Likeness of Power

[Bob]

First sorry to be so mouthy, but it is fun to have something to say. 

I have been reading, not so surprising as some might think of an old salt, a book about the prewar error of Japan. It is a very interesting book and covers the Japanese destruction of China's people. The point I have is that in a certain paragraph in the book, it talks about the Japanese KoDo, or Kingly Way. This philosophy was, that all "Politics, Economics, Culture, National defense, and everything else all in powering the Emperor". In our case Obama and his administration. I was thinking that is the path Obama is taking. He is hoping to establish in his administration the fact(like Hitler), he is the only one that knows best for this country. Well it was just food for thought. Have a good night everyone.

[Jerseygal]

Bob, I think it great that you are enjoying this opportunity to speak out!  Please continue to do so!

As for the Hitler comparison, I saw that back in '04 when Obama gave that speech at the DNC.  I have not been proven wrong to date, either!  

[Watchman]

"Whenever the economic life of a nation becomes pre­carious, the central government is forced to assume additional responsibilities for the general welfare. It must work out elaborate plans for dealing with a criti­cal situation; it must impose ever greater restrictions upon the activities of its subjects; and if, as is very likely, worsening economic conditions result in polit­ical unrest, or open rebellion, the central government must intervene to preserve public order and its own authority. More and more power is thus concentrated in the hands of the executives and their bureaucratic managers. But the nature of power is such that even those who have not sought it, but have had it forced upon them, tend to acquire a taste for more. "Lead us not into temptation," we pray -- and with good reason; for when human beings are tempted too enticingly or too long, they generally yield."

-Aldous Huxley (Brave New World Revisited)

[Bob]

So then the government of a nation has the right to impose upon its citizens what it deems necessary in order to maintain that government. It seems that the dictators of the world have indeed followed this idea. Do you or Huxley purpose that our government would have that right in order to uphold that government, the right to control all aspects of a Nation.

[Watchman]

I don't know about right, but what Aldous describes is the course most governments in human history have taken. They grow bigger and more powerful and eventually fall into totalitarianism. Power corrupts...