[senorprogrammer]

It seems the United States has managed to evolve the term "police state" into something new: in the traditional form the police are the enforcement arm of a political power. In the current United States, the police are seemingly beholden to no-one (I include district attorneys as part of that mechanism).

For lack of a better term, American police forces now operate largely 'extra-state'.

[findwise]

You could draw a parallel to a state overrun by terrorist groups, with a government that doesn't want to intervene for political reasons, and a public so terrorized out of its mind that it feels the safest thing to do is to not make eye contact.

[scottlocklin]

I think the term "banana republic" fits better.

[monsterix]

> public so terrorized out of its mind that it feels the safest thing to do is to not make eye contact.

My goodness! I shuddered to note that this is not only very true but also almost unstoppable at the moment. Unless a miracle of unity comes by, that brings people together.