The Police State, Left Right and All In Between

Many Students of Political Science have noticed that both Rightist and Leftist Regimes can come to favor an almost complete Police Surveillance of Society. Well, what is the common thread, if the inherent Politics is so different?

Well, both Right Wing Politics and Left Wing Politics are various reactions to the Decline of Religious Civilization… more long drawn out repercussions from the Fall of Catholic Civilization way back in the 16th Century. Essentially it comes down to this, that if people are no longer motivated by some binding sense of Moral Obligation, as is indoctrinated by a powerful Religious Influence, then it is necessary to adopt Legalistic Institutions, in an effort to achieve the same ends. If people will not behave themselves, then there must be Laws and Enforcements.

Yes, the West still has Religion, but just look how Religion had changed. Religion became a Popular Religion of Salvation and Forgiveness… hardly the type of Religion that is very strict regarding Moral Concerns. People convinced that they are Forgiven are likely to do anything. Really, since the 16th Century, the dominant Religion in the West has really been an Anti- Religion… a Religion that is largely Anti-Moral. So the very Religion itself demands, for the concerns of Civilization, that there be a Strong Law and Order component. Just notice that the Religious Right, so sure of its own Salvation, is the First to demand Long Prison Terms for Criminals. God will Forgive people, sure, but that is after they Serve their Time.

The Left, with its concern for Enlightened Atheism, may not have the concern of dealing with an Anti-Moral Religion, but they have the problem of having no Religion at all. No moral influence. Yes, yes, we have heard a thousand times that Atheists suppose there can still be Morality without Religion. But the history of it all does not bear this out. Yes, people still KNOW the difference between Right and Wrong. The Traditions and Customs still with us from Catholic Civilization, though dying out, still have their echoes in our Culture. But what we see is that where Morality Matters, it is being ignored. Yes, people know it is WRONG to cheat or steal, but if they SEE that they can get away with it, without getting caught… without tripping any Laws or Police Surveillance, then they are likely to do whatever comes to their advantage. Yes, it is WRONG, but if nobody finds out, then it really doesn’t matter. And the Trend toward this effective Amorality is only intensifying, every generation once more removed and distant from genuine Religious Civilization is increasingly predatory, selfish, and in its social actions, actively immoral.

As an instance, just look at what happened with all of those Upstanding American Protestants as soon as every Enforcement Mechanism and Regulation was removed from Wall Street. They collectively Pillaged the Entire World Economy. Knowing Right from Wrong, their only concern was that they were not breaking any Laws, or, if they were, nobody was on the job to catch them at it. Their Hope for some short term Advantage was neither opposed by any Fear of God or Fear of the Police.

So, Civilizations, Right or Left, can only function if people follow the Rules. If there is no Personally Compelling Moral Structures to contain and discipline Society, no Religion, then there must be strong Legalistic Structures – Police, Surveillance, Enforcement. So we have this meeting between Left and Right.

What of Libertarians and their concern from Privacy. Well, we should remember the beginning of the 20th Century when the Establishment had two big Worries. They worried of Leftist Socialism… of Poor People taking over the Government Apparatus. Then the worried of the Anarchists, the Bomb Throwers, the People who wanted to abolish ALL Government, supposing that they had the most to gain within the ambiance of Chaos and Barbarism… Big Strong Guys who see that they would be more successful as Huns and Vikings, and that raping and pillaging would be a lot of fun for them.

Anyway, those who with great forethought and deliberation insist upon the suppression of the Police and the suppression of Surveillance and Enforcement, these persons are probably calculating on an eventual Collapse of the Present Order and hope that they can replace it with their own Scheme of Things… and then one can be almost certain that, when their own Regime is in place, there won’t maintain the same neglect of Law and Order… while they were willing that their Predecessors should fall to Crime and Rebellion, they would be certainly more careful of their own Viability.

One needs either a very strong Police Presence or a very compelling Moral Religion. And unless such a Religion rises much more quickly than expected, on the Crest of a Wave of some hugely influential Fad, then even if one finds it Philosophically distasteful, than Police will be extremely necessary.