That's still somewhat true. We may criticise our society in this forum and not be arrested by thugs. That should be evidence enough that for 80 years since the last world war we've maintained an alliance of ideals that were worth fighting for. Indeed, it's why we have concepts like "national security", although the common meaning of that has been perverted and its reputation dragged into the mud.
Our more subtle problem is the supposed perimeters are no longer clear. We have fascists amongst us on our own soil. They are well ensconced in both government and private enterprise. Globalism and the Internet allowed the spread of authoritarianism which has taken root "at home", sadly much assisted by the technology we've built.
I think it's cynical and does us a disservice if you suggest that every company who disagrees with what the government wants has their CEO thrown in jail. When bullied, providers like Lavabit, TrueCrypt and others chose to shut down their companies and tell everybody why rather than collude in fascism. Much as I dislike Apple (because they are duplicitous) they also put on a show of principles. They may even sincerely believe that "protecting" their customers is a core value.
80 years ago people chose to make the "ultimate sacrifice" by giving their lives. Today the ultimate sacrifice is to forgo money. Qwest folded because they were weak on fascism and put money first, but they are not the only example to hold up. There are more important things than money in this world.