What are you afraid of?

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. — C.S. Lewis

Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters. — Daniel Webster

"Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the Government's purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evilminded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding."
— Justice Louis D. Brandeis dissenting, Olmstead v. United States

Of course the people don't want war... That is understood. But... it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country. — Hermann Goering at the Nuremberg trials, 1946 from Nuremberg Diary, by G. M. Gilbert.

Every collectivist revolution rides in on a Trojan horse of "emergency". It was the tactic of Lenin, Hitler, and Mussolini. In the collectivist sweep over a dozen minor countries of Europe, it was the cry of men striving to get on horseback. And "emergency" became the justification of the subsequent steps. This technique of creating emergency is the greatest achievement that demagoguery attains. — Herbert Hoover.

Specifically Spiders from Mars.

I'd be curious to see reactions to that last quote. But over all the problem is that sometimes there are real problems and threats that we as a society need to fight against (like say Hitler. Or Dennis Miller.) And other times there are threats that are exagerrated to bring the society to line (like say, the War on Terror).

It's hard distingushing between the two, sometimes, particularly when the threat is exagerrated by not non-existent.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

No doubt about that. Our Founders well knew though there was always a shade of repression in every government action. While I agree it is often difficult to tell the difference between genuine concern for the People and a merely repressive act, that could be because there is always a percentage of each in every political chess move. If the government can manipulate the People's fear, it will. The question is, how is it doing so now?

luckily, they're shy...:rofl:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061003/ap_on_sc/brown_widow

TC

If we don't stop it there will be a world war pitting the Christian fascists against everyone else in the world. We will be forced to take a side or perish. I will choose to perish.

It's getting to be that time of year again.

they do so much damage
they prevent so much good
they limit choice, even take away choice altogether
they start wars
they kill
they wound the spirit and the mind
they hang like shadows over families and countries...stifling the life out of everything they touch
they eat away at people
they eat away at nations
they haunt
they imprison


My cautionary fear is borne from knowing the power of lies

Any suggestions?

full of people who respect the Constitution.
Quite a few don't

Maybe making lies by public servants punishable by being tossed from office the first time..any breach of trust that stems from misuse of public office...to include campaign promises. Don't make'em if you can't keep'em. You don't get to fall back on the lame excuse that that's just politics...then we can re-define what it means by saying "that's politics"....instead of it meaning campaign lies to get elected, backroom deals, bribes by lobbyist and telling lies about policy and law..telling lies about your oppoenent....maybe we can get it to mean...honesty, integrity, ethical behavior


I know, I know...

who would run then? LMAO

Maybe a honest person?

Dare to dream

The plan would also be a great danger to free speech. Though we often hate the free speech we hear, that same free speech is also in many ways the sublimation of violence and revolutions. Most of our wars are with words. We talk about the issues and endure the politicians we hate because we know free speech just might prevail before the next election. That prevents a lot of murders and assassinations.

and what goes on in government is a case of that public servants free speech

but OK...

Demanding that politicians not lie doesn't hurt their free speech. Holding them accountable for lying does not hurt their free speech.

Bush's lies got us into Iraq. Were his lies just free speech?

Are Cheney's lies just free speech?

Are do you not agree that there are some lies, especially by those in public office, that should never be told?

Without outlawing some free speech? BushCo could say everything they say is their true and honest belief and not intentional lies. How could courts find them guilty of lying about that without treading on free speech? Provable perjury and obstruction of justice are a different story, and are already crimes.

of office for it.

If America is a government for the people, by the people and of the people - as it so likes to brag - then lying to the people is a severe breach of trust and it undermines the people's role in government. How can it be a government by the people when government is lying to the people?

I don't expect it ever could be implemented because I suspect government will always be corrupt because the corrupt are in government. That is not to say all people in government are corrupt...but too many are.

However, the more politicians lie, the more people turn a deaf ear. But then, maybe that's what they want.

I don't know how to make a politician honest. I don't adhere to the saying "power corrupts"...I think power attracts the corruptible. Which is not to say everyone in office is corruptible...just that too many were corrupted before they got there because it was already in their nature.


And I think it's time to change that dynamic...make it a pay-off to be a honest politician. Not just feel good lip service about the merits of honesty without practicing it...but actual honesty

Folks say Carter was a honest man , so he couldn't make it 2 terms. How sad is that? That people just accept that dishonesty is a plus for politicians...and if the voters think that way, is it any wonder the number of crooks in government?

And small rodents. And unenclosed heights.

Aka: The End Of The World As We Know It

Within the next 30 years there is a non-zero probability that a combination of oil depletion, climate change, global economic instability, topsoil depletion and fresh water depletion are going to intersect and amplify each other's effects, thereby causing a collapse of industrial civilization and sending the remaining 4 billion people tumbling back to the living conditions of the early 1800s with little hope of regaining our lost and fleeting glory.

If you're going to be afraid, be afraid of BIG stuff.