From across the Pond, a CBS poll has found some disturbing results. Apparently 16% of the US public thinks it is sometimes justified “to take violent action against the government,”. A greater proportion of Republicans, 28%, subscribe to that point of view.

But that’s not the worrying part. What’s really alarming is that 76% of the public (and 64% of the Republican party) thinks that it is never justified to take violent action against a government.

This is absolutely amazing. Seventy-six percent of the citizens in a country that was formed after the violent overthrow of an oppressive government thinks such action is never justified.

If the poll had begun by stating the government in question was a representative one and that a democratic process was in place – you could understand that result. But it didn’t. Few people would argue that violent action against a government is justified because, say, one particular party won an election over another…but to say that violent action is never justified, with no qualification whatsoever, is an amazing statement.