Some thoughts...
“Decades ago, George Orwell suggested that the best one-word description
of a Fascist was “bully,” and on the day of the Normandy invasion,
Franklin Roosevelt prayed to the Almighty for a “peace invulnerable to
the schemings of unworthy men.” By contrast, President Trump’s eyes
light up when strongmen steamroll opposition, brush aside legal
constraints, ignore criticism, and do whatever it takes to get their
way."
~Madeleine K. Albright,
“Do not obey in advance.
Most of the power of
authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think
ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer
themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is
teaching power what it can do.”
~Timothy Snyder
“If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you
believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer.”
~Hannah Arendt
“Social conservatism and neoconservatism have revived authoritarian
conservatism, and not for the better of conservatism or American
democracy. True conservatism is cautious and prudent. Authoritarianism
is rash and radical. American democracy has benefited from true
conservatism, but authoritarianism offers potentially serious trouble
for any democracy.”
~John W. Dean,
“[No] social principle in the world is more foolish and dangerous than
the rapidly rising notion that hurtful words and ideas are a form of
violence or torture (e.g., “harassment”) and that their perpetrators
should be treated accordingly. That notion leads to the criminalization
of criticism and the empowerment of authorities to regulate it. The new
sensitivity is the old authoritarianism in disguise, and it is just as
noxious.”
~Jonathan Rauch,
“The authoritarian character worships the past. What has been, will
eternally be. To wish or to work for something that has not yet been
before is crime or madness. The miracle of creation—and creation is
always a miracle—is outside of his range of emotional experience.”
~Erich Fromm,
“Flattery is directly proportional to authoritarianism. For this reason,
flattery can be said to be one of the main signs of the non-existence
of freedom and democracy in the political system. The more "honeyed
words", the greater the deprivation of personal liberty.”
~Elmar Hussein
“Democracy can exist only in the countries where people are brave! Coward nations always live under the authoritarian regimes!”
~Mehmet Murat ildan
“Patriotism is a villain's last refuge.”
~Xiaobo Liu,
“One need only to admit that public tranquillity is in danger and any
action finds a justification. All the horrors of the reign of terror
were based only on solicitude for public tranquillity.”
~Leo Tolstoy,
“Who is watching the Watchers?”
~James Hauenstein
There are 410 days left until the 2026 midterm elections.
Are you any better off then you were 4 years ago?
Are you any better off then you were 4 weeks ago?
Are you any better off then you were 4 days ago?
Are you any better off then you were 4 hours ago?
Are you any better off then you were 4 minutes ago?
Are you any better off then you were 4 seconds ago?
VOTE
