Political opposition, thereby, is given an inhumane overlay which then justifies the abrogation of all normally applied customs of civilized discourse. A political policy is equated with moral right, and opposition to it with diabolical malevolence. Once such an equation is effectively made, society becomes a congerie of plots and counterplots, and the main role of government changes from that of the arbiter to that of the scourge of God.
Arthur Miller, The Crucible
