“Government is not reason and it is not eloquence. It is force! Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”
Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it.
Fourteen earmarks of totalitarianism. 1. Dissent is equated to violence 2. Media is controlled 3. The legal system is co-opted by the state 4. Power is exerted to quash dissent 5. State police protect the regime, not the people 6. Rights—financial, legal, and civil—are contingent on compliance 7. Mass conformity of beliefs and behaviors is demanded 8. Power is concentrated in inner ring of elite institutions and people 9. Semi-organized violence is permitted (in some cases) 10. Propaganda targets enemies of the state regime 11. Entire classes singled out for persecution 12. Extra-legal actions are condoned against internal regime opponents 13. Harsh legal enforcement against unfavored classes 14. Private and public levers of power are used to enforce adherence to state dogmas