Fear makes them feel alive

Fear makes them feel alive

by digby
















And authoritarian police tactics make them feel strong. As long as it's aimed at "those people":

Last week, Ted Cruz stated that Muslim neighborhoods should be patrolled by officers of the law to prevent radicalization and just about everyone had an opinion. Lindsey Graham and Rush Limbaugh represented the pro-Cruz and pro-patrol side while NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton and NYC mayor Bill de Blasio had the anti-Cruz and anti-patrol side.

As it turns out — at least according to two polls — many Americans are joining ranks with Graham and Limbaugh. According to one poll by Morning Consult, 50% of respondents were in favor of the patrolling of Muslim neighborhoods. 71% of Republicans were completely on-board while only 34% of Democrats were all for it. 20% of Republicans opposed it while 56% of Democrats were against it.

Morning Consult summed up their findings like this:
Have the terrorists won? The main motif to emerge from a new Morning Consult survey taken after the attacks in Brussels last week is that the threat of terrorism may diminish how much people worry about privacy and civil rights. 
A majority of Americans voters appear to be willing to do whatever it takes, even backing what amounts to a revocation of essential American liberties and ideals, in an effort to keep us safe.

But whatever you do, don't pass even one law that might prevent lunatics from getting semi-automatic weapons. Because that would be unAmerican.

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