Harry S. Truman Quote

"Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear."

by:	Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), 33rd US President
Source:	message to Congress, August 8, 1950
Rating:
Categories:	Authority, Censorship, Dissent, Fear, Government, President, Protest, Repression, Terrorism, Tyranny
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Truman must have seen Obama coming! When you listen to Obama, his administration and others that think like him that is what they want to do, silence their American opposition.  -- Kevin, Windber, PA
Kevin, You took the words right out of my mouth. Especially frightening is the mainstream media's complicity in the Obamafuscation of America. I'll add that "our" current Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sibelius, is at the forefront of silencing insurance companies that try to complain about increased costs due to Obamacare.  -- Byron, Fort Collins, CO
Our present course of Government growth into our private lives and the private sector is creeping along like a cancer in our bloodstream. These people are trying very hard to kill us off...and "look good" doing it. Sadly far too many of the electorate are as dumb as a sack of hammers and simply don't see it. and if you point it out...you'll find they don't want to see it. Pathetic.  -- J Carlton, Calgary
And boy would the Obama crowd love to silence Fox News, Limbaugh, Savage, Beck, Hannity, and anyone else that opposes them. Speaking out against Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and any other of the usual suspects just ain't politically correct.  -- jim k, Austin,Tx
He must have seen the so called "fairness doctrine" coming. A nice sounding title for an attempt to attack the first amendment.  -- J. Allen, Arlington, Va
Welcome to Amerika where so many live in fear; (its OK though, they're building camps for most of them)  -- Mike, Norwalk
The quotes today are all very much in sync. Hitler and Bush seem to promote pre-emtive action or sudden and arbitrary death while Truman seems to warn aganist it. Interesting very interesting!  -- Waffller, Smith
All you guys fears of bening silenced is so much hog wash, what the hell you are right here, and right in our face, just like the media clowns you mention, spewing your ignorance, lies and wrong headed thinking. I defend your right but abhor your mis-information, lies and distortions. In that regard you are just like Hitler and the Nazi's. I seriously question and wonder about those who cannot see through Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity et al.  -- Waffler, Smith      1
'Terror' and fear are the media's most cherished tools of the trade. HL Mencken wrote, "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." The real threat to our national security is the control of our economy in the hands of a few monopolists who have the government and the people under their thumb. Your chance of being killed by a terrorist is nil. Your chance of having 40% of your earnings taken from your paycheck is guaranteed. Legalized plunder is the greatest threat to our security.  -- E Archer, NYC      1
Harry Truman was a REAL Democrat, not at all like the whining, peacenik, commie pinko rats we have in DC today. He is describing them to a tee when he talks about silencing the opposition and becoming the oppressors and eventually the terrorists among us. Today's whining libs want to silence talk radio and Fox news because they broadcast the truth about them, because they put up obstacles to their Obamatopian dreams of total domination over Americans. One thing you can always be certain of, whenever you hear liberals accuse conservatives of something awful, it is they who are actually doing those things and they are merely doing slight of hand by pointing the finger of blame on someone else. For instance, when you hear them excoriate Sarah Palin for causing the shooting in Tuscon, they are covering up for all the hateful rhetoric they've been spewing since Bush "cheated" Gore out of the election, not to mention the mean-spirited way they treated Ronaldus Magnus Reaganus...  -- GunnyCee, Durham      1
Hey Waffler, always good to get a laugh when I get on this forum. You are truly a joke. One thing Hitler was good for, he exterminated 8 million liberal jews from the face of the earth. Oooh, that's hate speech. But if it's the truth, how is that hate speech? He viewed the jews as liberals, even if they weren't. Has any conservative president or leader ever called for the extermination of liberals in this country...you TWIT!  -- GunnyCee, Durham
