Democracy

Dear Editor: President Karzai of Afghanistan was invited to this country, and he came with outstetched hand for more money yet he criticizes this country for not doing enough to help his government. Never mind that the United States military ran the Taliban out at the cost of some of our lives. Laura Bush goes to the Middle East to help George W. bring democracy to that part of the world and is met by protesters because she visited holy shrines of the Muslims and the Jewish people where she was not supposed to be. Egypt is on the verge of civil war because this is George W.'s stated aim to bring democracy to the Middle East.

As the 2012 general election approaches, more and more attention is being given to one of the archetypal tools of democracy - the vote. But as more and more people spend more and more time obsessing over who's going to vote for whom, it highlights just how little as a nation we ever pay attention to the other tools of democracy that have been granted to us by our constitution and laws. As citizens of the United States, we each have access to one of the most impressive toolboxes in the world for effecting change.

It is with grateful hearts that we commemorate those who have served our country through military service. Our nation has seen times of peace, in which service meant preparation rather than battle. But our military families always must sacrifice and bear the knowledge that battle may be required. President Woodrow Wilson said, "It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war ... civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But the right is more precious than peace and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest to our hearts ?

Dear Editor, The pros and cons of the new city office and police station have been before us for the past several years as two or three city administrations have wrestled with the problem. Finally, an effective plan has evolved, although there will always be doubts, and cost and size questions, just as there are with any major home renovation. I believe the essential building details necessary to meet present and foreseeable future needs are in place, and the commissioners should move ahead with final plans and construction.

The purple finger. Whether you live in a red state or a blue state or were for the war or against it, the image of that black-robed Iraqi woman with the Mona Lisa grin proudly showing a cameraman the finger with the purple mark showing she had voted for the first time in her life had to warm your democratic heart. More than 1,400 brave American soldiers, plus thousands of equally valiant Iraqi soldiers and police officers and innocent citizens, died to give the woman with the little grin and big purple finger, plus millions of her fellow countrymen, the right to vote.

Dear Editor, How does tyranny arise? That it comes out of democracy is fairly clear. Does the change take place in the same sort of way as the change from oligarchy to democracy? Oligarchy was established by men with a certain aim in life: The good they sought was wealth, and it was the insatiable appetite for money - waking to the neglect of everything else that proved its undoing. Is democracy likewise ruined by greed for what it conceives to be "the supreme good?" (Plato, The Republic VIII 562)

For now, things are getting worse in Iraq rather than better. While part of the bad news represents an attempt to influence U.S. elections, most of the violence is the result of Iraqi on Iraqi religious and ethnic strife. It is unknown whether the Iraqis are capable of peaceful political compromise. If they are not, then democracy cannot survive no matter what we do. If democracy cannot survive, the only way to maintain order is through a dictatorial central government. Since there are no functioning democracies among the Arab states, it is not certain that democracy is possible in that culture.

We have a problem. This could be "the big one" ? bigger than coping with the Ahmadinejads, Kims and Chavezes of the world and bigger than our current economic woes. Our republic, our society, may be heading for a crackup. We are bankrupt, both financially and politically. The source of the problem is democracy. Decades of so-called "progressive" thought have led us to abandon the limited-government, constitutional republic established by our Founding Fathers. In the name of putting more power into the hands of "the people" the government has arrogated sweeping powers.

Since our endeavors and institutions are imperfect, it is no surprise democracy has at least one potentially fatal flaw. De Tocqueville called this flaw the “tyranny of the majority:” The prospect that the majority in a democracy would use its political power to oppress a minority. The Founding Fathers were well aware of this problem, and that is why we are a republic and not a democracy. The separation of powers, the Constitution and the principle of “unalienable rights” that do not come from government protects individual citizens from a potentially despotic majority.

Liked â??Our Town' To the Sun: Congratulations to all of those who participated in the recent GRC production of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town. " The students did a great job! It was a very professional production. Also, a big thank you to the Sun for its coverage of the play, including photgraphs of the actors and the set. Terry Christopher Winchester Democracy isn't an easy thing To the Sun: One of the most enduring lessons learned from high school freshman civics class is that, in order for democracy to thrive, there must be a well-educated population, and one that understands the principles and responsibilities of that democracy.

