Isn't exposure the only protection we have against corrupt authority doing whatever it dam* well pleases to whomever it dam* well pleases? Isn't shining a spotlight on police activities essential?

Public schools stopped teaching civics some time around WW2, so that now nobody has any idea how to control any government activity. The nation has been showing signs of impending collapse ever since WW2. No culture has ever avoided a collapse once the signs began to show, but details and timing are always random. The water shortage is a strong contender to be the trigger event, but a crop failure is more likely.