14 Feb 13
Benevolent governments enact laws prohibiting “harmful behaviors” on the part of individuals. Enlightened officials, elected and appointed, as a matter of personal honor, chivalrously subject themselves to the same laws they demand everyone else obey.
Tyrannical governments enact laws prohibiting “things” that frighten them, like guns. Tyrannical officials, elected and appointed, with a straight face, automatically exempt themselves from their own pseudo-sanctimonious prohibitions.
Enlightened officials take full, personal responsibility for everything they do, and everything they fail to do. Tyrants predictably blame opponents for their own personal failings, and misanthropically heap credit for the accomplishments of others upon themselves.
Enlightened officials consider themselves “public servants.” Tyrants cynically believe the public exists only to serve them.
Enlightened officials serve only for a short time, then gracefully return to private lives and business. Tyrants viciously fight to stay “in power” forever.
Enlightened officials are direct and get to the point immediately. Tyrants, ever-frightened of details, fraudulently dance around every issue, never rendering a straight answer
Enlightened officials are humble, personally honest, truthful, consistent, restrained, and gracious. Tyrants are pompous, self-serving, paranoid, hypocritical, deceitful, and immodestly vain
The enlightened think in terms of the perpetual advancement of civilization and of freedom and liberty. Tyrants think only of perpetual personal power, enforced through starvation, gulags, and gas-chambers!
“Most people think shadows follow, precede, or surround beings or objects. The truth is that they also surround words, ideas, desires, deeds, impulses and memories.”
Elie Wiesel
/John
