not about the demonstrations - because where I live right now the average unruly soccerfan produces more damage and more confusion, than what I saw in all these videos. - And not about the Police - because you guys should see the French or Italian Police in action, when they break up 'peaceful demonstration'. And I have walked in demonstration and I never quite understood the brain dead reactionaries who complained about the 'upheavel of asozial elements' and the brain dead reaction on the other side - where policeman where 'pigs' and 'the Fascist State showed its ugly face' -

But now I get it - you put on a wonderful show - if I only would be Mel Brooks I could

get a musical out of it.

There would be all my friends on the left side singing 'Police state' – 'Police state' and on the right there would be some elephants stomping their feet and a guy named plate shows up and even a very reasonable writer like RMP - who just had complained about all the doomsdaysayers feels the need to protect the 'left' against somebody who is also on the 'left' or perhaps not or a 'provocateur' or (fill in whatever you want) ! And there is ondolette,

who doesn't know at all what i am talking about - just back from her trip to a real Police State and telling the folks at home its okay to use the ‘Police state vocabulary’ because ‘its better to rouse the populace early than late’ – and I flabbergasted and amazed because ialways thought my side was so much smarter than the other one -

is very confused now - Hey! Amy is one of 'ours' - you mixed up the blog - you have to go to a block on the wrong (right) side - and then you can come back again saying good things about Amy.

i started out making fun of older guys like you and now i end up quoting you with all my heart -

'I had considered myself a member of this "community" a long time after Glenn moved to Salon. Perhaps I choose to remain more distant than some as that is my nature. And it enable me to keep my objectivity and see things like this exchange with you (and these people I used to think I knew) more clearly. These people, many of whom probably considered me a fool - have finally jumped the shark. It has been interesting, if not somewhat sad, to watch it happen. To watch them become more and more like the very people they now openly hate has been a little unsettling. I think I've seen enough but like any slow motion train wreck, I may be tempted to keep watching it unfold.

Nietzsche hopefully never is right.

and perhaps they will someday understand by fighting monsters, you do everything not to become a monster.”

You don't read very carefully, do you because it is very hard for me to believe, that if you've seen Europe, you've seen it all - I had to live in the US (gladly) in Australia (with a lot of joy) and in Egypt (not to bad either) - and that’s why I am very careful with ‘attributes’ like ‘Police State’ or ‘Fascism’ - because you never know who you are talking to - and there are people in these countries - especially in my homeland America - where people might take offense and think you are an ignorant or arrogant foreigner – because its such a small world.

and we should end this conversation because i seem to be the wrong person to talk to you -

perhaps you should talk to the poster who wrote:

To those comparing this to the Olympics in China, etc., all I can say is that you have no clue what you are talking about. I lived in China for 5 years, and while some of these police tactics (and the media) are reminiscent of some tactics used by the Chinese police (and media), the comparison breaks down quickly.

The protesters arrested in St. Paul will not be in a labor camp for the next two years where they would be tortured on a daily basis -- and Glenn and the others who have put videos of these events online would be joining them. That is not quite the same as being arrested for a few hours because a cop told you not to cross some imaginary line and you didn't listen.

I am not trying to minimize the seriousness of what the police/FBI are doing here -- much of it is deplorable -- but get a little perspective.

Because if you don't get a little perspective you might find yourself one day in a crowd of international students in Germany and you will say : America is a Police State, America is a Police State and these kids might start laughing and you sound like somebody who wants to be taken seriously - Right -