As the 2012 general election approaches, more and more attention is being given to one of the archetypal tools of democracy - the vote. But as more and more people spend more and more time obsessing over who's going to vote for whom, it highlights just how little as a nation we ever pay attention to the other tools of democracy that have been granted to us by our constitution and laws. As citizens of the United States, we each have access to one of the most impressive toolboxes in the world for effecting change.

A group that's appeared before the Winchester Board of Commissioners - many of the members not even residents of Clark County - could teach a valuable lesson to others. Speak Out and Rescue, a non-profit group that helps abused or neglected animals, has twice appeared before city commissioners asking them to enact a no-chaining dog ordinance. After receiving dozens of calls from local residents about abused and neglected animals, some whose collars had dug so far into their necks they had permanent scars, volunteer activists decided to take a stand.

The time to end this discriminatory policy (DADT) is now! To truly say we live in a democracy requires us as a nation to treat all people equally. This is the best opportunity to make this happen. It could very well be the most important thing Congress well ever do. Is it really possible to place a value on what good can come from telling a whole segment of society, “Hey, we are exactly the same. I am no better than you.” Let us end this discrimination.

During the past year, we’ve seen striking examples of the power of large corporations to shape and distort public policy. Congress passed health care legislation that locks in the wasteful administrative expenses and unnecessary profits of the health care industry. The recently passed financial reforms fail to break up the huge Wall Street corporations whose greed and incompetence cost millions of jobs and trillions of dollars. They remain “too big to fail,” and will need to be rescued at public expense the next time they implode.

Since our endeavors and institutions are imperfect, it is no surprise democracy has at least one potentially fatal flaw. De Tocqueville called this flaw the “tyranny of the majority:” The prospect that the majority in a democracy would use its political power to oppress a minority. The Founding Fathers were well aware of this problem, and that is why we are a republic and not a democracy. The separation of powers, the Constitution and the principle of “unalienable rights” that do not come from government protects individual citizens from a potentially despotic majority.

We have a problem. This could be "the big one" ? bigger than coping with the Ahmadinejads, Kims and Chavezes of the world and bigger than our current economic woes. Our republic, our society, may be heading for a crackup. We are bankrupt, both financially and politically. The source of the problem is democracy. Decades of so-called "progressive" thought have led us to abandon the limited-government, constitutional republic established by our Founding Fathers. In the name of putting more power into the hands of "the people" the government has arrogated sweeping powers.

What is obscenity? I've given a lot of thought to that this week, and it seems I'm not alone in our community. In my Aug. 27 column, I encouraged readers to log on and join in the conversation around the "virtual fence" provided through the Journal's Web site. I suppose as an opinion columnist I should have expected that sometimes my fence might be an electric one. I did receive a jolt or two as I read the comments there. The right kind of spark can turn a person in a new direction.

It is with grateful hearts that we commemorate those who have served our country through military service. Our nation has seen times of peace, in which service meant preparation rather than battle. But our military families always must sacrifice and bear the knowledge that battle may be required. President Woodrow Wilson said, "It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war ... civilization itself seeming to be in the balance. But the right is more precious than peace and we shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest to our hearts ?

Three important aspects of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution are that Congress shall make no law abridging 1) "the freedom of speech," 2) "the right of the people peaceably to assemble," or the right 3) "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. " With the aforementioned phrases, America's founders established that citizens of the United States would be free to debate, disagree, dissent and even denounce the actions of government. The right to take issue with elected officials was one of the fundamental rights the founders believed had to be protected.

Thomas Jefferson's 266th birthday came and went on Monday, April 13 without much notice by Americans. At Monticello, Mr. Jefferson's historic home near Charlottesville, Va., the U.S. Army's Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps provided music, and wreaths were presented to honor the anniversary of Jefferson's birth. The relatively modest pomp and ceremony were duly noted in the press. Jefferson famously once remarked that given a choice between government without newspapers and newspapers without government, he "would not hesitate to prefer the latter.