20 Signs America Is No Longer Free

America is no longer free..........it may be a bitter pill to swallow for some of you. Wake up and stop dreaming, I for one ended my American Dream long ago. Good post S+F.

Will you realize when electronic money is the only currency and they cut you off? or when you have a microchip in you? when America finally declares itself bankrupt? When martial law is in place? When you are no longer free to state your religion?, When your medical, religious and social institutions are being monitored and instructed by the government? When there is a sudden reduction in population and you realize you are being poisoned? When America finally invades Iran whilst backing Israel? When it is compulsory to carry out community service? When all communication media are shut down? When ATS is shut down? Will you believe?

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free" Ronald Reagan

4 - You should consider nothing you do on the Internet to be private. It is being reported that the Obama administration is now demanding access to all Internet records of all Americans without court review.

That's funny. This coming from a guy who absolutely refuses to provide proof that he was born in the U.S. That is precious.

For someone who is ridiculously secretive about his past, he is awful curious about us, the people. Who by the way SHOULD be the heart of the government. Freedom in America is a joke, I've known this for quite some time.

Lol and when was America "free"? Please, enlighten me. When African-Americans were being lynched in the streets for no reason? Or when only white males could vote?

reply to post by ofhumandescent


Corporate interests at work. Forget about the Government, they are caught
up in so much paperwork that they cant do ANYTHING right.

Whats happening now is that citizens are becoming more and more aware
of the fact that they are being ripped off and unrepresented more and more
every single day. These good imperfect people pay every single day in taxes.
Property Tax,Sales Tax,Income Tax, Death Tax,Auto Tax,Air Emissions Tax,
Registration Tax, Luxury Tax,Alcohol Tax,Tobacco Tax,Sin Tax, Point of service Taxes(I.E. Cell Phone ,Cable T.V. ,Internet,Etc.) The list goes on and on.

Who did you vote for? That's Great! But I have to inform you that "Policy
Never Changes" Well what the heck do you mean by that?

I will tell you. We are paying more taxes and receiving less representation
than our founding fathers ever could have dreamed of. At least they had the
nuts of steel to fight to say that they wouldn't make hay for England.
But now , your a complacent lot. The government is clueless to understand
that private business has sold you out , and there will be A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN REVENUE. So now the government is going to realize (somewhat after the fact), that they have been scammed by special interests. The special interests will move on to brighter pastures, and The
U.S. Govt. will go on taxing only to realize that the folks they are taxing so heavily are completely broke as all the manufacturing jobs have been sent
over seas. Good Luck taxing that income. And furthermore, the profiteers have
nestled away their tax free goodies in offshore accounts. In the meantime,
The Pentagon has spent 10 years searching for a 6'4" bearded man in a cave somewhere in in the mountains of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Chinese
are desperate to purchase The Redwood National Forest and quickly convert
it into Chopsticks. Comical isn't it? Right out of a Kurt Vonnegut paperback.
Unfortunately no one will be laughing any more when it becomes the law of
Club and Fang. It will truly be the "Call of the Wild" , and Rome WILL burn.

good thread
Personally though the illusion of American freedom was lost to me when i first moved away from the country, being able to see more from a distance kind of thing..these 20 reasons given are extremely unsettling, for the sake of family and loved ones still in the country i can only hope they 'wake up'..and fast so at least they have the advantage of knowing whats happening before it all really kicks off.. As others have said though in this thread, its the older generations in America that remember such a very different land than the generations of today know.. its all being disguised as progress...

I don't agree with the first one, I think somebody should be enforcing recyling, USA is the probably the most wasteful country in the world.

Even though growing up with it, Most Americans still don't understand the concept of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

I believe when you've abused something for so long, you lose your privilege to it.

[edit on 3-9-2010 by eLPresidente]

Live by the rules.

Follow the laws.

Obey the Government.

You are not Free.

Laws are prejudices.

Taxation is theft.

Lobbying is bribery.

Arrest is kidnapping.

Governments, police, army’s are ruthless gangs/criminals.

Schools are indoctrination camps.

This is how it looks from the outside looking in.

I feel trapped in my skin.

If i let you in, will you help me break free.

Do you see what i see, or is it just me?

reply to post by ofhumandescent
It is alarming how oppressive our government has become,More alarming still,is the tendency of the younger generations to accept the way things are,frequently parroting.."It's always been this way,and it will never change"...Bla bla bla......

