The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the greatest liars: The men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.
Category: demagogues
Question the ‘shepherds’
They would be the shepherds over us, their sheep. Certainly such an arrangement presupposes that they are naturally superior to the rest of us. And certainly we are fully justified in demanding from the legislators and organizers proof of this natural superiority.
The alibi of tyrants
The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants, and it provides the further advantage of giving the servants of tyranny a good conscience.
The last refuge
A politician will do anything to keep his job — even become a patriot.
Cunning men
Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.
Demagogue defined
Demagogue: One who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.
African dictators
African Dictators, when they are hurting, believe they are healing, when they are destroying they believe they are building. The road to dictatorships starts with nationalistic slogans and the creation of common enemy to rally against, real or hoax. Rivals are branded as traitors and agents of the enemy of the state or the revolution. Opponents are constantly harassed and intimidated. Legislative and judiciary branches of the state, if they exist at all, are rendered powerless or rubber stamps. […] The enemy number one is the independent media, opposition parties’ leaders/individuals and those who tell the truth. […] In the final stage of achieving absolute Dictatorship a new cadre of leaders are handpicked not because of their ability and skills but because of their loyalty to the dictator and they start showering the dictator with praise, and they order the masses to hang his pictures everywhere. New songs are composed in praise of the leader. Those who surround around him compete for his attention like children and they always tell him what they think he likes to hear but not the reality in the country. They start spying among each other to win the confidence of the leader. […] He is declared the all knowing, the wisest, and the father of the nation. Now he does not let others make any decisions because he feels he is the most qualified, experienced and the wisest. He does not recognize the knowledge of others and ignores their contribution. […]
Breaking the liberal code
The urge to save humanity is always a false front for the urge to rule it.
Some drug policy
When Administration officials announced that President Bush was going to give his very first nationally televised White House speech on drugs, I was skeptical. But after reading the text, I believe they spoke the truth.
Orators
Here comes the orator! With his flood of words, and his drop of reason.