Slippery Slope to Tyranny BY Thomas Sowell

[JG55]

Is U.S. Now On Slippery Slope To Tyranny?

By THOMAS SOWELL Posted 06/21/2010 06:13 PM ET

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When Adolf Hitler was building up the Nazi movement in the 1920s, leading up to his taking power in the 1930s, he deliberately sought to activate people who did not normally pay much attention to politics.

Such people were a valuable addition to his political base, since they were particularly susceptible to Hitler's rhetoric and had far less basis for questioning his assumptions or his conclusions.

"Useful idiots" was the term supposedly coined by V.I. Lenin to describe similarly unthinking supporters of his dictatorship in the Soviet Union.

Put differently, a democracy needs informed citizens if it is to thrive, or ultimately even survive.

In our times, American democracy is being dismantled, piece by piece, before our very eyes by the current administration in Washington, and few people seem to be concerned about it.

The president's poll numbers are going down because increasing numbers of people disagree with particular policies of his, but the damage being done to the fundamental structure of this nation goes far beyond particular counterproductive policies.

Just where in the Constitution of the United States does it say that a president has the authority to extract vast sums of money from a private enterprise and distribute it as he sees fit to whomever he deems worthy of compensation? Nowhere.

And yet that is precisely what is happening with a $20 billion fund to be provided by BP to compensate people harmed by their oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Many among the public and in the media may think that the issue is simply whether BP's oil spill has damaged many people, who ought to be compensated.

But our government is supposed to be "a government of laws and not of men."

If our laws and our institutions determine that BP ought to pay $20 billion — or $50 billion or $100 billion — then so be it.

But the Constitution says that private property is not to be confiscated by the government without "due process of law."

Technically, it has not been confiscated by Barack Obama, but that is a distinction without a difference.

With vastly expanded powers of government available at the discretion of politicians and bureaucrats, private individuals and organizations can be forced into accepting the imposition of powers that were never granted to the government by the Constitution.

If you believe that the end justifies the means, then you don't believe in constitutional government.

[JG55]

Is The United States In a “Low Grade” Civil War?

Posted by GayPatriot at 11:17 am - August 21, 2009.

Filed under: 111th Congress, American History, Arrogance of the Liberal Elites, Conservative Ideas, Constitutional Issues, Identity Politics, Illegal Immigration, Liberal Hypocrisy, Liberal Intolerance, Liberalism Run Amok, Media Bias, National Politics, New American Tea Party, Patriotism, Post 9-11 America

It is a chilling question and one that has been troubling me for about two weeks. I read the “low grade civil war” phrase as a declarative statement from a commenter on a news story about the Congressional Town Hall meetings and it has been rattling in my brain ever since.

I’ve been wanting to post about this question and today seemed like the right time since now I’m not the only one worried about this question. In today’s Washington Times, actor/activist Jon Voight makes this statement:

“There’s a real question at stake now. Is

President Obama

creating a civil war in our own country?” Mr. Voight tells Inside the Beltway.

“We are witnessing a slow, steady takeover of our true freedoms. We are becoming a socialist nation, and whoever can’t see this is probably hoping it isn’t true. If we permit Mr. Obama to take over all our industries, if we permit him to raise our taxes to support unconstitutional causes, then we will be in default. This great America will become a paralyzed nation.”

“Do not let the Obama administration fool you with all their cunning Alinsky methods. And if you don’t know what that method is, I implore you to get the book ‘Rules for Radicals,’ by

Saul Alinsky

. Mr. Obama is very well trained in these methods.”

Now this is old news to anyone who really studied Obama’s past. And I’m not as concerned about this kind of argument, nor the “birthers” distraction.

Here are my real fears about the United States heading into a civil war:

1. There is a clear distinction between those who want a more authoritarian/socialist nation versus those who want to preserve the capitalist/democratic America we live in.
   
2. There is a clear distinction between those who understand the principles and guidance and importance of the representative legislative process versus those who hide behind the Constitution as an excuse to create laws from the bench.
   
3. There is a clear distinction between those who favor strong national security vs. those who want a borderless, global government.
   
4. There is a clear distinction between those who hold US Constitutional principles dear (1st, 2nd, 10th Amendments in particular) and those who are ignorant or want to subvert those principles.
   
5. There is a clear distinction between those who want to maintain a sensible fiscal policy versus those statists in Washington who spend our tax money with reckless abandon.
   
6. There is a clear distinction between those who see themselves as Americans first versus those who want to segregate themselves into communities and ignore the national identity.
   
7. Despite his promises, surveys show that Americans have elected one of the most divisive Presidents since Richard Nixon.
   

These are serious issues that fundamentally challenge the formation of the Republic itself. Don’t buy into the childish arguments that every criticism of the Federal Government is based in racism. That is ignorant and simple-minded talk.

I hope I am wrong, but my perspective has been reinforced by my reading of a 1997 book called “The Fourth Turning”. I’ll do a review later, but needless to say — it is a chilling book that talks about unmovable historical cycles. We are in The Crisis period now, according to the authors.

I’m anxious for a vigorous and respectful discussion on my question posed here. No Americans in 1773 knew there would be a Revolution; no Americans in 1857 knew there would be a bloody Civil War; no Americans in 1928 knew there would be a global Depression and a 2nd global war.

[oldogy]

Dr. Sowell is right on target, as usual.

oldogy

Edited June 22, 2010 by oldogy

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I'm glad you posted this. I saw it on Drudge and started to last night. Great article.

Sowell always hits it out of the park. Now, if people only will pay attention.

He tried to debate the "Cloward and Pivins" Beck talked about a while back in the 70's

I think, and was one of the early people to expose the communist revolutionaries

of the 60's. No one payed much attention, then. I don't expect much change, now.

Too many people have blind eyes. Thank you Dr. Sowell for trying, anyway.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I didn't even realize the link you found that content. I somehow knew not all

gays were liberals. Another good post.

[Ebow1]

Chilling and disturbing in its accuracy and truthfulness.

[Ebow1]

I posted this randomly on facebook as a note, but it seemed relevant and appropriate.

It is known by some that one way to cook a frog is to slowly, and gradually increase the heat so minutely, that the frog does not notice it, and the frog will die without any struggle. Such is the way of the human spirit, when faced with a great adversity, the human spirit will instinctively desire to overcome out of a natural hatred for the adversity. However, when faced with a small compromise, the human spirit will give in, and continue to do so, until the man is beaten, broken, and obedient. Such is the desire of those who oppress people, not to face us with all of their demands, but to slowly chip away at our ethics and morals, until they have carved what they desire in our stubbornness. What used to be a stone wall, has now given way to their greed.

[leroy]

While i agree in principle with what Mr Sowell says; I specifically do not agree with this:

...Put differently, a democracy needs informed citizens if it is to thrive, or ultimately even survive (...a great observation; I heartily agree. Leroy ...).

In our times, American democracy is being dismantled, piece by piece, before our very eyes by the current administration in Washington, and few people seem to be concerned about it.

The president's poll numbers are going down because increasing numbers of people disagree with particular policies of his, but the damage being done to the fundamental structure of this nation goes far beyond particular counterproductive policies.

.... But our government is supposed to be "a government of laws and not of men."

I believe that many are watching what is going on, and will make their displeasure known in 2010 and 2012. I will agree that in some places there does not seem to be concern about this thuggery and shake down of BP (...and us, the taxpayers....). The places where this stuff is ok are the usual socialist locations like the northeast, kalefornia, and inside the beltway in washington, dc. I firmly believe that the real folks that make this country work will cast this bunch of pukes out pretty quickly.

Food for thought,

Kind regards,

Leroy