fear, ignorance and theocracy

* driftglass:

"Because the great majority of that Party no longer even believes in evidence or caution or Reality.

The believe only in Fear.

Putting fear in harness with ignorance and theocracy and flogging them with all of their might has forever been the tool of despots, and it is the dark Troika that forever lurks at the fringes of democracy.

The creation of the United States was itself the eloquent-if-imperfect expression by the Founders of their explicit rejection of this breed of tyranny: they could not have been clearer about it if they had bound the Constitution in Theocracy Haz-Mat stickers and stenciled “Don’t Ever, Ever Fuck with This Stuff" over the Preamble in 100-point boldface font.

They knew Reason was the hope of mankind: The firm ground into which the caissons for all government should be sunk, and on which all of freedom's defenders must make their stand.

They also knew that fear, ignorance and theocracy are to liberty what rat poison is to baby mice.

Fear is the nuclear warhead of politics. An eternally tempting weapon for the demagogue that efficiently annihilates dissent and cauterizes opposition, but only at a terrible price."

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