It Can't Happen Here

   "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." -- Sometimes attributed to Voltaire or Patrick Henry, but actually written by Evelyn Hall in 1906.

   When people of a free society lose their right to speak freely and disagree with others, that society itself is in danger of no longer being a democracy.
   When a political candidate urges violence against protestors and those who disagree, he hastens the nation's decline toward tyranny or dictatorship.

   "Get him outta here" and "I'd like to punch him in the face" are some of the things a current American official has said publicly, as he encouraged chants of "Lock her up!" among his crowds of supporters.
   This same politician spent a lifetime in business demanding unquestioning loyalty from everyone he dealt with, but when that same attitude is carried into a government position, especially at a high level, the danger of that nation's democracy collapsing into autocracy rises sharply.

   It may well be a natural tendency among some people to expect loyalty and agreement from everyone in all things, but when that attitude is carried forward into government positions and opposition is forcibly repressed, freedom and democracy are imperiled.

   It doesn't take much knowledge of history to list several examples of that phenomenon causing serious problems, even war, in other countries. Moreover, that issue can be found in news reports even today.

   "It can't happen here," you say.
   But it can, and very nearly did, several times, and several books have been written documenting that very real possibility.