On Fri, 07 Jul 2006 13:53:29 +0000, Jose wrote:

If it's so bad, why are we delivering it to the rest of the world?

Fortunately, we're not - at least not deliberately. So I find myself
surprised that people still use the term "democracy" as if it either (1)
describes our system of government or (2) would be useful for other
nations.

Iraq is, in fact, a good example of a nation that would be destroyed by
democracy. Much of the trouble there recently results from Shiites - the
majority - taking actions against minority groups. Why bother? When
"democracy" is established, they can just vote that all Sunnis should have
to work for free, or move to one city, or be dead.

Of course, we've been pressuring the Iraqi government to be less than
completely democratic in this respect. And good thing that, too!

The Palestinian territories serve as a good example of democracy in
action. What should the world do if a population's majority wants to be
lead by terrorists? By religious fanatics? By nut jobs? By illiterates?
By people in the pocket of one special interest group or another?

For all our use of this buzz word "democracy", what we really need to be
spreading around the world is the concept of "respect for rights". Only
when a society protects the rights of individuals, including individuals
that are in some minority, can a democracy (or even a democratic republic)
serve a worthy goal.

If a society awards all people the right to live, then we don't have to
worry about a democracy voting killers into office. If a society awards
all people the right to freedom, then we don't have to worry about a
democracy voting for ethnic cleansing.

Sadly, we've our own religious fanatics in this country setting a poor
example. How can it hurt my marriage if a pair of guys or gals is
permitted to marry? What they do couldn't possibly hurt me. Yet rather
than show the world what "respect for rights" means, we've in fact shown
just how narrow a meaning "rights" can have, even here.

No, democracy isn't the answer - at least by itself. If we don't manage
to export a respect for the rights of our fellow humans (regardless of all
those many criteria by which we can divide ourselves), then "democracy" is
just going to put more groups like Hamas into power.

So where is this on our national agenda?

- Andrew