The Gap Between The Government And The People
Jay J. Hector sent me an excerpt from They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45
But Then It Was Too Late"What no one seemed to notice," said a colleague of mine, a philologist, "was the ever widening gap, after 1933, between the government and the people. Just think how very wide this gap was to begin with, here in Germany. And it became always wider. You know, it doesn't make people close to their government to be told that this is a people's government, a true democracy, or to be enrolled in civilian defense, or even to vote. All this has little, really nothing, to do with knowing one is governing.
"What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little, to being governed by surprise; to receiving decisions deliberated in secret; to believing that the situation was so complicated that the government had to act on information which the people could not understand, or so dangerous that, even if the people could not understand it, it could not be released because of national security. And their sense of identification with Hitler, their trust in him, made it easier to widen this gap and reassured those who would otherwise have worried about it.
"This separation of government from people, this widening of the gap, took place so gradually and so insensibly, each step disguised (perhaps not even intentionally) as a temporary emergency measure or associated with true patriotic allegiance or with real social purposes. And all the crises and reforms (real reforms, too) so occupied the people that they did not see the slow motion underneath, of the whole process of government growing remoter and remoter.
..."...You can see how easy it was, then, not to think about fundamental things. One had no time."
"Those," I said, "are the words of my friend the baker. 'One had no time to think. There was so much going on.'"
"Your friend the baker was right," said my colleague. "The dictatorship, and the whole process of its coming into being, was above all diverting. It provided an excuse not to think for people who did not want to think anyway. I do not speak of your 'little men,' your baker and so on; I speak of my colleagues and myself, learned men, mind you. Most of us did not want to think about fundamental things and never had.
Great news everybody! Big Brother has decreed we have a new enemy!
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57564821/americas-newest-enemy-moktar-belmoktar/
Huzzah. Oceania opens a new front.
Don't forget to join in the daily Two Minute Hate at 2, 4, 6, and 8 pm!
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at January 19, 2013 8:02 AM
The problem is that the federal government has grown so large and overbearing it is hard to focus on the big picture. I have a tendency to focus on second amendment, the TSA and first amendment issues.
But the TSA is a symptom of the 4A and 5A erosion.
The 2A issues are the obvious one's currently, but there is Fast & Furious that still has not truly been investigated.
Then you have all the violations of the commerce clause by the EPA, green energy, etc. The unconstitutional Department of Education, college loan biz and all that in addition to the FDA and all the rest.
How do you stop it?
Studies have been done that said that once the independence movement, in the 1770's, hit about 30% is when the revolution occurred.
The problem with insidious enforcement is that to get to the 30% -- by that time the majority will probably be disarmed, and cowed.
Jim P. at January 19, 2013 7:34 PM
What's weird is that I always liked the sound of the name Moktar.
Crid [CridComment at gmail] at January 19, 2013 9:42 PM
The readers of your blog don't want to think about fundamental issues any more than the Germans in Mayer's book. If they do they certainly don't want to talk about it any more than the "Good Germans" in the excerpt. or make a public comment on your blog. I guess it's already too late for the USA.
Jay J. Hector at January 21, 2013 4:43 PM
Thank you for your general defamation. I appreciate your opinion.
I have been in contact with my local, state and federal government representatives. A recent quote from a state representative's email: "I like your idea! Keep 'em coming!" from the state representative in a neighboring district.
As I noted before -- Mordor on the Potomac has usurped so much power that is not there.
That I post on Amy's blog doesn't mean I am a slug.
Jim P. at January 22, 2013 9:41 PM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/01/the-gap-between.html#comment-3576540">comment from Jim P.That I post on Amy's blog doesn't mean I am a slug.
Hey! Many who post here -- including you, Jim P. -- are the antithesis of sluglike.
Amy Alkon
at January 22, 2013 10:51 PM
My apologies to you Jim P., as you are the only one who did comment on the topic of this thread (which Amy felt was of interest to her readers). I'm just disappointed at the apparent lack of interest.
Writing my reps in D.C. is not worth the effort when they're Feinstein, Boxer and Waxman.
Jay J. Hector at January 23, 2013 12:02 AM
It's an old story, how things come to be . . .
The Federalist No. 46
The Influence of the State and Federal Governments Compared
New York Packet
Tuesday, January 29, 1788
[James Madison]
To the People of the State of New York:
"The only refuge left for those who prophesy the downfall of the State governments is the visionary supposition that the federal government may previously accumulate a military force for the projects of ambition. The reasonings contained in these papers must have been employed to little purpose indeed, if it could be necessary now to disprove the reality of this danger. That the people and the States should, for a sufficient period of time, elect an uninterupted succession of men ready to betray both; that the traitors should, throughout this period, uniformly and systematically pursue some fixed plan for the extension of the military establishment; that the governments and the people of the States should silently and patiently behold the gathering storm, and continue to supply the materials, until it should be prepared to burst on their own heads, must appear to every one more like the incoherent dreams of a delirious jealousy, or the misjudged exaggerations of a counterfeit zeal, than like the sober apprehensions of genuine patriotism. Extravagant as the supposition is, let it however be made."
Maybe more people would be interested in factionalism.
Jay J. Hector at January 23, 2013 12:16 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/01/the-gap-between.html#comment-3576893">comment from Jay J. HectorHere, here!
Amy Alkon
at January 23, 2013 5:37 AM
I'm going to admit -- I made sense of that after about 4 readings. I have found that unless you can get the idea out in about a simple thought
How much simpler that is, regardless of the current abuse. If you visit my web site you will se a list of suggested amendmants.
They are modern clear text that SCOTUS can't fuck with. Just like SCOTUS fucked with the 2A until Heeler and McDonald. I want to see Wickard overturned as well.
Jim P. at January 24, 2013 11:26 PM
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