Democracy vs Republic

There's some propaganda going around trying to assert a difference between democracy and republic.

Propaganda: Democracy means one-man-one-vote, which means majority rule, which means individuals and minorities are screwed. America is not a democracy but a representative republic, which is better because it protects minorities.

Purpose: This is a setup, getting people ready to accept the idea that we do NOT want democracy in America. We want to trust our representatives, our leaders, who know better than we do what's good for us.

Truth: Democracy means the people rule. Period. Individuals and minorities are part of the people. If their rights are trampled on, that is not a true democracy. We seriously want democracy in America. That is the whole point of America: no kings and queens, all people are created equal. America can be described as a representative republic, but that is just the way we have chosen to implement democracy.

Framing

Here is a great article on how propagandists "frame the debate", and how we should use similar techniques to communicate. By Jeffrey Feldman at FrameShopIsOpen

Aggression

From Chogyam Trungpa in The Myth of Freedom page 38.

"The aggression of the hell realm does not seem to be your aggression, but it seems to permeate the whole space around you. There is a feeling of extreme stuffiness and claustrophobia. There is no space in which to breathe, no space in which to act, and life becomes overwhelming. The aggression is so intense that, if you were to kill someone to satisfy your aggresssion, you would achieve only a small degree of satisfaction. The aggression still lingers around you. Even if you were to try to kill yourself, you would find that the killer remains; so you would not have managed to murder yourself completely. There is a constant environment of aggression in which one never knows who is killing whom. It is like trying to eat yourself from the inside out. Having eaten yourself, the eater remains, and he must be eaten as well, and so on and so on. Each time the crocodile bites his own tail, he is nourished by it; the more he eats, the more he grows. There is no end to it."

Higher?

I have to admit, the title of this blog is "higher passages", but these entries are quite low. All about politics and what's wrong with other people. Politics is a distraction, a symbol, a source of drama.

Problem number one: election system

We may already have enough smart, aware people in the US, but we are hamstrung by the election system. The other side can rig it. Problems two, three, and four, could be solved if we could elect decent people.

We need:

1. A verifiable voting system. These bogus Diebold voting machines are absurd.

2. Instant run-offs.

3. Parties outlawed. A party is nothing more than a gang. Every man vote your conscience every time. No deals.

4. No corporate involvement in politics. None. One man, one vote. No gangs.

5. Electoral college: gone. One man, one vote.

Small minds

Which is more significant:

a penny or a dollar?
a penny or 10 dollars?
a penny or 1 million dollars?
a penny or a large invesment portfolio diversified into energy stocks, foreign currencies, hedge funds, and real estate trusts, managed by four different investment houses, and overseen by a personal attorney in New York and an accountant in Houston?

Whoa, you lost me there. Let's talk about that penny.

We all have our limitations. As a thing gets larger and more complex, at some point, it surpasses my ability to deal with it. My mind has to be able to expand to encompass the thing. My mind might not be big enough to comprehend an investment portfolio. But it can handle a penny or a dollar.

Further more, it is hard work to expand one's mind. Given a choice, we'd rather not.

Our rulers have learned that. They create symbols. Small symbols. Small, easily understood , compelling symbols that we can all grapple with. Distractions. They take our minds off the complex stuff. The flag. Terry Shiavo. Homosexuality. Abortion. Jesus. God. Christmas. Osama bin Laden. Sadam Hussein.

What's the matter with Kansas? Why do people vote for harmful things? Small-mindedness. We focus on the small things. And miss the big things.

George Carlin said of yellow ribbons: they're symbols, and I leave symbols to the symbol-minded.

Eddie Izzard says: A murderer we put in jail. A serial killer we put in prison. But someone like Stalin who can kill millions upon millions becomes a hero. It's just too big and overwhelming.

Good leaders, evil rulers

Good men are willing to lead, but not to rule. Evil men are willing to rule.

Many good people are disappointed that John Kerry conceded the 2004 election so quickly. The Bush team was willing to ruthlessly exploit the system to win at all costs. Kerry wanted the system to work, and the only way it will work is if we let it.

The last great leader we had was Eisenhower. In WWII he stepped up to lead. The country accepted his leadership. The country wanted and needed a great leader.

People don't want a good leader right now. People are infected with greed and are willing to blind themselves to the realities.

Teamwork

There are times when the willingness to submit to something greater is a good thing. A soldier might exemplify this. A soldier who does not know the strategy of his superiors, but does his job the best he can. A team player.

But this same trait also leads to the possibility of abuses.
It makes possible leadership - good or bad.
It makes possible a classed society, with leaders and followers, oppressors and oppressed.

What if humans did not have this trait?