[argiopetech]

And fair enough. Nevertheless, it's not an ad hominem to attribute to the state a characteristic which has been observed in every form of government. Barring the newest (though COVID response ["lockdown" and similar] provided an example for most), no state has ever avoided tyranny in the long-term. It must necessarily be so, if only because man is fallible and power corrupts.

The founders of the USA believed the counter to tyranny was to keep government weak, so that when even the slightest hint of restriction on life, liberty, or property crept in it could be stomped out by the people. The Founding Fathers too were fallible and built a form of government which could not long guarantee those desirable characteristics. I argue the USA is a bad actor in many regards, and I trust it not. That said, it's the best of a bad lot, IMO.