I hear so many silly things said by people in their ignorant attempt to justify themselves,and the world they live in,statements which supposedly are proof of how "Free" they are.

-You cannot come and go however and whenever you please,think more deeply and it will be obvious.

-You watch whatever you want on TV or whatever,but are these things really what you need to see?,consider the cost,nothing is free.

-......

I'm through trying to explain,I am exposed to some of the most ignorant people I have ever met on a daily basis,and am just plain burnt out trying to figure out ways to enlighten them without swamping their canoe.

Freedom is free,if you have to pay through the nose to get it,it is nothing more than a privilege.

Purchased Privileges are not rights,and not freedom.

If a lot of you actually knew what freedom was,you would know you are not as free as you could be.....

reply to post by corruptedtesssa
You can see the impression people are conditioned to have of older people in the media,crazy eccentric old coots,old drunk guys,pesky old problem causing buttheads etc......

The reason becomes obvious,it is to influence people to disregard their accounts of a better time in the past as rantings from a crazy old person.

It is really too bad people are so easily influenced by those who have an agenda.

A definate S+F for this OP


I have been speculating on the alternate theory of America swapping places with the old Soviet Union in regards to the impact of ordinary people.

I also just saw today that 3 major banks in Russia are doing a trial of a "electronic economy" Social sercurity absorbed into your bank account so the banks have a bigger deposit to operate from.

So when all your finances are locked into a card......They have you where they want you :/

I really admire the old skool ats'r A lot of us are watered down with electronic attention wasters (xbox facebook etc) But the old skooler didn't have that nor does it interest them and it gives them more valuable time to concentrate on the important things.

Old skoolers I salute you

reply to post by Reign02


I don't know, Reign. I don't think we are technically free. We have so many limitations imposed on us and many people don’t even realize it. We can come and go as we please, but we can’t go everywhere. Most times we can only go where our money can take us and even then there are restricted areas. We watch whatever is on television and that is controlled by whoever is controlling the media. Basically everything you mentioned is controlled by someone who allows us to see, hear, eat, do whatever they want us to do.
Its like kids being let loose on a playground. Yes, you can play on anything that is out there, but whoever built the playground put whatever THEY want us to play on. Weird analogy, but I’m sure you get it.

If you think you live in a free country, quit paying the property tax on your home and see what happens.

You cannot have freedom without property ownership. You do not own your property if it can be taken from you for not paying your *duty* to the government.

Although I have been lurking on these forums for nearly two months now, I haven't been motivated to actually sign up for a forum account until today. I almost did it when I saw the thread that blamed the Jews for 9/11, and not the actual terrorists, but I decided not to.

I don't mean any disrespect, but could you please give one shred of evidence to support any of these seemingly outlandish claims of conspiracy? Some, like the example about cameras everywhere, are obviously invasions of privacy (even if they poorly support your argument) but you haven't offered any actual proof that the government even uses the footage.

I appreciate your age, and the knowledge that comes with the years. I'm only 20 years old, so I will conceed that you have more life experience as well as the wisdom that grows with the passage of time, so you MAY be on to something, but I'd just like some solid proof.

When reading this thread, it is important that the reader understands the relationship between freedom and order. True freedom can only be attained by living outside the constraints of a society; but would any of us honestly wish for a life like that? Call me a sheep, but I'm fully content to live in America right now because I enjoy the safety of an organized and successful society that doesn't violate my human rights. Yes it is a close minded view, yes I should care about the people being screwed over by the system, and yes I should actively question my government but NO I don't see any reason to worry about my freedom.

[edit on 3-9-2010 by Erase]

Originally posted by ANOK

Originally posted by ofhumandescent
The United States was able to defeat Nazi Germany and helped bring down the USSR...

Shouldn't that say, 'The United States helped to defeat Nazi Germany and helped bring down the USSR...'

As a Brit, who's relatives were fighting, and being bombed by in their homes, the Nazi's well before the US took any notice, I find that a little annoying. 'We' beat the Nazi's in 1940 in a little thing called the Battle of Britain. When did you show up?

Sorry for the off-topic but little re-writes of history like that are annoying.

