The Tyrant’s Bargain: How Fear Sells the Death of Liberty
Benjamin Franklin, with his usual economy of words, once warned: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Franklin wasn’t conjuring some misty abstraction about “freedom.” He was speaking of liberty as a living, breathing necessity—a thing that must be guarded as fiercely as one guards oxygen—because once it is surrendered, it is almost never returned. And yet here we are, confronted with a political movement that has treated his warning not as cautionary wisdom but as a how-to manual.
The MAGA faithful—though they drape themselves in flags and recite the Pledge—have been carefully trained in the art of giving away their liberty to a man who offers not genuine safety, but the theatrical performance of it. The cost of this bargain? Their reason, their decency, and, more gravely, the long-term stability of the republic. They have not simply walked into his trap—they’ve dragged the rest of us into it as well, locking the door behind them.
The “temporary safety” Franklin warned against now comes wearing a red cap, shouting about caravans and border walls. It’s the counterfeit comfort marketed by Donald Trump and his court of grifters, flatterers, and opportunists. Their product is fear, sold wholesale: Fear the immigrant. Fear Antifa. Fear brown skin. Fear black skin. Fear the liberal. Fear the LGBTQ neighbor. Fear our allies abroad. Fear anything and everything we tell you to fear—and above all, believe no one but us.
This is not politics as usual; this is the deliberate acid drip of moral cowardice, eating away at the national character. And as Americans stand idly by while the civil and human rights of vulnerable communities are methodically stripped away, many mutter the same coward’s lullaby: It won’t happen to me. But history gives no such guarantees. When Hitler took power, he did not begin by smashing the laws of Germany—he simply wrote new ones, each tailored to consolidate his control, each perfectly “legal” under his own regime. The law, bent far enough, can serve as the executioner’s blade just as easily as its absence.
Trump’s playbook is sloppier, but the trajectory is no less dangerous: stretch the law until it groans, bend it until it warps, and when it finally snaps—declare it was always meant to break. The endgame is familiar: obedience through fear, loyalty through false security, and the slow asphyxiation of liberty under the pretense of protecting it.
And the erosion is not theoretical—it is already underway. You may comfort yourself with the idea that only Washington, D.C., is at risk, but recall: Trump has already tested military force on Los Angeles. Now, with the nation’s capital as his staging ground, the commander-in-chief could wield the machinery of the state against any city that refuses to bend the knee. Which will it be next? New York, for its refusal to bow to the king’s demands? San Francisco, for harboring too many “undesirables”? Detroit, for its majority-black population? Once the precedent is set in the capital, every future target will be chosen by the next convenient fear.
The danger is not simply that one man lusts after tyranny. The greater danger—the one Franklin would have recognized instantly—is that so many are willing to purchase the tyrant’s promise of safety at the cost of someone else’s liberty, confident that the blade will never turn toward them. They are wrong. History tells us the blade always does. Franklin knew better. We had better remember.
If you believe in what this blog stands for, share it, discuss it below, and wear it as a sign of dissent.
Further Reading:
- Freedom for Sale: Why the World Is Trading Democracy for Security, John Kampfner — A global exploration of how nations surrender freedoms for promised safety. https://civilheresy.com/freedom for sale
- The Road to Unfreedom, Timothy Snyder — A deep analysis of the political and historical forces that pave the way for modern authoritarianism. https://civilheresy.com/road to unfreedom
- The Authoritarian Moment, Ben Shapiro — A controversial but relevant take on how fear and cultural power shifts can erode liberties. https://civilheresy.com/authoritarian moment
The Tyrant’s Bargain: How Fear Kills Liberty and Empowers Authoritarianism
Benjamin Franklin famously warned:
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
Franklin wasn’t speaking in abstractions. He understood that liberty is as vital as oxygen—and once surrendered, it’s rarely returned. Yet today, a political movement treats his warning not as cautionary wisdom, but as a how-to manual for authoritarianism.
The New “Temporary Safety” Comes in Red Caps
The MAGA faithful, wrapped in flags and reciting the Pledge, have been trained to trade their liberty for the performance of safety.
The bargain costs them—and us—dearly:
- Reason — Replaced by conspiracy-driven paranoia.
- Decency — Surrendered in exchange for political theater.
- Stability — Undermined by the erosion of democratic norms.
Trump and his circle market fear as their primary product, packaged as:
- Fear of immigrants
- Fear of Antifa
- Fear of people of color
- Fear of liberals
- Fear of LGBTQ neighbors
- Fear of allies abroad
- Fear of anyone they label as “other”
Fear as a Tool for Eroding Rights
This is not politics as usual—it’s the acid drip of moral cowardice. While civil and human rights are stripped away, many tell themselves: It won’t happen to me.
History says otherwise:
- Hitler didn’t destroy German law—he rewrote it to consolidate power.
- Authoritarians bend the law until it breaks, then claim it was always meant to.
- Tyrants replace reality with fear, making oppression seem like protection.
From D.C. to Anywhere in America
The erosion of liberty is not theoretical—it’s underway. Trump has already:
- Tested military force on Los Angeles.
- Turned Washington, D.C. into a staging ground for power plays.
Tomorrow’s targets could be:
- New York — For resisting his demands.
- San Francisco — For being “undesirable.”
- Detroit — For its majority-Black population.
Once a precedent is set in the capital, every future target will be chosen by the next convenient fear.
Franklin’s Warning in Action
The true danger isn’t just one man’s lust for power. It’s how willing people are to buy the tyrant’s promise of safety at the expense of someone else’s liberty—believing the blade will never turn toward them.
They are wrong.
History shows the blade always does.
If you believe in what this blog stands for, share it, discuss it below, and wear it as a sign of dissent.
