For the record, daveman...I don't support Communism or experiments in US (capitalism's) authoritarianism like the Patriot Act. You seem to be implying that an absence of political prisoners ensures the lack of an authoritarian power structure.
If your definition of "authoritarian" includes absolute obedience to the pecking order found in a hierarchical, top-down private tyranny, US corporations would seem to qualify.
Not to mention elements of the USAF.
You may also be incorrect when you claim the US has no political prisoner.
Lt. Colonel Richard Taus would likely claim otherwise:
"Former FBI Special Agent Richard Taus, a Lt. Col. in National Guard, highly decorated Vietnam Helicopter Pilot.
"Taus worked under FBI Supervisory Agent Lindley DeVecchio in the New York office, and found himself being pulled off investigations that (a) focused on criminal activities of the CIA, including a part of
Oliver North's Enterprise; the secret funding and arming of Iraq during the Reagan-Bush administrations, and other crimes.
"When FBI supervisors, including DeVecchio repeatedly blocked reporting of these criminal activities,
Taus reported the matters to several members of Congresswho, as usual, covered up for the matters.
"Immediately thereafter FBI officials fabricated charges against Taus and he was arrested.
"State prosecutors then took over, charged him with other offenses, and Taus was sentenced to
80 years in prison.
"His imprisonment protected the corrupt activities of White House officials and the CIA.
"Also, murders perpetrated by the New York Mafia."
Political Prisoners...
Whatever the full accounting of Richard Taus's case would reveal, I hope you aren't naive enough to believe an Empire as corrupt as the USA could come into being or long survive without political prisoners.
And worse.
