Once upon a time there was a man who craved great power. So to obtain it, he began to campaign and seek election. He knew that if he wanted to win favor with the majority of the people, he simply needed to promise them everything they wanted. He knew that the masses were uneducated, lazy, and extremely gullible, and that they would never question the feasibility of his promises. He knew that the people were tired of war, that they were hungry for change, and that they wanted to be taken care of. So, equipped with his charisma and his gift for oratory, he used every forum of communication available to broadcast his clever message and mesmerize his followers. He used these same tools of cunning and charm to trample and embarrass his opponents, who were not as skilled in the art of language and who resembled the "old fashioned" form of government too closely for the liking of the voters.
This man built his candidacy on a foundation of deceit, fear mongering, popular fashion, and catchy body language. Simply by acting in a way that he knew people would relate to, he was able to take control of his country and execute his agenda. By promising change, protection, jobs, food, and a sense of destiny, he was able to take the election. But almost immediately after he assumed his new position, he began abandoning his promises. Not only was he unwilling to be the "people's leader" that he claimed he would be, but he began governing in a manner which was more totalitarian and dictator-like than his opponents ever threatened to be. He went to work on issuing order after order, appointing countless czars, building a civilian security force to rival the military, and robbing his people of power and liberties. He began spying on ordinary citizens, listening in on private conversations, and pressuring the media to silence any voice of opposition.
Who am I talking about? Is it Adolph Hitler, or perhaps the current U.S. President? What is terrifying is that both of these men fit comfortably within these characteristics. Because this is the pattern that virtually every single dictator, tyrant, and despot in the history of human governance has used to gain political prominence. The media wants us to believe that this era in American history is historic. Perhaps it is. Only it is not historic in that it is unique or fresh or enlightened. This era is historic because for the first time in the United States of America, we are repeating a pattern of history which is in direct conflict with the principles upon which this nation was founded: we are willingly walking into a trap of total government control.
Recent polls show that less than 60% of Americans prefer a free market over communism. The people have elected a Marxist to the office of president. The government has declared all conservatives and patriots to be a threat to the security of the nation, a measure that seeks to enforce not just rules against actions, but restrictions on thoughts and ideals. The president promised that things would "change" in America. So far, the greatest change that I can see is that right and wrong have traded places.