[edit on 9/2/2010 by ANOK]

You're correct on all counts, but the Battle of Britain had almost nothing to do with Hitler's defeat.

This ONE word bothers me. "Technically"

Several times in this thread I've seen people say "Well, we are 'technically' free..."

The fact that you have to put a disclaimer on your personal brand of freedom should offend you to your very core. What the hell is wrong with you?

A half-truth is a whole lie. It's that simple. You ARE free, there's no technicality to it. You have the right to vote. For now.

Even a blind man can see what's coming. Both sides of the aisle know that Gov is growing, snipping a bit of one of your Rights here, redefining this other one HERE.

The Constitution and Bill of Rights. I'm not exactly a fundamentalist. I beleive new laws are necessary to adapt to changing situations, technologies, and the business of life in general, that the Founders had never thought of. Imagine what kind of laws they'd put into effect if they were here today and had a good grasp on some of TODAYS tech. Back then, you had to sail to another country. They didn't really consider that an entire country's population would be willing to simply walk across the border. Airplanes and helos weren't invented yet. Border security wasn't exactly an issue.

But what they DID do, was lay down what they beleived to be the basic rights of man. They are the ones who established our government based on those rights.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

a. Part of the Christian faith is to witness to others. Denying them that right is a violation of this First Amendment right. Simply one example. By passing a law stating that you cannot place a cross or a bible in a courthouse they have made a law that prohibits the free exercise of religion. They have made a law respecting AN establishment of religion. That one word most people miss. AN... not THE. It has nothing to do with government backing a religion. It has to do with government not having the ability to inflict damage on any religion.

b. Abridging the freedom of speech, press, the right to assemble. To assemble you need a permit. I would say a permit abridges that right, because it can be denied. It also puts limitations on the assembly and sets rules and boundaries and states what is allowed. That is curtailing the right to assemble. By denying the press access to documents, even Top Secret ones, there is a failure to allow the freedom of the press to be utilized. And you actually do have the right to say what you want. Whenever you want, wherever you want. But you can be arrested for it.

This is only the first Amendment. The Constitution was plainly written and an idiot could understand it. Yet there are violations of this fundamental structure at every turn in American society. The ONLY reason this has happened is because it's been allowed to happen.

The population of the US has grown so that the current governmental system has become stagnant. There's simply no way for any politician to address the concerns of each of his or her constituents because there are too damn many. You vote. Your vote actually does count. Use it wisely.

And last. TO the people that have started questioning why you pay taxes: Back in the days of old, say... 200 years ago... taxes were the reason this country decided to fight for it's independence. That is why we have our No Taxes Without Representation. The government does not control your life. If you kill someone, you pay the price for it. If you TRY to, you pay the price. The price of justice actually does have a dollar amount affixed. Court costs, the salaries of the bailiff, the judge, the clerk, the transcriptionist, the lease for the building, the utilities bills, property loans, etc.... while the Gov might get a discount, it still has to be paid. Law Enforcement have to have vehicles, weapons, uniforms, training, and legal protection from those who would take advantage of a flawed system. But our courts cover both sides of that issue. The Gov pays for the prosecution as it is the one prosecuting. Half the time, it also pays for the defense in the form of a public defender. This is just in the case of a single crime and criminal. There are hundreds of thousands of these going on a day. Add to that the military that keeps us reasonably safe. (Think about what life was like 200 years ago. Everyone was warring for territory. Now realize that is what is STILL happening in Israel, Ireland, and Mexico...) Do you really think that our territory isn't desired by at least ONE other country that would be willing to kill for it? Go ahead and disassemble our military. Leave the borders defenseless and see what happens, compadre. There are a billion things that we pay for. That is what your taxes go towards. Instead of thinking your $110.12 goes to a legal defense for a murderer, think of it going towards a government rec center for underprivelaged youth. You may not like all of what our taxes pay, but you do like some of it or you wouldn't be paying it.

This was a long post designed to end with a single question. You feel as if your freedoms are being systematically stripped away. That the Constitution is being relegated to the dustbin of history. That things have gone too far to return. You might be right. But you might not be. These are the results of a system that has become flawed, corrupt and/or twisted.

