What we don't see is that freedom is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.
Stumped? That was none other than Rudy Giuliani back in 1994.
Most New Yorkers know that Rudy is hardly a Johnny Come Lately to the crypto fascist jerk camp, but, when I found this quote, I assumed it had to be from one of this summer's debates or something. "Cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do?" That's Rudy channeling Dick Cheney over a decade ago.
As I've said many times before, If you have liked what has happened to our country over the past 6 years or so, if you like cronyism over competence, if you like endless war, if you can't get enough lawlessness in the Executive branch, if you really dig warrantless wiretapping, if you think the Fourth Amendment "quaint", if you are wearing a "I Heart the Unitary Executive" shirt, if you've liked all of this, you are flat out gonna love Rudy. |
