Police State USA: How Orwell's Nightmare is Becoming our Reality

I bought this book long before George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Daunte Wright were killed by cops. At the time of purchase, I didn't read it immediately----just added to my "reading pile". I wish I had read it sooner.The sad fact is, "good" cops turn a blind eye to the misdeeds of the bad actors in their ranks. Rights are kind of like muscles---"use them, or LOSE them". Until cop CULTURE changes, it is important to learn how to EFFECTIVELY resist the police state. For example, I don't consent to searches without a warrant. Even if you have nothing to hide, you won't get any Brownie points for consenting to a search. Cops will tear your home or car up in the search. They do NOT put things back into place---that's YOUR job, after the search."Police State USA" is not a complete education into resistance, but it is an excellent primer. It will outrage you, but if it motivates you to learn what your rights are, and to exercise them, you will be better off, and so will society. I'll be buying this book again. I was so impressed with it, that I donated my copy to the public library. I recommend it as required reading.

Cheryl Chumley does a good job of framing the contrast between the Founding Fathers' vision for America and how far modern-day America has deviated from it. She's a reporter, formerly for the Washington Times, and the book carries a journalistic tone. On many levels, America is in fact falling into an Orwellian abyss. Although Chumley qualifies her critique of law enforcement, as she understands the stress of their jobs, some of them do engage in aggressive civil forfeiture and hostile, illegal surveillance techniques that violate the basic liberty Americans are taught to expect. For me, the chapter that best lives up to the book's billing describes the unbelievably intrusive technology now used by law enforcement and government agencies like the CIA. Forget about innocent until proven guilty - these folks use analytics to target whoever they want in "pre-crime" style investigations. The effect of this violation of privacy divides the country between the watched and the watchers, yes, Big Brother is watching. As good as some of the chapters are, the book does miss on a few points. She spends a lot of time describing overly aggressive HOA's, for instance, and while I understand her logic, categorizing a wayward HOA as Orwellian is for me a bit of a reach. Still, she's right-on in her conclusion that the further we drift away from personal liberties the closer we come to a sort of virtual enslavement.

This book is indeed chock full of real life examples of things happening to people that are hard to believe could happen in this country. So, if you like the idea of having all of these accounts in one place, this is a great book. If you are already aware of what is going on, and you already keep up with these things, you might not want to spend $20 just to have it all in one book on your table. I was a bit disappointed that, although the back of the book says "In Police State USA, award-winning journalist and writer Cheryl K. Chumley covers a well-documented subject that is on the hearts and minds of the majority of Americans and provides a solution for stopping the madness," and, there is also this endorsement from Congressman Steve King, "Police State USA documents the severe damage done to chisel away at the pillars of American exceptionalism and helps us know how to restore our American dream," I was unable to find in the book where Cheryl Chumley "provides a solution for stopping the madness" or "helps us know how to restore our American dream," other than possibly the idea that "we need to compel our leaders to act responsibly and honestly and to serve with honor and regard for law" (last page of the book). But just how does one do that?

I am proud to say I am not politically correct.I read this book. Then reread it. Then bought the book and had it sent to my brother.It was filled with so much information that supported it with with facts, laws, The Constitution, bills, Executive orders I know this isn't fake news.I definitely recommend this book.

I was born in 1970, and I wondered if the problem of police brutality and lawlessness had gotten worse during my lifetime, or if we were just more aware of it now due to the ubiquitousness of citizens with motion cameras.This book helped me realize it has gotten worse. While technology allows us to share and verify the violations and overreach of law enforcement, technology is also being harnessed by law enforcement to violate fundamental human rights on a new scale. Combine that with a entire new "war," the war on terror, and we are on the losing side of this technology evolution.If you have already read "Rise of the Warrior Cop" I might skip this one.

The book is a fast read, and a good survey of the whole range of ways in which we are losing our constitutional liberteis at the hands of "authorities," often unelected ones. It is a good place to start for understanding each of the areas -- the militarization of the police, property seizures without any kind of legal procedure and trail, etc. This is not the best written book in the universe, but that is less important than the subject matter. I think high school sutdents could easily read and understand this book, and i would hope that young people are made aware of the topics it covers, as many of them do not have the memories we older folks retain of the days before the governments, federal, state, and local, went so badly out of control.

very interesting and informative

All good.

good

Excellent analysis of what was happening in the United States in the mid 2010s.