How would you fix it?

america is a myth based on lies.
the new NSA building is 6,300,000 sq.ft.-112 acres of parking.
the guard towers replaced by satellites.
harsh punishment and torture for those who rebel.
the SS number issued at birth, taxed and worked till death.
perpetual war around the globe as the carcass
of der homeland is picked clean by vultures.

reply to post by ofhumandescent

Haven't read the whole thread yet but I think we are seeing a bit of a 'generation gap' here. The older folks among us remember what freedom really is, the younger ones are more readily accepting to all these needed 'evils'.

For what it might be worth -
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. (attributed to Ben Franklin)

reply to post by chiponbothshoulders


I hear you chip, I hear you.

Taking that red bill was a twitch wasn't it.

Sometimes, trying to wake up the masses makes one feel like a hamster running on a wheel, you're running, running, running and getting nowhere.

But, you, me and many of the other enlightened people here on ATS are seeding others and that's the important thing.

I've had people u2u me lately and tell me, ya know a couple years back I thought you were a luny toon with some of your posts - and now I can see you were right.

Many young people don't realize how things use to be just 30-40 years ago.

In 1970 I was 17 and in highschool. We had to read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell. These were classified as science fiction. These books really shaped how I perceive our world. I suggest any folks out there that haven't read these books to pick up a cheap used copy. Excellent books.

Back then, I thought, jeeeez this could never happen. Ms. Wright, our English teacher said it could and would if we were not diligent in safeguarding our freedoms.

Well, 1984 is here in our Brave New World.

Cameras on every street corner and in every building, body scanners that reduce you to the level of cattle, cell phones that while most people think communication can also be used to track the person.

And Security fences along our border...........fences can work both ways to keep unwanted people out but also to imprison those within.

Many people come to ATS because they feel something is up, they just don't know what.

There are many many layers to this issue and the rabbit hole is long and twisted.

TPTB are crafty, they know better than to strip our freedoms away all at once, that would cause a revolution.

So, it's being done quietly, well orchestrated, just a little at a time by using the fear factor, all in the name of "National Security".

I can see what is happening, now I am researching as to who the real puppet masters are. TPTB that are really pulling the strings.

Our president, Congress, Senate, Parlament - they are just the PR people -the puppets.

The ones that are operating these puppets are the true enemy, but they are cowards - they remain hidden in the shadows, nameless and faceless for now.

[edit on 3-9-2010 by ofhumandescent]

"the "young ones" you can't remember a different time. Possibly the way things are now is all you can remember. Things use to be drastically different.

We are truely living in the beginnings of a Fascist Police State.

It began November 23, 1963 with the (wink) swearing in of Lyndon B. Johnson. "

I'm 62 and at 20 I never thought I would see what I am seeing today. I'm glad there re no "white's only" drinking fountains but all that has been replaced by draconian forfeiture laws, no-knock warrants, police running amuck everywhere and an erosion in the very civil liberties we demonstrated and fought for. We are not in the beginnings of a fascist state. The election of obama simply brought into the open the reality we all have been trying to ignore. Young people have other frame of reference and think this is all normal. Our black population in general (something like 85% still support obama) in their support of a black man for president have agreed that we all need to (figuratively) ride in the back of the bus. It began well before LBJ. Now the tools are much more sophisticated and have slowly extended into every facet of our life. In 1943 the supreme court ruled that a farmer could not grow feed for his own cattle even if he didn't sell it across state lines. That marked the beginning of the federalization of what were formerly state prerogatives. We have long ago lost the constitution. The civil war finally extended constitutional rights to all citizens and the 1964 civil rights act was needed to finalize that. In that same time we have seen various presidents, from Lincoln to bush to obama jail opponents and/or attempt to suppress dissent by various means. The tools of a complete police state are in place. It's only a matter of time.

reply to post by Erase


You make a lot of good points.

When people complain about their 'lack of freedoms' they often forget that the citizens are the ones that put the stipulations on what those freedoms are. Blaming the government is a cop out. They can only do what we allow them to do. If anything, I would argue that the 'lack of freedoms' is more due to an increase in apathy amongst the citizen than a freedom restricting government. They are merely responding to the will of the people.

If the people want to feel safe, then you better believe that cameras will be installed, passports will be required, laws will be written, wiretaps will be done, body scanners will be in place, and on and on ad nauseum until people stop and say, "ok, I think I feel safe enough"
Until that point, if there's anyone to blame, look at your fellow man.