It is difficult to second guess. Had he not done what he done would the terrorism had continued? Or did the over reaction ad fuel to the separatist fire?

Getting back to those 14 points. If you apply the discussion of the FLQ situation, I think it is easy to see that the US has not approached that point since Lincoln's time. It is also good to keep in mind that as militaristic as the US sometimes appears to be, that the military swears an oath to uphold the constitution; including the balance of power and term limits. The US system is not perfect, but it is not subject to fascism or dictatorship.