Accordingly, governments and their proponents pay a good deal of attention to assuring public acceptance of the legitimate authority of the state, and employ a variety of means to achieve this goal. As pointed out by C. Edward Merriam, “It is the way of power to surround itself with an array of things to be believed and admired, credenda and miranda.” Rare indeed would be the political society that does not have its array of credenda, such as pledges of allegiance, national credos, and patriotic mythologies and propaganda, all calculated to install loyalty to the sate or at least forbearance in regard to it. In some countries, most especially in … Continue reading Martin Sicker