The False Promise of "Democracy"
(sorry-blog only -guest video Tahrir Square Mass Below)
Two stories are dominating the news cycle in America. The uprising in Egypt, and the Ruling of Judge Vinson that declares “ObamaCare” to be unconstitutional. To the casual observer, these issues have little in common. They are, however, illustrations of a crucial fact – that is...
Democracy, in and of itself, is useless.
Yes my dear friends in Egypt, while America joins the world in wishing you peace and prosperity as you prepare to throw off the shackles of authoritarianism, please take note. You may believe that your salvation lies in the introduction of “free and fair” elections, but such thought is folly. Yes, there are those that believe that the unparalleled prosperity of the United States is rooted in its “free and fair” electoral process. They too, engage in folly.
(the video below of a Christian Mass at Tahrir Square gives hope for a New Government based on "liberty and justice for all" not just "democracy")
At the root of the success of the United States is a governing belief in private property, and a constitutionally constrained government that is empowered only to protect, and never to infringe, on that private property. In this case one is to include as “property” the right to own the fruit of ones labor, as well as the right to “own” ones “self.” In the founding document of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, these words;
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed”
and the Constitutionally constrained government established to define these principles; propelled the United States of America into an era of unequaled strength and prosperity. In doing so, those two sentences, combined with a determined pledge to be governed by clear and equal “rule of law” made by those who were sworn to uphold the principles set forth in the Constitution – altered the course of human history.
Without question, the reliance on a clear and predictable rule of law, applied equally to all; that not only recognized, but called on the Government to be the protector of individual liberty and privately owned property; was the bright light of opportunity and freedom that lit the entire world. Without exception, America welcomes all beliefs, colors, and creeds with a single prerequisite. That is to “hold these truths to be self-evident.”
The role of “democracy” in preserving liberty is an illusion. If those who are elected in a “free and fair” election have no allegiance to the principles of “liberty and justice for all” they are likely to engage in the oppression of significant minorities (or even majorities) while pandering to the whims of a plurality of the electorate. It is clear that this is the direction in which America now leans, and possibly the point at which Egyptian “democracy” will start.
Consider:
-The United States of America recently elected a President that has been declared in contempt of court for refusing to adhere to the judicial ruling concerning the Gulf Drilling Moratorium.
-The Legislature moved to retro-actively overturn it's own law that limits liabilities so that the President could confiscate a billion dollars from BP.
-This same President also appears to be willing to ignore the judicial ruling that declared “ObamaCare” to be void.
These are but three examples in a gradual but accelerating trend of the United States leaning away from a predictable, clear, and equally applied “rule of law,” and toward a system of “mob rule” sometimes known as “populism” and politely known as “democracy.”
Where the current revolt in Egypt will lead is unknowable at this time. The root causes, the organizing leaders, the eventual resulting government are all fluid at this time. We can only urge and encourage those on the ground in Cairo to recognize that “democracy” is only liberating if those implementing it are committed to “these truths to be self-evident,...”and is willing to limit and constrain the legitimate power that it confers on its government. To rely only on a “democratic election” will invariably lead to the election of charismatic despots that promise to “punish their enemies” and “reward their voters” with the wealth and riches that they confiscate from others. Democracy, unconstrained, ultimately results in yet another tyranny with which the voters only consolation is that they were allowed to choose its name.
Here in the United States, our leaders are sworn to uphold a Constitution. The Constitution is, contrary to some beliefs; clear, concise, and direct. It can be read, and easily understood by any literate person. Yet, the trend in the United States is to contend that this document, to which all elected representatives and executives have sworn an oath to uphold, is not knowable to any other than a group of appointed Judges. These people contend that the “Constitution” can only be understood by nine appointed Judges, who somehow know the secret code in which the Constitution was written. To this end, they have become more akin to "Imams" than "Judges."
Oddly, it is not the Constitution that is written in secretive and coded language, but rather the rulings of Supreme Court which portends to explain to we mere mortals what the Constitution really says. It is this court that has created the “penumbra doctrine ” to explain its twisted logic and often conflicting “rulings.”
Don't know the “penumbra doctrine ?”
Not to worry – nobody else does either. But go ahead an google it for fun.
Any person objectively reading the Constitution of the United States can come to no other objective conclusion than that its original intent gave the Federal Government NO authority to compel a private citizen to enter an agreement with another private entity – as is required in “ObamaCare.” Still, pundits and politicians alike are insisting that the Supreme Court take up this case so that we might know if this law complies with the Constitution. It clearly does not. Only those that subscribe to the “penumbra doctrine” can argue that there is some ambiguity in the clearly written words of the Constitution that allows such authoritarian rule by the Federal Government.
The question of the legality of this law goes far beyond “Health Care.” It represents the last thread of Constitutionally constrained government that exists in America today. The current “Health Care Law” makes a person who chooses to do “nothing,” a criminal. If the Constitution does not constrain the Government from criminalizing “nothing,” it clearly is not constrained from criminalizing “anything.”
That is – to confirm this law, is to confirm the Death of the Constitution, Death of the Rule of Law, and the official start of the Rule of Men in America.
But then...
We will still have democracy, and with it...
the right to name our tyrant.