The privilege of leadership is a gift

When the general public grants to legitimate authority the privilege of leadership it is a gift, a gracious gift. When minor factions within the body politic refuse to accept legitimate authority and separate themselves out of the leadership's rule they are denying the necessary acts of grace that make possible domestic tranquility. 

Relentless programs of delegitimization amounts to the denial of the possibility of legitimate authority and the subjecting of the people to the rule of all against all. 

Not to be gracious in defeat is to sow the seeds of terror. The South will rise again; we will repeal ObamaCare; we will impeach President Clinton for nuisance effect – these are acts of disgrace and the basis for proto-terror. The grace of yielding to legitimate authority is not a contract, it is a gift; and it requires to be appreciated as a gift. That grace, coupled to the grace that underlies mutual aid, is the foundation of the gift economy in civil society.