05-28-2015, 03:47 PM
I'm not surprised. I think many of us in the US don't see ourselves as some people in other countries do.
One of the most developed and powerful countries in the world, the U.S. has by far the largest percentage of its population incarcerated. That's a problem.
Violent crime continues to decrease in the U.S. and yet the incarceration percentage remains steady. To me, that's indicative of too many people being jailed for laws that make what legislators consider immoral or self-harming behavior a "crime". Plus, there is financial incentive based on number of arrests and filling prison cells. On top of that, police investigate themselves when brutality is alleged which is a real conflict of interest. And so on... Our justice system needs reform, no doubt in my mind.
Fortunately, the American public has more exposure to the problems these days and more people are protesting and pushing for change. Some high profile politicians appear to now be listening and responding.
As for the privacy issues, well, I don't feel as negatively about that as some others do because I accept the increased monitoring in return for what I believe is better national security, and I believe that domestic terrorists are a real threat on our soil. But, I understand why many don't share my view when it comes to that trade-off.
As for the torture of political prisoners by the CIA, I think it's criminal and have yet to see any evidence or claim that such practices resulted in a benefit.
Having said all of that, I think many of the countries contributing to the Human Rights Report Card have similar and worse policies in regards to human rights overall. Also, it's difficult to assess something accurately when the evaluation is made from a far figurative distance. In any case, I love this country, but there's a lot of room for improvement on many fronts and I think we are sometimes hypocritical when assessing other countries as well.
One of the most developed and powerful countries in the world, the U.S. has by far the largest percentage of its population incarcerated. That's a problem.
Violent crime continues to decrease in the U.S. and yet the incarceration percentage remains steady. To me, that's indicative of too many people being jailed for laws that make what legislators consider immoral or self-harming behavior a "crime". Plus, there is financial incentive based on number of arrests and filling prison cells. On top of that, police investigate themselves when brutality is alleged which is a real conflict of interest. And so on... Our justice system needs reform, no doubt in my mind.
Fortunately, the American public has more exposure to the problems these days and more people are protesting and pushing for change. Some high profile politicians appear to now be listening and responding.
As for the privacy issues, well, I don't feel as negatively about that as some others do because I accept the increased monitoring in return for what I believe is better national security, and I believe that domestic terrorists are a real threat on our soil. But, I understand why many don't share my view when it comes to that trade-off.
As for the torture of political prisoners by the CIA, I think it's criminal and have yet to see any evidence or claim that such practices resulted in a benefit.
Having said all of that, I think many of the countries contributing to the Human Rights Report Card have similar and worse policies in regards to human rights overall. Also, it's difficult to assess something accurately when the evaluation is made from a far figurative distance. In any case, I love this country, but there's a lot of room for improvement on many fronts and I think we are sometimes hypocritical when assessing other countries as well.