democracy tulip bruises welcome to democracy people. we are fighting to overthrow a dictatorship, but in britain, recently we have had army presence at airports, we have had censorship of the media on the anti war movement (be it unspoken, it is there), we have had the prime minister completely ignoring a third of his population. why are we fighting to overthrow dictatorship in iraq, we have it right here at home. and also in america, it is openly admitted and known that there is a media lock down on the anti war movment, that they dont mention the fact that collateral damage means dead people and destroyed lives. the government should at least admit their tsarism and get on with being the dictators that they are. 030402 ... satan satan satan One of the worst parts of it is that so many of the people have willingly bought into it and let it happen. Selling their soul for a few extra moments of ignorant, flag-waving bliss. It's one thing to be so overwhelmed in one's daily life that you never notice the iron fist closing over you, it's quite another to actually help the fingers close around you. And the more i see, the more i realize how true this is. 030402 ... User24 see my comment on yes_or_no 030612 ... Smurf Not true democracy anyways. A Republic. That is, Feudalism under guise of Republic under guise of Democracy. Freedom is over-rated. 040420 ... Ptolemy DCLVIII To yearn for a change, to desire a change, to inwardly Thunder with painfully heartfelt need for a change, but to feel unable to effect any changes whatsoever... this is amongst the worst of the worst places for a sentient being to find oneself. Let all people of this world feel Able to effect Change in their World. This is why I support Democracy. It is not without its faults. I am not naive enough to ignore the advantages of despotisms, oligarchies, or anarchies, etc. But if there must be power systems, let us seek to endow each Human with empowerment to harmoniously pursue the life they feel they must live, and to partake in the shaping of the existence around them. Are you really going to turn away from these ideas, simply because a few extreme examples seem to ruin it for the rest of us? I have been crying, just now. Usually I do not blathe near to tears. But I have been crying, because there is an emotional poignance about the democratic concept, a poignance that resonates on a very Human level, a poignance which too often is lost in the rhetorical discussions of democracy. Of all the things I have experienced, the one I least wish upon any other Human - definitely a word to capitalize - is the horror of feeling unable to effect a necessary change* in one's life. By minimizing this kind of terror, we minimize terrorism... perhaps by this route alone. It will not be eliminated with guns, my friends. [ * What seems imperative to A may seem trivial to B. Comparative diminishment is of no use to a malsentient A.] Some of you are so eager to intentionally disempower your neighbors. It is horrendous, and unnecessary. Anyway, go ahead and tear my argument to shreds, I don't care. I intuitively sense that you, Human, know in your [perhaps skeptical, little, and cold] heart that your neighbor is worthy of [at least some] dignity (no matter how foul the beast may seem), the dignity of being a Being, a Human Being. If there must be a political apparatus, may it be democratic in nature. 061107 ... () ( p: first, bravo! i am heartened by your passionate declaration. i, too, feel that a great gift has been bestowed upon me, one that it would be a travesty to squander. democracy is the luxury available to even the poorest among us. and yet it is an ethical responsibility as well. use of democracy (as flawed as it may be) is not a requirement in order to receive it's benefits, but rather a predictor of the quality of it's outcome. i believe that fairness in our system is directly proportional with voter turnout. manipulations of the process are much more difficult to affect when greater volume is expressed. we need to overcome those who seek to change, guide or control the outcomes. you can do that today. just vote. thanks. ) 061107 ... stork daddy it is true that the feeling one cannot change one's life is a horrible one. some people solve this problem by making actual effective attempts to change their lives. others delude themselves into thinking they are doing so. 061107 ... Wasandru Re: StoDad I seem to think I'm doing the former when I am actually doing the latter. The saving grace of this is that when I think I am doing the latter I am usually doing the former. Harumph! That made no sense, did it? Alas. 061107 ... pete today i sacrificed a portion of my brain cells for democracy. 070216 ... yes how about you and them, they are the same. one world government 070217 ... excuse me selfishness is confusion and pain 070217 what's it to you? who go blather from