privacy

The Great Depression, like most other periods of severe unemployment, was produced by government mismanagement rather than by any inherent instability of the private economy.

King David was pleading for mercy and cried, ". . . their tongue a sharp sword." (see Psalms 57: 4 & 64:3) In the world today we are victims of many who use their tongues as sharp swords. The misuse of our tongues seems to add intrigue and destruction as the media and private persons indulge in this pastime called bashing. If we follow the Savior's teachings there is no time for the dastardly hobby of bashing instead of building.

Nominally, there is one executive for every eight [federal] employees, a ratio that would bankrupt many private industries.

Every ten years, [the Census Bureau] force a large number of Americans to complete an expensive "long form," which was never mentioned in the Constitution. Not only do the Census probers ask name and address, but sex, race, income, property, household furnishings, and dozens of other irrelevant and impertinent questions. For those who refuse to answer, the Census people - unlike such pollsters as Roper or Gallup - threaten federal prosecution. Head counting is part of the Constitution, but this invasion of privacy is not.

And always we had wars, and more wars, and still other wars - all over Europe, all over the world. "Sometimes in the private interest of royal families," Satan said, "sometimes to crush a weak nation; but never a war started by the aggressor for any clean purpose - there is no such war in the history of the race.

We are discreet sheep; we wait to see how the drove is going, and then go with the drove. We have two opinions: one private, which we are afraid to express; and another one - the one we use - which we force ourselves to wear to please Mrs. Grundy, until habit makes us comfortable in it, and the custom of defending it presently makes us love it, adore it, and forget how pitifully we came by it. Look at it in politics.

In his private heart no man much respects himself.

Censorship is almost systematically the weapon of first resort for governments in uncertain political situations. So not only are the famous writers and bold journalists in danger; at every level of public and private life, the freedoms to think, read or write are denied. In the absence of a free press, other human rights abuses flourish unabated. Nothing is reported, criticized, questioned. The example of imprisonment, torture or execution imposes a further silence. A blindly obedient mob mentality is encouraged, driven by extremist religious or ethnic loyalties. The citizens do not know what is happening. Fear and ignorance permeate discussion.

To declare that in the administration of criminal law the end justifies the means to declare that the Government may commit crimes in order to secure conviction of a private criminal would bring terrible retribution.

The most important political office is that of private citizen.