[mmooss]

> It's why we flirt with/fall face first into authoritarianism every few decades.

Did the US or any advanced democracy "flirt with/fall face first into authoritarianism" a few decades ago?

[rootsudo]

yes, better dead then red scare and Mccartyism that faded during nixon-regan into more capitalistic freedom when the USSR failed and there was opportunity around the world.

[moate]

We created an extrajudicial prison outside of our borders to house "prisoners too dangerous for the normal court system", created an entirely new surveillance police force, and expanded FISA in response to 9/11.

So if that's not asking authoritarianism if they'd like to go out for drinks, we have very VERY different views on freedom.

Also, I really don't care about other "advanced democracies", we're talking about America and it's not really relevant to my points.

[mmooss]

I'm not talking about now. You said "every few decades" - when has it happened before?

I think "every few decades" normalizes what is a unique situation in US history.

> I really don't care about other "advanced democracies", we're talking about America

You probably need to specify that on HN; you could be writing from anywhere about anywhere.

[pjc50]

9/11 was an incredible shift in attitude.