As a yout it was : McCarthy and his *loyalty oaths; a Prof at UC-Berkeley who wrote:
The Fundamental Issue: Documents and Marginal Notes on the University of California Loyalty Oath, Parker Print. Co., 1950. Mentioned in his Wiki bio. Always a good re-read for his elegant demonstration/conclusion thereof was, "A coerced oath is invalid on its face."

* I had to sign this farcical 'oath' to work at the (then) Rad Lab (before E.O.L.'s name appeared in several re-Names) AND later on: I got back that Original.. later, when McCarthy had met his denouement at the Army/McCarthy Hearings (which I witnessed Live on B&W Tee Vee du jour). 'David Schine' [sp?] was a focus of his early-on Hate-persona.. not long after that performance he was Censured by the previously-gutless Senate, thence ..drowned, in-his-cups.

..But I don't recall the dates/anniversaries: there are too many along this despicable dis-US route, ever-so-succinctly described in Alex's sig. And it's not just the anti-intellectiual bent: its about inflicting cruelty á lá the Cheney Shogunate (thanks, Rand!) and our horrific local mindfucking of all the nearby-States S. of the dis-US ... Contras, Grenada, El Salvador et seq ..along the chain of their borders.

ie. Whenever the educational system begins to tell the Realities of this country (without being fired) ... we shall have begun to be Readying for self-government. Shan't hold-breath as, this is the clearest Sell Short I can imagine.

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There's Hope though: shortly we-All shall be so busy trying to settle for simmer rather that Broil.. ... there just may be time--along with unaccustomed cooperation amidst the masses (unless they turn-Mob early on ???)--that: we might even have a chance to form a Democracy, thence become tutored on How to Keep it; Existential angst could be a strong enough catalyst for such an epiphany, I wot.

It's likely our Last Chance else, well. you know. .. ...

:oTpy

..too well to rebut. It DOES seem that, those possessed of that mindset well-described plus the essential-toxin: "possessed also of that Certainty-demon" (100% present in that group?) ... never could Honestly participate in the ideas necessary for 'democracy' to take hold.
And taken to the limit (that mindset) is exactly magnified-to-absurdity within their Hero: the Orange pandemic-of-One, who has neither compass, notebook nor any of the main qualities for even becoming/accepting Responsibility! as an authentic Citizen of any wannabe-democracy.

This-all may be the cubic-closest-packed Reason--after the inescapable infinite-caviling--for this veritable denouement-in-slow(-minded)-motion, within which we daily must endure. (And any notion of 'returning to civility! mocks the realization that: there IS 'no return') as that uncivility which defines the very Model of this country ever since The Puritans, spawning The Slavers: made *Uncivility its M.O. in all things.
* and its step-son, Cruelty

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Isn't it obvious? that when 'government'-itself is mocked as 'gummint' by every mouth-breather: the hostility towards --> self-government ... IS the leitmotif? [see: Dickie Wagner]. This was epitomized (in my early days) by 'My Gramma'--the Bircher. aka: akin to Al Capp's The Schmoo (tasted like chicken ..and each one was born pregnant) ... was not each prototypical 'Murican gestated in an enviro which Despises "governance" of any sort whatsoever?

Rest case; (if it's not a q.e.d. then) ..nevermind.
¿Maybe that that E Pluribus Unum fantasy is the largest oxymoron contained within the Orange-peoples' wetware? To be truly 'Murican you must lie-to-self, every waking hour. Follow the Dear Leader in all matters.

Deja vu, 1933 Xenophobia becomes self-Hatred (except for those descended from the Occupants from whom all was stolen) Love. It. (or Leave. It?)