« The Longest March | Main | Rimshot »
December 11, 2013
“Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny.
When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, “This you may not read, this you must not know,” the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man who has been hoodwinked in this fashion; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, whose mind is free. No, not the rack nor the atomic bomb, not anything. You can’t conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.”- Robert Heinlein
Posted by gerardvanderleun at December 11, 2013 1:24 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
Montesquieu argued that the public characteristic which is most needed to maintain a tyranny is fear. The people must live in fear; but ignorance and secrecy have to come in a close second.
For a monarchy he said it was honor, and for democracy? Virtue.
Lose this primary characteristic and it all fails.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at December 11, 2013 1:48 PM
Somewhere along the way the employer (citizens) and the employees (gov't) reversed roles and the only way to reverse that is to fire the employees (gov't). Once an employee has tasted the life as employer he will only relinquish it upon death.
Unfortunately, the US is now overrun with children in adult costumes that are terrified of performing the tasks of the employer.
Posted by: ghostsniper at December 11, 2013 7:19 PM