If the many allegations made to this date are true, then the burglars who broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate were, in effect, breaking into the home of every citizen.
Interpretation
The Watergate scandal involved a breach of trust that affected all citizens, not just the targeted entity.
In this quote, Sam Ervin emphasizes the profound implications of the Watergate break-in, suggesting that it was not merely an attack on the Democratic National Committee, but an infringement on the democratic rights and security of all American citizens. The breach of political sanctity resonates deeply with the public, reflecting a violation of trust that extends beyond politics to the core of civic life.
In practice
In a discussion about government transparency, this quote serves to highlight the importance of accountability.
Conservatives say the government can't end poverty by force, but they believe it can use force to make people moral. Liberals say government can't make people be moral, but they believe it can end poverty. Neither group attempts to explain why government is so clumsy and destructive in one area but a paragon of efficiency and benevolence in the other.
But if Russia is to be part of this larger zone of peace it cannot bring into it its imperial baggage. It cannot bring into it a policy of genocide against the Chechens, and cannot kill journalists, and it cannot repress the mass media.
The danger in our system is that the general government, which represents the interests of the whole, may encroach on the states, which represent the peculiar and local interests, or that the latter may encroach on the former.
Given political history in Chile, it seemed to me that there was a critical task of consolidating a democracy and creating healthy civic-military and political-military relationships.
I don't want to interfere in U.S. elections.
I wanted us to go to the Tories when we were strong...not in misfortune to be made an honest woman of.
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