BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID
Review of “Police State,” Dinesh D’Souza’s New Film
If you blinked in the past few weeks, you would have missed the rare opportunity to see Police State in the theaters. At least in California, the theater showed the listing as “private showing,” presumably to avoid the wrath of the Left at showing this film. The packed theaters, even at a fairly costly $20/ticket, highlighted why theaters were willing to air it. Even in crazy California, there is demand for this movie. Unfortunately, those who viewed it are the ones who least need convincing. What needs to happen is for this to be mandatory viewing in high school and college. Only then might it have the impact it deserves.
The Story
Every D’Souza film seems to be better than the last: more compelling, more carefully crafted, more important speakers on the issues. Police State doesn’t disappoint, but it will leave you terrified and likely, in shock.
They say that if you want to boil a frog easily, start raising the temperature slowly, so the frog doesn’t realize what is happening until it is too late. Most police states through history came as the result of coups, toppling existing governments with a dictatorial (although sometimes charismatic) leader. In these situations, laws change overnight, rights are abolished and the people feel the boiling water scalding them. This was true of Nazi German and also of Mao in China (and now, Xi). The problem with this kind of uprising is that you have unhappy citizens and potentially, threats to the new order by those who are just as strong and capable as the last tyrants who could bring the government down. But rarely, this happens. Instead, you play the waiting game Russians suffer under, hoping Putin will die.
D'Souza shows the impact of the sudden upheavals in historical coups. But then, he talks with key players about the far more dangerous kind of takeover; the soft, slow move to a police state. And with historical perspective and the valid opinions of others, shows how we are in the midst of becoming a police state, all without having any idea it is happening. We think the threats will be temporary, instead of seeing each step as a move to total government control in America.
Covid protocols might have been the first inkling of what was happening to us, but it wasn’t the first. To protect ourselves, we need to be fully aware of how serious the threat is and that it is beginning to permeate every aspect of our lives. Look at England, where cameras are everywhere. Look at China where not only do you have no privacy, your very freedoms are at risk should you not be “friendly” to the Communist government.
See the film – the link to virtual viewing is at the bottom of this blog. It’s worth your time, but it’s tough to watch. The truth often is.
