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today are found to be aligning them–
selves with " Big Brother" - just as
surely as sorne government agencies,
in the name of "security" and "law
enforcement," are found to be break–
ing and subverting the law in order to
"enforce' ' the law. The media's bla–
tant disregard fordecency, impartiali–
ty, accuracy and fairplayand itsdelib–
erate pandering to vicious instincts are
a disgrace to the journalistic profes–
sion and an affront to the First
Amendment. " Democracy's weap–
on," as the press has often been called,
has become a two-edged sword.
Gradual Encroachments
What ultimately happens when a
government becomes so obsessed
with security that Jaws are freely vio–
lated; when the media resort to ex–
tralegal, unethical and unconstitu–
tional means to fulfill their highly
touted "watchdog" role? What hap–
pens when people begin to reason
that the "higher" interests of the na–
tion transcend those of the individu–
al - that people, to use the words of
former FBI Director Clarence Kel–
ley, "must be willing to surrender a
small measure of their liberties to
preserve the great bulk of them"?
To answer these questions , consid–
er the following statement:
"It
is nec–
essary that the individual should
fi–
nally come to realize that his own ego
is of no importance in comparison
with the existence of bis nation
... that the higher interests involved
in the life of the whole must here set
the limits and lay down the duties
and the interests of the individual."
The author? Adolf Hitler.
As the 18th-century Scottish phi–
losopher and historian David Hume
observed: " It is seldom that liberty of
any kind is lost all at once." Few men
will willingly relinquish their rights
a nd liberties wholesale. But when cit–
izens begin to gradually and without
protest surrender to government and
to other segments of society (includ–
ing the Fourth Estate) even the
smallest part of their individualliber–
ties, their inevitable fate is sealed.
Ultimately, the Bill of Rights and
democracy itself are doomed.
Caesar Augustus, a sincere and
generally well-meaning individual,
did not intend to beget the creeping
tyranny that led ultimately to the
reign of Nero. Tbe gradual and, at
20
first, virtually unnoticeable abridg–
ment of liberties begun in his reign
nevertheless gave rise, at length, to
despotism. As President Madison as–
tutely observed: "Since the general
civilization of mankind, 1 believe
there are more instances of the
abridgment of the freedom of the
people by gradual and silent en–
croachments of those in power than
by violent and sudden usurpations."
As long as the personallife-style of
the individual citizen is not perceived
to be threatened, that individual will
usually choose to ignore silent en–
croachments upon his freedoms. The
gradual loss of liberties is endured
without protest. Ideals are sold out to
personal affiuence a nd comfort.
But the time will inevitably come
when the effects of "creeping author–
itarianism" will nol be able to be
ignored. It is usually only after it is
too late that the majority finally
wakes up and sees for the first time
the shackles which by degrees have
been placed upon them by those who,
more often than not, have purported
to have been working for the welfare
and safety of society.
FraniGod
w-dhlBI
As a motion picture. they were ac–
claimed
by
the world. As the law of
God, they have been loved by
sorne, hated by others-but trans–
gressed by all. To most people
they remain a puzzling enigma.
They are, of course, !he Ten Com–
mandments. But jusi how are they
applicable lo loday's world? Our
free booklel
The Ten Command–
ments
expla•ns lhese living laws
and shows how God, in His love,
gave them to mank1nd for lhe
good of us all. To receive your
copy, jusi wrile lo
The Plain Truth
al the address nearesl you (See
inside front cover for worldwide
addresses.) Your free copy is
waiting for you.
As Mr. Justice Brandeis observed:
"Experience should teach us to be
most on our guard to protect liberty
when the government's purposes are
beneficent. Men born to freedom are
naturally alert to repel invasion of
their liberty by evil-minded rulers.
The greatest dangers to liberty lurk
in the insidious encroachments by
men of zea l, well-meaning but with–
out understanding."
The right to privacy is but one of
many constitutional freedoms that
today stand in jeopardy. Other free–
doms-most notably the very free–
doro of religion upon which many of
our states were founded-also stand
in grave peril.
The liberties we have been given in
this nation are blessings which must
be preserved and protected against
encroachment. They are liberties and
freedoms denied to tbe majority of
mankind. They must be jealously
guarded as well as enjoyed.
But if the forces of subversion con–
tinue to hold sway as they do at pres–
ent, the novel
1984
may prove to
have been more a prophecy than a
fantasy. When snooping police heli–
copters begin hovering outside your
windows, when omnipresent tele–
screens begin monitoring your every
movement and recording your every
word, when your neighbors and
friends, in the service of Big Brother,
begin informing on your prívate
words and deeds-then it will be too
late for the prívate citizen to speak
up. For then there
will be no
prívate
citizens!
The time to stand up for the noble
ideals of a prívate life and the in–
alienable rights of the individual is
now,
before things get further out of
band. For if public action is not tak–
en- and taken quickly-to protect
and reaffirm the Constitution, there
will soon be precious few rigbts left to
preserve. The record of history bears
witness to that certainty.
But even if the worst is ultimately
realized, we as Christians will derive
hope from the knowledge that a bet–
ter system is not far off. The time is
fast approaching when the entire
earth will at last be ruled in perfect
wisdom, justice and discretion by the
very government of God- a time
wben
true
and
complete
freedom will
finally be known among all men- for
the first time. o
The
PLAIN TRUTH May 1979