Be calm when the unthinkable arrives
On Tyranny, chapter 18
Do not fall for terror management and attempts to consolidate power:
- one-party systems
- ending checks and balances
- suspending freedom of expression
- removing the right to a fair trial
Hitler took the opportunity to make his regime permanent when the German parliament building burned by issuing a decree that citizens could be preventively detained by police. They used this to round up members of their left-wing opposition. This state of emergency lasted for 12 years.
Terror management is the leveraging of terrorism, real or sponsored, to inspire the approval of leaders. George W. Bush's approval rating jumped following 9/11. Putin's jumped after a series of apartment bombings whose motivations were questionable.
Recognize and resist terror management immediately from the moment of attack, even when it seems difficult to do so.
James Madison said tyranny arises "on some favorable emergency." One cannot simply be a bystander.