By Ken McCarthy - 'Brasscheck' <ken@brasscheck.com>
May 27, 2000
"What happened was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little,
to be governed by surprise, to receiving decisions deliberated in secret;
to believe 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 people could understand it, it could not be released because
of national security. ~ 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.
To live in the process is absolutely not to notice it. Please try to
believe me -- unless one has a much greater degree of political awareness,
acuity, than most of us ever had occasion to develop. Each step was so
small, so inconsequential, so well explained or, on occasion, 'regretted.'
Believe me this is true. Each act, each occasion is worse than the
last, but only a little worse. You wait for the next and the next. You
wait for one shocking occasion, thinking that others, when such a shock
comes, will join you in resisting somehow.
Suddenly it all comes down, all at once. You see what you are, what
you have done, or, more accurately, what you haven't done (for that was
all that was required of most of us: that we did nothing) . . . You remember
everything now, and your heart breaks. Too late. You are compromised beyond
repair."
A German professor describing the coming of fascism.
From "They Thought They Were Free" by Milton Mayer, a stunning
and chilling account of ordinary people in extraordinary times.
All information posted on this web site is
the opinion of the author and is provided for educational purposes only.
It is not to be construed as medical advice. Only a licensed medical doctor
can legally offer medical advice in the United States. Consult the healer
of your choice for medical care and advice.