All-powerful government; citizens living in fear

 Wang Jinxiang, mother of blind activist Chen Guangcheng, walks in the courtyard of her house where Chen was under house arrest, at the Dongshigu village, Shandong province, China. (Andy Wong, The Associated Press)
What is it like to live in a country where the government is all powerful? Even though Chen has been in New York with his wife and children for a couple of weeks now, the villagers are still afraid to talk about his imprisonment in his own house. The Denver Post has this story and photo of his mother. outside the house where he was brutally confined, because he exposed the horrors of that nation's forced abortions and other brutal procedures. http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_20817484/blind-chinese-activists-village-scared-talk-about-him