Dear Leader Loves Me, This I Know

Dear Leader loves me.

He loves me enough to protect my freedom.

"Give me your freedom", says Dear Leader, "and I will protect it for you. I will put it here, in my pocket, where it will be safe. There it will be safe from the Evil Doer."

"But, Dear Leader", I say, "I cannot be free without my freedom."

"The Evil Doer hates your freedom", Dear Leader states. "By letting me protect your freedom you will help me defeat him. When the Evil Doer is gone we will all be freer."

"Dear Leader, I am bothered by this. How does one gain freedom by giving it away?"

Dear Leader smiles. "You don't have anything to hide, do you?"

"No, Dear Leader", I reply, "nothing to hide."

"Good.", says Dear Leader. "Only those with something to hide will complain when I watch them. They are the enemy. But you are not the enemy are you? Only the enemy needs to worry."

"Dear Leader, you possess enormous power, more power than I can fathom. How will I know you will not use that power against people who are not the Evil Doer? How do I know you will not use that power against me?"

Dear Leader frowns. "You will know because you will trust me. Dear Leader has told you he will only watch the Evil Doer. You are not the Evil Doer, but you help him with your questions."

"Dear Leader", I say, "my freedom is what makes me different from the Evil Doer. I don't want to give it away, it is too precious a thing."

Dear Leader becomes stern. "You can give me your freedom, or I can take it. Either way I will have your freedom so I can protect it and defeat the Evil Doer. You will trust me because I told you to and you will stop helping the Evil Doer with your questions. And if I decide to watch you, you will let me, because my power is great and my authority is absolute...and there isn't a goddamn thing you can do to stop me."