with the awesome power of the state to inflict violence upon its citizens comes the immense responsibility to use it judiciously and only as a last resort. the most essential right we have as Americans is that the state cannot deprive us of our lives, liberty, or property without due process of law. The state cannot not use its violence and its power against you without giving you a chance to defend yourself. There’s no more foundational principle of American democracy than that. It’s the same underlying logic as “Taxation without representation is tyranny.”