J.D. Tuccille released a video this week at Reason that, in just three minutes, powerfully communicates the danger from big increases in government power being sought in the wake of conflict on January 6 at the United States Capitol.

Bookended by quotes from Robert Higgs, who in writings including the book Crisis and Leviathan warned about government using crises to ramp up its exercise of power, Tuccille’s video presents a stark warning. Tuccille discusses President Joe Biden, who has claimed authorship of the USA PATRIOT Act that became law soon after the attacks of September 11, 2001, promising a new crackdown on “domestic terrorism” and US House of Representatives member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) promoting imposing new restrictions on speech, all said to be in response to what happened at the US Capitol.

That is just the beginning. Politicians are lining up with their proposals for suppressing liberty in the name of responding to the new “crisis.”

The reality of the authoritarian threat is emphasized in the video with images of the military occupation and fencing off of a large portion of Washington, DC around the US Capitol and other government buildings that took place since January 6. Major resistance will likely be required to ensure that such immediate actions do not lead into a new expansive and long-term crackdown on liberty in America.

Watch the video here:

Reprinted with permission from the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.