AUTHORITARIANISM THE ISSUE: Do We Go Back to the Middle Ages, Or Stay Free?

September 25, 2017
By: Dave Rogers

In monarchical France those who did not doff their hats when the King rode by were hung or beheaded.

Revolutions in France, and the United States changed all that when the people arose to reject authoritarianism in favor of democracy.

So, as this corner sees it, ordering athletes to stand during the National Anthem is akin to the executions in France, and repression in Nazi Germany or any empire for failure to doff one's hat to the King. Or for the "crime" of being Jewish, or driving while black, or speaking truth to power.

It is a hallmark of freedom that citizens can do what they want within legal limits. But no law requires standing during a musical presentation -- nor should the laws apply to any such gesture.

Obviously, this nation is comprised of people from all walks of mind. Some are strongly authoritarian, that is their right -- but that stance goes against the grain of America. There is no right for people who think like autocrats to tell everyone else what they can or cannot do. Unfortunately, that is where the political leadership of today seems to be taking us.

Of course, it is leadership in reverse to deepen the already huge philosophical divide that has risen to unthinkable heights in this country.

And we have no right to tell the authoritarians they cannot take the repressive stances as they have done in this controversy. We can, however, fight mightily to preserve our freedoms, much as the founders of the country and the Continental Army did against the British.

"Firing" journalists, or football players, for the "offense" of exercising their First Amendment rights takes us back to the thinking that prevailed in the Middle Ages.

But we must protect the right of those who stand in defense of freedom at all costs. Like John Adams who gave legal defense to British soldiers even though they had massacred Boston Patriots, setting an example for all Americans for all time.

Adams was not punished for his actions, in fact, he became one of this nation's most beloved founders. Adams put the law above his personal beliefs, a position that might have cost him dearly in those volatile days leading up to the Revolution.

Is it a coincidence that the criticism of white nationalist protesters did not measure up in any way to that leveled against the mostly black NFL players? No one can say for sure, but it is the right of any leader to take the political stance they favor. And it is the right of we the people to reject those actions by the so-called "leaders."

While we must defend even the rights of white nationalists to express their opinions, we cannot succumb to violence against them unless they break the nation's laws.

Let cooler heads prevail in this crisis. Time will heal all wounds, even those now being opened and having salt poured on them. We are a nation of laws, not of men and this, too, shall pass.###