When did America become the Land of the Imprisoned and Home of the Cowardly?

This used to be a country where your personal beliefs were allowed, as a matter of law. You were supposed to be hired based on your credentials and qualifications, and not be refused the job because you were either female, a minority, or of a different religious or political persuasion.

Today, K-Street mandates all lobbyists hire only Republican staff - hire a Democrat and you won’t get anything done in Washington. Religious leaders are using the pulpit to dictate god’s desire you vote only Republican, as your soul will burn in hell if you support Democrats.

If the T-shirt you are wearing states an opposing view concerning this administration, you are ejected from whatever venue (or airplane) you are at/on. Even the Pentagon’s alleged march for freedom was completely free of freedom, from having to register and provide personal identifying information to be allowed to participate, to the erection of a ten foot barricade along the parade route, an area that is normally free for all to walk through, in, or about.

Instead of exercising your free right NOT to watch any particular television show that offends your sensibilities, people now demand their "right" to dictate what everyone else should be allowed to view over the airwaves, because of the offended sensibilities.

The government has finally won the right to imprison someone without ever having to charge them with a crime, and hold them indefinitely under the newly created term "enemy combatant." And, the government can secretly invade your personal residence and look around, and never have to tell you they were there. One by one, they toss out our rights ... say good-bye to the Fourth Amendment.

When did America become the Land of the Imprisoned and Home of the Cowardly?