Democracy is not a fundamental principle:
Democracy is a human concept. It is a word with many definitions. But there is none that can ensure a sustainable
set of government systems and structures within any nation - or set of nations in
a world where the protection of national sovereignty remains supreme to the global
protection of universal human rights.
Any governing system engineered by the majority vote of a largely
ignorant population will be at best, largely dysfunctional. And then, inevitably doomed given the
evolution of technology and its increasing complexity in an irreversibly interconnected
and interdependent world that most human minds are incapable of understanding
or accepting.
In a book review of “Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive
Lure of authoritarianism” By Anne Applebaum (Wpost 7-26-20) https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-everyday-decisions-that-undermine-democracy/2020/07/23/691fb72c-c078-11ea-b178-bb7b05b94af1_story.html Sheri Berman ( Barnard College political
science professor) provides a context of the book and her review suggesting we there
will always have “the long-standing
struggle between
democracy and dictatorship.”
This is true if we hold democracy as our primary guild star
for any government architecture.
Why? Because democracy
is inherently flawed as well as fragile in any form.
Berman concludes “Its survival depends on choices made every
day by elites and ordinary people.” The books author, Anne Applebaum writes “There
is no road map to a better society…no didactic ideology, no rule book. All we can do is choose our allies and our friends…..with
great care, for only with them, together, is it possible to avoid the
temptations of the different forms of authoritarianism.”
Hogwash! Both the
author and reviewer are under the mindspell of the Beltway status quo, the
source of pay checks and long term employment.
This status quo persistently ignores the reality that it worships a 400 year
old concept called national sovereignty in a modern, irreversibly and increasingly
hyper connected and interdependent world. And believe beyond any rational evidence national
sovereignty is the best protector their freedom and security and thus their prosperity
and sustainability.
This largely unexamined illusion is killing us by the
hundreds of millions each year in the form of wars, genocides, infectious diseases,
terrorism, revolutions, international crimes, pollution, climate extremes, and natural
disasters that national borders and independent national policies cannot
prevent, fiscally respond to, or effectively prevent.
Why? Because ‘independent’
government systems based on the will of their majorities short term interests
are incapable of dealing with an irreversible and increasingly interdependent
world. Each ‘majority’ invests endlessly
in protecting the illusion that that legally authorized political borders will shield
them from both natural global realities and the unprecedently powerful and
globally invasive technological systems and structures that humanity has created
to boost our individual economic and/or military power.
A majority of humanity and our leaders have forgotten the
fundamental principle that sovereignty resides in individuals, not nations. And unless ‘we the people’ of this bountiful
world enlighten ourselves and our leaders to the fundamental reality that ‘united
we stand’ a chance…and, divided we will fall…even fail as a species. We all share this unbelievably unique planet
with one another. We all have the same
basic needs. And the vast majority has the
same desire. To maximize our freedoms
and security. Thomas Paine projected
this in his Common Sense pamphlet over 250 years ago. Protecting human freedom and security is the only
legitimate role of government.
The great news is that there is a rational and proven alternative
to the insanity in believing democracy or dictatorship is our only choices. It is called “the Rule of Law”. You will hear this phrase used frequently in
defending many actions of our own government.
But rarely does anyone define it or insist on all three of its fundamental
elements. Supreme Court Justice Anthony
Kennedy once gave the best definition I’d ever heard. He was speaking on C-Span to a group of international
visitors and was asked “what makes the Rule of Law effective”. He said it requires three basic elements. First, the laws need to be made and enforce
by a democratic process. People need to know
their voices and votes matter and the laws are applied. Second, the laws need to be applied equally to
everyone. There needs to be a perception
of justice. Last. The purpose of the laws must be protective of
basic human rights. If these are
ignored, don’t expect stability. For laws to work best all three elements are
needed.
Our founding father’s offered another fundamental principle in
the Declaration of Independence. The “Laws
of Nature” If we fail to follow these or
the laws of “Nature’s God” don’t expect a government to work or to last. The phrase “Nature’s God” may be rejected by
many religion skeptics. But any rational
being will know that the fundamental tenant of every major religion is the
golden rule. There’s a reason for
that. Even lowly animals will react
violently if abused.
Pick your poison! A democracy,
republic, federation, or dictatorship…none last. Each has and will likely continue to
perpetuate injustices (preferring one group over another) or violate fundamental
human rights (basic freedoms we all need to survive and thrive).
It is up to us, we the people’, to insist that any future form
of government we seek, must effectively protect ‘liberty and justice for all’. Not just pledge it.
NOUN
1. a system of government by the whole population or all the
eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
"capitalism and democracy are ascendant in the third
world"
synonyms:
representative government · elective
government · constitutional government · popular
government · self-government · government by the
people · autonomy · republic · commonwealth
·
a state governed by a democracy.
"a multiparty democracy"
·
control of an organization or group by the
majority of its members.
"the intended extension of industrial democracy"
·
the practice or principles of social equality.
"demands for greater democracy"
synonyms:
independence · self-government · self-determination · self-legislation · self rule · home rule · sovereignty · autonomy · autarky · self-sufficiency · individualism · separation · nonalignment · emancipation · enfranchisement · manumission
· Democracy | Definition of Democracy by Merriam-Webster
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/democracy
Definition of democracy. 1 a : government by the people especially : rule of the
majority. b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in
the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of
representation usually involving periodically held free elections.
· Democracy
| Definition of Democracy at Dictionary.com
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/democracy
Democracy definition, government by the people; a form of government in which
the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by
their elected agents under a …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy
·
Overview
·
Types
of governmental democracies
·
Characteristics
·
History
·
Theory
·
Measurement
of democracy
·
Non-governmental
democracy
·
Justification
Democracy has taken a
number of forms, both in theory and practice. Some varieties of democracy
provide better representation and more freedom for their citizens than others.
However, if any democracy is not structured to prohibit the government from excluding
the people from the legislative process, or any branch of government from
altering the separation of powers in its favour, then a branch of the system
can accumulate too much power and destroy the democracy.
Wikipedia ·
Text under CC-BY-SA license
· DEMOCRACY | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/democracy
the belief in freedom and equality
between people, or a system of government based on this belief, in which power
is either held by elected representatives or directly by the people themselves.
politics & government. A democracy is a country
in which power is held by elected representatives.
· Democracy
- definition of democracy by The Free Dictionary
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/democracy
1. government
by the people; a form of
government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised
directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
2. a state having such a form of government. 3. a state of society
characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy
