The apprentice lives.

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by detbuch

I meant to say that The Russians can't hope to match us in the undermining of faith in OUR (the U.S.) government done by our own people. Leaving out OUR made it sound like I was saying that Russians can't hope to match us in the undermining of faith in government in general.

I can't conceive of what faith in government means to Russians. The long history of their government has always been one of shooting or detaining their own. They may take for granted that such is the nature of government.

We have been bequeathed with the understanding that we are free from despotic government. And that we have a right and duty to overthrow tyrannical government, even by arms if necessary. Of course, that understanding has been pretty much extinguished. It seems that we now accept that government has the right to do just about anything to us if five judges "interpret" that government can. Even our fellow citizens can shout us down and create mayhem to stop us from speaking. Or create riots and violence without consequence for their actions if their cause is politically correct.

I don't think the Russians influenced us to become that. On the other hand, there are and have been those in our midst, even powerful and politically influential ones, who have admired the Soviet system of central planning ever since its inception.

We are mostly in alignment. As for the 5 judges that can interpret, that is their wheelhouse.