2 ms·

There arguably weren't any real enemies to the Republic, other than the folks who saw an opportunity to use fear to repeal our rights.

• afarrell 12y ago
  Defining an "enemy of the Republic" really is just a rhetorical technique to assert what the goals and values of the Republic are. Sometimes it is one that the residents of the republic broadly agree with because they share those values and goals either explicitly ("I want myself and my kin to avoid getting killed in a building collapse") or implicitly ("I'm totally fine with a credit-based economy, though I wish it worked out better for my group.") Occasionally it is a rhetorical technique with powder and steel behind it.
  • angersock 12y ago
    Perhaps I was a little too flowery. :) Anyways, the point intended was that, while there are transient enemies of The American Dream (however one may wish to define it within reason, but including the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and general zeitgeist of 20th century America), they tend to go up in flames with their victims. The true enemies, though, see that by either exploiting or altering the processes of government and manipulating popular opinion, and they tend to integrate themselves with the host and extract as much value as they can. They are also more likely to stay around, having become part of the system. It's unfortunate.