Posted on by Californiacontrarian

Tyranny/Freedom

Today as I was reading some of the news-stories of the day, one thought kept recurring. That thought was similar to a jigsaw puzzle in that it initially involved different pieces that needed to be put together to form something complete.

At first that thought was hazy, and involved “tyranny,” “liberty,” “freedom,”and “government.” With the help of Google, I then pulled up some quotes from individuals much smarter than myself. As there were literally hundreds of quotes, I have pulled out a few that helped me put that jigsaw puzzle together. (I cannot pretend that I am familiar with these wise individuals, but rather concentrated on the wisdom encompassed in their quotes.)

In no particular order:

Edmund Burke, “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” 

Maximillian Robespierre, “The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant.”

Friedrich von Hayek, “Emergencies’ have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.”

President Ronald Reagan, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’ ”

For the uninitiated the basic subject here involves Covid and the often near tyrannical measures that those in charge used because “they knew best” . . . and of course only “had our best interests in mind.” Here, in no particular order, I am referring to the CDC, Dr. Fauci, the dictatorial governors of many states and their “health professional” lackeys, the teacher’s unions, those in local governments that thought that they somehow had infused knowledge, etcetera. (“Emergencies’ have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded.”)

Think about the following infringements on our individual liberties because there was a an emergency. Stay inside! … No going to a park or to the beach … No going into the ocean … No religious services, even if held outside … “masks required at all times.” Only rarely would anyone verbalize that these measures were unnecessary and over the top.

(“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”)

The Main Stream Media was complicit in all of this. Never once did I hear anything emphasizing that this was a disease that mainly afflicted older individuals or those with risk factors. What I read were things like, “keep college kids in their dorm rooms,” “keep all kids home from school,” “don’t allow three year olds on planes without masks.” (“The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant.”)

Now many are probably saying that at the very beginning of this pandemic, nobody had any concrete knowledge of what to do, but as time went on . . . “come on, man!”  However the lunacy persists, as “those that know best” just will not stop! For example: 

Even those who are vaccinated need to wear masks.

Children at outdoor day camps need to social distance and continue to wear masks! (“I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”)

I will finish here with a warning … a quote from Benjamin Franklin, and repeated by Justice Anthony Keneally in my book, “The Keneally Chronicles”:

“Those who give up liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety.”

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