"It's astonishing how some people think we are supposed to have 'rulers' in a free country, rather than elected representatives who answer to our authority.
"I think there is a percentage of the public who genuinely want to be stomped on. They wish for a charismatic ruler---yes, a ruler---to march in, kick our asses until we stop whining, and then kick everyone else's asses while we swoon at the exercise of raw power.
"I wonder if the concept of a Messiah is just hard-coded into human nature, expressing itself in major religions , folklore, as well as the political desire for a ruler that takes charge like this."
-- Caj, 2007-08-21
[Compare this to yesterday's QotD, from
maugorn,
regarding absolutist, 'received wisdom' morality, and free will.]