Can you define the characteristics of a communist dictatorship that are relevant here? Not the economic ones per se, but the ones that make you nervous about spying and media control.

putting minorities in concentration camps and state sanctioned ip theft are probably worth considering

So like, the way America did with the Japanese? And I support enforcement of borders, but the conditions for detention of illegal immigrants has drawn recent comparisons. Not as bad as communist countries, of course, but not much of a moral high ground either.

Ya, Japanese internment is _exactly_ why other countries are sceptical of this supposed American commitment to liberty.

The important thing to note is that America interned _American Citizens_ merely because they had Japanese ancestry. Just like America's habit of executing its own citizens (including juveniles) and torturing its own citizens, we can't have any faith in your country treating our own people well when it sees fit to teat its own people worse than dirt.

Britain interned German citizens in WW2 (but only a relatively small proportion of them). But Britain never even considered interning its own citizens for having German ancestors. What sort of message would that send?

> the way America did with the Japanese?

Yes, that way. Those are black marks on our history.

But we don’t censor them. We discuss them, teach them, in the hopes of reducing the chances of it happening again. That doesn’t happen in China.

In the U.S., we send them to private prisons instead and make them do free labor.

While I dont quite agree, this made me laugh...

Touche

To an extent this is true, except china has USA beat hands down still with the camps

...yes? do you think bad things should be ignored if your side did them also or something?

There's a pretty big difference between internment camps and literally keeping prisoners so you can harvest organs from them (without anaesthetic, often fatally) on demand, my dude. Not that America hasn't done a lot of bad stuff, but they definately do have a significant moral high ground over China.

Not doing as many bad things as the counterpart can not possible be "moral high ground". Rather lesser of two evils

Dictatorships need to control the population

I would mostly be worried about the kgb (the secret police). The disappearing in the middle of the night never to be seen again would make me nervous. The beatings or listening to phone calls or bugging of rooms were common.

I wouldn't want to challenge the government if I owned a media company because it will be taken away. Same with any business.

Ever have a business (store) be taken from you/your family and given to others who are more friendly with those in power? It happened to my grandfather in Hungry.

We'll I don't know about the US, but I imagine it would be pretty hard to make somebody "disappear" here in Australia. I imagine out independent media would help get the word out.

Although we do have the "Witness K" indecent here in Australia. The media can't tell us much of that, but we do know about it. Sort of.

Also, if you're a Prime Minister going for a swim...

A state that is not above its own law.

So generally, you feel that when the executive branch exceeds it's power or circumvents checks and balances, that those responsible are prosecuted?

No, just that there is such a concept as "exceeds its power" to the point that when they do, their decisions are not legally valid.

A governor/President cannot go and throw a bunch of journalists in jail. Even if he did, the courts would let them out again.

In a communist dictatorship, there is no power outside the executive.

An American tells a Russian that the United States is so free that he can stand in front of the White House and yell, “To hell with Ronald Reagan.” The Russian replies: “This is nothing. I can stand in front of the Kremlin and yell, ‘To hell with Ronald Reagan,’ too.