[geekifier]

> as non-US, I would always choose such a wonderful and welcoming country and great people over police state of US these days

The US certainly has many issues, but I find calling it a "Police State", while praising the Islamic Republic of Iran in the same sentence quite ironic.

[njharman]

Then educate thyself. Besides all the anedotal evidence of police militirazation, violence, the USA has THE largest prison population in the world and almost the highest % of population in prison, #2 (after seychelles) with 693 per 100k. Iran is way down list at #37 with 287.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_incarcera...

Also, the way Iran is today (i.e. not the progressive democratic country it was) is due to the UK/USA replacing elected government with a religious autocrat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9ta...

[mason240]

I suppose if the US simply executed criminals at the rate Iran does, we would have a lower population as well.

We could also lower the number of people incarnated if we had public lashings instead, as Iran does.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Iran

[dmix]

> We could also lower the number of people incarnated if we had public lashings instead, as Iran does.

And hanging people from cranes in public squares...

[WilliamDhalgren]

> The US certainly has many issues, but I find calling it a "Police State", while praising the Islamic Republic of Iran in the same sentence quite ironic.

you mean, praising it as a tourist destination? How's that even controversial? Iran is an absolutely enchanting place to visit.

Now, agreed that calling the US a "police state .. these days" is still quite an exaggeration, but notice the context - the absolutely shocking, police-state-like US visa policy, mentioned in the prior sentence!

You only have to weaken the premise a bit to make it a perfectly sensible claim (and perhaps a bit of rethorical hyperbole is excusable?) : If the authoritarian behavior of the US government forces one to chose between visiting a place as beautiful as Iran, and visiting the US, surely that's an easy choice!

[wavefunction]

Heavily militarized SWAT vs mongrel basijis. Sadly few are truly free from the heavy hand of authoritarianism.