GunnyCee you are so right. Mr. Obamunist Goodwrench is the first president in history to have an active hit list (try finding that power given to the executive branch in the Constitution - I guess just another liberal trying to cut down on the vitriol). Yesterday I gave an example of a fascist liberal from Tennessee duplicating Nazi take over of Germany techniques and then calling the Republicans Nazis. Waffler is just another liberal with his mis-information, lies and distortions. He is for a nation with a statist omnipotent dictator(s), governmental larceny, no individual property ownership and no individual inalienable rights, then he calls those that want freedom, liberty, law, justice and individual sovereign's inalienable rights Hitleresk and Nazis. Hmmm  -- Mike, Norwalk
-- RBESRQ
Poor Waffler...he thinks just because the PC Cops aren't here yet that they aren't coming. Is that because he has not noticed the growing incursion of laws of control and government in general into our daily activities, banking, taxation and on and on...or because he is quite simply a communist at heart and refuses to acknowledge the "obvious events" taking place all around us? Hmmmmm  -- J Carlton, Calgary
How very appropriate for the worlds present political climate, guess things never change.  -- janie still, worcester park
Harry had it right: See what's coming not out of Washington DC.  -- jmdl, washington ut
It is not what I think but what I know, Waffler is as useful as tits on a boar and it is fine with me if you repeat thid as your own  -- Dale Wilder, St. Louis
There is a bill being proposed that would make it illegal to speak against government officials. This has been done before by John Adams. That great generation regarded this unjust law as an infridgement on their rights and voted him out of office for Jefferson who pardoned all who were convicted of this non-criminal offense. Why should we not do the same? Has the meaning or purpose of the freedom of speech changed? It is just as true today as it was then that when people are unable to express their discontent for present policies and propose better ones, liberty does not exist. There is also the language of political correctness that our society forces upon itself. We have convinced ourselves that it is wrong to speak of certain issues, address certain groups, say certain words and question certain people. This language of political correctness is not communication, its the restraint of communication. While it does not silence our voices, it does mask our intentions and disguise our character. Political figures say what is politicaly correct in order to appeal to those who believe differently. If they would speak their mind and reveal their heart, we would know what type of person we are voting for, what their intentions are, and what to expect from their leadership. If someone has discontent for my race, religion, political view, or economic status, I would rather them look me in the eye and let me know about it rather than hide like coward who is ashamed of his own beliefs. I will know where he stands and whether I should stand next to him or across from him, in front of him or behind him. If each of us were to express our ideas openly, we could weigh our differences and choose the best alternative; we could combine our similarities and acheive a common goal.  -- Publius      1
Waffler...Thank you for not trying to be politicaly correct. You have revealed the content of your character. By comparing those of us who believe government should be kept small, with hitler and the nazis, you have revealed your lack of understanding of the true principles of liberty and justice. I now know that you are as ignorant as you are arrogant. I now know that you are someone that I must oppose rather than support.  -- Publius      1
Yes Publius he is ignorant. Once in a while he has a point but I have always assumed that those occasions were purely accidental.  -- warren, olathe
-- Ronw13, Yachats OR
Waffle Iron, can you tell us what's said on all those e-mails Hillary won't show.  -- cal, Lewisville , TX
How do you all feel about this now that drumpfs is only allowing supportive "news" outlets into his briefings?  -- Devin, Longmont
Devin, I haven't heard of any "news" agencies being band from presidential briefings. It seems that a few evangelical propagators (a tyrant's 4th branch of dictatorship) were not invited to such a meeting since they have removed themselves from the domain of purveyors of truthful / unbiased journalism. What specifically is you reference?  -- Mike, Norwalk
Mike, Right and the drumpf is so good at telling the truth?  -- Devin, Longmont
Devin, is your reference to that individual that is so proud of the mrna experimental modifier, being touted (truth) as a vaccine that would eliminate certain viruses — it being spread contrary to Nuremberg Code Agreements?  -- Mike, Norwalk
Harry is describing the motivation for the government to launch the repressive path of the fraudulent Corona Virus.  -- Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown

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