Urgency, rushing, and jamming it through....When it comes to government, these are the methods used by individuals who are up to no good.
Right now, we are witnessing an incredibly ridiculous rush to war with Syria. It defies all moral, legal, and economic sense. The war machine understands this; hence the rush. Just weasel it through. Say what needs to be said. Tell whatever lies are necessary to be told.
This tactic has a great history of working for U.S. authoritarians.
Most recently, there was Nancy Pelosi's unbelievable statement on the ObamaCare bill:“But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what’s in it.” Another bill that wasn't read was the dreadful "Patriot Act".
Now look at us....Every American is being monitored like a lab rat.
Jam it through. Worry about the consequences later.
This behavior goes way back.
I'd like to quote Patrick Henry who was trying to talk some sense to the Virginia delegates who were voting to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Henry was desperately urging them not to give in. Listen to his words and compare it to what we're seeing with the rush to war with Syria (my emphasis):
Consider what you are about to do before you part with the government. Take longer time in reckoning things; revolutions like this have happened in almost every country in Europe; similar examples are to be found in ancient Greece and ancient Rome — instances of the people losing their liberty by their own carelessness and the ambition of a few…As you can see, the tactics of power have not changed one bit.
Where is the danger? If, sir, there was any, I would recur to the American spirit to defend us; that spirit which has enabled us to surmount the greatest difficulties: to that illustrious spirit I address my most fervent prayer to prevent our adopting a system destructive to liberty. Let not gentlemen be told that it is not safe to reject this government. Wherefore is it not safe?
When the American spirit was in its youth, the language of America was different: liberty, sir, was then the primary object...
Go to every other member of society, — you will find the same tranquil ease and content; you will find no alarms or disturbances. Why, then, tell us of danger, to terrify us into an adoption of this new form of government? And yet who knows the dangers that this new system may produce? They are out of the sight of the common people: they cannot foresee latent consequences.
The very centralized state that Patrick Henry warned against is just conducting business as usual.
Follow @ChrisRossini on Twitter
Creating a "sense of urgency" also happens to be a staple of marketing and certain sales environments.
ReplyDelete