Civil Liberties vs Societal Need
As I see law enforcement stopping traffic in New Jersey and Florida to check for corona virus, I get chills. I will be sending a check to the Civil Liberties Union. I understand the need and the philosophy, but it still frightens me. I’m not the only one who appreciates the freedom that we citizens of the USA have. I also know that here are those who would like to curtail our freedom for their own selfish interests. Police state anyone? Six of the doctors who originally reported the corona virus in China, were arrested and made to apologize for disturbing society. That’s what happens when a small group controls a society for their own benefit. Don’t think it couldn’t happen here. It’s unthinkable to comprehend that enough of Germany’s population allowed and were complicit in the horrors that Adolph Hitler promulgated. It could happen here.
Forty per cent of the American people believe the earth is ten thousand years old or less. Let that sink in. These people vote and pass on their beliefs to their children. It’s possible that these folks and others can be manipulated by propaganda and emotion. They are obviously lacking in the critical thinking department. Plato said it in The Allegory of the Cave: Everyone filters information through their belief system. This is what keeps me up at night.
The founding fathers set up our system of checks and balances to prevent takeover by any one group. Even they weren’t sure if it would work or how long it would last. They were acutely aware of human nature and its tendencies for the strong to rule the weak.
I count myself lucky to have come up in the post WWII era. Things weren’t perfect then, but people seemed to respect the principles our country was founded on. I only hope that there are enough people today that are invested in our founding principles more than their own selfish interests. As Linda Hamilton/Sarah Conner said at the end of the original Terminator movie, ”La tormenta viene.” Actually it’s already here.
March 30, 2020
