Marina, I’d take some exception to the “no repression” argument. Granted, it’s not in your face repression, but warrantless wiretapping and warrantless searches can lead to intimidation of thought. Feminist Naomi Wolf, in fact, is wondering why she is on the terror watch list and describes her experience as follows:
“I’m on the Transportation Security Administration’s watch list. The watch list is being used for political purposes … It is very intimidating to be taken aside and be given a special screening by the state when I travel. When I went up to Vermont to copy-edit this book … I opened my case, and there was a letter from the Transport Security Administration in my suitcase. We are living in a surveillance society now. It’s time to sound the alarm.”
Furthermore:
“We are facing the situation where the White House has threatened to use the espionage act against journalists, against The New York Times. This is not rhetoric. We are in a major emergency.”
The Valerie Plame case is another good example.
Another good example is a video that chris6137 posted a while back that showed Rove’s team was targeting minority voters who were deployed overseas. The would send letters to verify their addresses and use the “return undeliverable” response as justification to render them ineligible to vote in direct violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I’m sorry I don’t have the video, but here is an article describing the same.
I don’t think intimidation of thought is alien to American history. McCarthyism is an example. I’m sure others could name more.