Once a government acquires a new power, it never gives that power up. From John and Nisha Whitehead at rutherford.org:
“The greatest tyrannies are always perpetuated in the name of the noblest causes.”—Thomas Paine
They said it was for safety.
They said it was for order.
They said it was for the good of the nation.
They always say it’s for something good… until it isn’t.
Nearly a quarter-century after 9/11, we are still living with the consequences of fear-driven government power grabs. What began as “temporary” measures for our security have hardened into a permanent architecture of control.
The bipartisan police-state architecture that began with 9/11 has been passed from president to president and party to party, each recycling the same justifications—safety, security, patriotism—to expand its powers at the expense of the citizenry.
So they locked down the country “for our safety.”
They expanded surveillance “for our security.”
They rounded up anyone who challenged the narrative “for the common good.”
They erased names, ideas, and histories “to prevent offense.”
They forced schools to teach only what was politically correct “for the children.”
They censored speech “for our protection.”
They targeted dissenters “to preserve peace.”
They militarized the streets and called it “law and order.”
These very abuses—once denounced when carried out by the Left—are now cheered, defended, and excused when carried out by the Right.
People who once spoke passionately about truth, freedom, and faith have now fallen silent in the face of injustice, or worse, convinced themselves that nothing is wrong. The very voices that should be warning against tyranny are instead excusing it or looking away.
This is the danger of double standards in politics: every tyranny is rationalized in the moment by its chorus of defenders.
But history teaches that what goes around comes around. If you justify it now, you’ll have no defense when the tables turn.
When you hear it’s for safety or none are safe until all are safe you may know that it’s Anarcho-Tyranny.
Cue the Lisa Simpson memes about government declaring emergency or the HL Mencken quote along the same lines.