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Quote of the Day: Silencing the Opposition
“Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.” – Harry S. Truman
There is not much I can add to that. Harry S. pretty much nailed it. Other than to note, he was a Democrat, which shows how much the Democrats have gone down the path of Fascism since 1972. (Yes, the big shift started after McGovern’s loss, when the socialist wing of the Democrats captured the party machinery and chased out first the anti-Communists and eventually everyone to the right of Henry Wallace.)
The question now is how far will our government go down the path of increasingly repressive measures? I will leave that as an exercise for the reader. I will note that unless they become willing to resort to wholesale slaughter, once passive resistance to the government begins in earnest it will be increasingly difficult for them to maintain control. Unless they and until they repeal or neuter the Second Amendment. Even then, it will take a generation. We will see what happens.
Published in Group Writing
Evil preaches tolerance until it is dominant, then it tries to silence good. Tolerance is not a Christian value. Charity, justice, mercy, prudence, honesty–these are Christian values.
Bp Charles Chaput
All the way, unless they are stopped.
What I find really disturbing is how self-righteous the silencers have become. They aren’t even pretending to be fair.
Of course Harry also called his GOP opponents Fascist.
I do agree with the sentiment
What is alignment of big government with big business against the people? Maybe Harry knew some of the predecessors to our GOPe.
Absolutely outstanding post.
Thanks!
Good analysis.
When your politics are no longer a matter of policy preferences for the uses of limited government and instead become ontological truths that comprise the meaning of your existence, why would you permit much less entertain divergent views?
Indeed, it is in everyone’s interest to prevent people from speaking things they have no business thinking in the first place.