AndreD wrote:

NineOneFour wrote:
Now, we could say these folks are a minority, but the authoritarian mindset infects the nation. I found this:
http://www.rnw.nl/english/video/bond-an ... k-business

The infamous US Special Forces are to be deployed again, the New York Times reports based on a 'leaked' memo by the Pentagon. According to senior foreign affairs correspondent Bernard Hammelburg, they are, strictly speaking, as illegal as James Bond or the Bourne identity, but the orders come straight from the president. For the Americans that makes it okay.

My initial reaction was, well, yeah, of course it makes it okay and then I thought a second time, and went "Oh....wait a moment...that's not right..."

I agree with you most of your post (though not being an American I'm obviously not as exposed to it on a daily basis as you would be), but I was just wondering what you meant by this? How is the support for the existence of SFs a symptom of authoritarianism? I don't want to drag your thread off topic, but I'd just like to mention that for all practical purposes the US does define "international law" - law is worthless without a dominant authority to uphold it.

It's not special forces - it's the idea that if the President says it that automatically makes it ok.

NineOneFour wrote:What is the impulse towards authoritarianism? Obviously not shared solely by Americans although we are unfortunately the current most obvious manifestation of this

In a nut shell...I would agree with some of the above, it comes from a place of fear. Media and politicians do their best to scare the shit out of us, make us feel helpless in the face of terrorists, kidnapers, serial killers...and when people see this all day every day they start to look for someone who can fight the evil that's being preached to them nonstop. Compromises are made "for our safety", or "for the chidrens sake" and soon the compromises become the new norm. The fear spreads, we teach it to our kids and they to theirs and in exchange for our saftey we'll look the other way when the ones we count on to protect us do things we may find distasteful. Sad road to be on, but we seem to be stuck in a run away train here and the only people at the controls have a vested intrest in keeping us too afraid to ask questions.

Of course I would say it is a little narrow for you to place the problem with the Repubs or the Tea party, or even as an American phenom. I've seen similar ideas in every country I have lived in. I've seen it in Dems and Repubs, independents and libertarians, young, old... I've even seen it in people I considered intelligent. I don't think fear respects any political boundary or IQ score and the gullible can be found all over.