A TCWatcher's observations on Democracy

Richard Ward (Greenfield, TN) writes--

Dear TennesseeConservative:

As "one-of-you," I'd like to offer this friendly advice. Rethink your statement about "democracy" as being the best form of government that there is. That is "Democracy" with the capital D, i.e.. the FORM of government. But there is another distinctly different use of the word, and I emphasize the distinction by putting in in the lower case, "democracy," that one being primarily synonymous with "freedom" as described in the First Amendment. The USA (and Tennessee) is the latter but not the former, definitely not a Democracy. As truly a majority-rule form of government, Democracy is and always has been a gigantic hoax. So-called "majority rule" is now and always has been a disguise for the reality, "minority rule." The myth has to be there so that none of us, the majority, will start asking, "Why them? Why that particular minority?" They have been so successful that most Tennesseans don't even know the word for minority-rule. We know the phoney, "Democracy," okay, but most of us have never heard of OLIGARCHY. Democracy-disguised Oligarchies are made possible through the ruse of what we call "popular elections" combined with a one-party ("Republocrat") electioneering system that pretends to be two fiercely competing forces. That pretense is so convincing that many if not most of its main players theselves are fooled by it.

Remember that Americanism: "A government of the People, by the People, and for the People?" It is a fraud as it presently stands, but that is only because of the electioneering ingredient that produces a government of, by, and for "the experts," that is, that minority whose primary experteeism is fooling and beguiling We-the-People --- mainly dissembling-trained lawyers.

Remember, we are taking about "form of government" as you put it in your nice website. Rule by the majority, even on a representative basis, has never never never been a reality. Why? Because, as a FORM of government (rather than just a "little d" CHARACTERISTIC of society), Democracy is an impossibility that, when seriously tried, has always led to mobocracy and anarchy which, in turn, has always led people right back to the same old, same-old -- Oligarchy. Likewise, all "Monarchies" have been that, too -- Oligarchy. Rule by the few is what one writer about 100 years ago called "the iron rule of oligarchy." Escaping Oligarchy is the name of Humanity's entire political "game." You see, what Sin is to the individual, Oligarchy is to the group.

"Republic" -- that's different. That's not rule by one man, by a few men, or by the majority of men. "Republic," res publica, that's rule by an inanimate and fixed THING, the Law, i.e., the Constitution. Granted, being administered, worked under, and interpreted by sinful MEN is not without its problems and pitfalls, even under the best of situations. Granted, too, where Republics have long been designed and set to paper, nobody has ever succeeded in KEEPING a Republic, at least not for longer than about 45 minutes.

Solution? Yes. Back to the "of-by-and-for-the- People" ideal -- (brace yourself!) -- replace elections with drawings. Anybody who meets the age, residency, and citizenship requirements laid forth in the current Constitution, through a Gaming Commission-regulated system, may "put his name into the hat" or "throw his hat into the ring." Kiss career politicians goodbye. Kiss partyism goodbye. Wave goodbye to campaigning and its lies, its fundraising, to nepotism, and eventually to huge chunks of the humanly-impossible-to-manage federal bureaucracy. I mean, do we have faith in our fellows, or don't we?
Ah yes! What about the possibility of one of our "village idiots" going to Congress or, worse, the Presidency? After Bill Clinton and G.W. Bush, an idiot might be quite refreshing. Seriously, the odds are that our new kind of President will be just like the rest of us, "slightly above average" intelligent-wise. We have already seen where professional, expert, intelligent career politicos have taken us and what they have done to and with the Constitution and its declared wars and its legal tender and its Tenth Amendment and State Sovereignty, so "Chance Politics" might do what the status quo is not about to do, change course.

Republic is the one and only alternative to Oligarchy, and even though it has been illusive so far, dare we surrender to Oligarchy? Good luck at revising your website.

Richard Ward