were holding their breath watching the people across the ocean vote… More importantly, it seems they were hoping for exactly this outcome.

And even though it was pretty much obvious for at least a few days now that Barack Obama was going to win, I am still surprised (pleasantly)… It has truly been amazing to witness the Americans transcend and overcome their differences and most importantly the racial issues for a bigger cause.

“It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment, change has come to America,” president elect, Barack Obama said last night in Chicago’s Grant Park.
And hopefully to the whole world as well…

Last night I watched an episode of “30 Days” entitled “Religious Perception”. I must say I do like this show because it touches upon sensitive issues most people would prefer not to discuss thus forcing the viewers to examine their beliefs. Moreover, it challenges the stereotypes surrounding a specific issue and it enables the viewers to see both ends of the spectrum and allows them to come to their own conclusions.

As for “Religious Perception”, it left me quite stunned, although I really shouldn’t be, knowing what I know about Christians in general. I even considered myself a Christian once but I don’t believe in labels anymore…

Watching that show last night, I’ve come to a realization that (contrary to a popular belief) Christians are a very intolerant people. It is ‘my way or highway’ mentality and it strikes me as odd (to say the least). Didn’t Jesus teach love, acceptance, tolerance and equality for all people, no matter who they are, where they come from and what they do? And knowing that the God they so fervently believe in has a specific message, yet they somehow fail to implement that message in their lives, is a bit mind-boggling.

I’ve met Christians from various nations and I used to tend to think Catholics were the least tolerant of all. However, I’ve come to realize that American Christians (whatever their choice of religious denomination) are the most narrow-minded and the least tolerant. A scary thought when you consider the fact that a general belief is that USA is a country of freedom and tolerance. But is it really?

According to the American Constitution, the state and church are supposed to be separate. Yet every dollar bill boasts a phrase “In God We Trust”—a clear violation of that law. Furthermore, if an American citizen does not believe in any God and, say, wants to form a group or an organization for the purposes of gathering and discussing one’s beliefs (as if in a church), the said organization cannot get federal funding because one of the conditions is a belief in some supernatural entity.

To make things even worse, many American Christians believe evolution is not science but a theory (one of many) of the origins of life. Mind you, a theory means there is no scientific proof. However, scientists have proven this one years ago. The most disturbing thing is that in some states certain Christian groups want creatism (God created the universe and everything in it) to be taught at schools right along evolution since they believe these two views are philosophies.

I have never thought I would come to the conclusion that a country the rest of the world thinks of as a land of freedom is so behind the times. Luckily for me, I got my education in Europe and there is no doubt in both school system and church as to the scientific side of evolution. And surprisingly, the Church (Catholic, in the case of my country) managed to find a middle ground that supports both views without excluding one or the other.

It leaves me wondering why American Christians are so afraid of science or any free thinking, for that matter, and why are they so intolerant of everything non-Christian?