The temptation, of course, is to quiet down such a rowdy set of messengers. The temptation is to be “reasonable.” “Rational”—as our governments are rational. As if wanton death and deprivation are reasonable. After all, they argue in response, what good does it do to make a stir in the city square or on the steps of the church, right? It will only annoy the rest of the people even more. The pressure to be quiet, to let other people—the politicians, the neighbors, the “experts”—say how we feel about things is very effective.
