<sigh> More of the same... Prayers for Syria

[AZhitman]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/03/ ... tml?hpt=T1

Not "new news", but I pray that this is all somehow productive in the end.

Democracy is a basic human right, it can't be silenced, and we in America don't have a patent on it. I only hope these archaic and outdated despotic "leaders" are overthrown with a minimum of bloodshed and the people in Africa, the Middle East, and other places get to taste freedom and experience liberty in their lifetimes.

[heliochrome85]

i just booked my parents for june. heres hoping our house is still standing when the time comes.

[themadscientist]

I wouldn't call democracy a basic human right, but rather a social construct. I prefer the "right to be left alone." This encompasses the idea that an individual has the right to self determination including freedom from the oppression of the masses. Democracy is a group-think comprimise and many people can be as trapped in that system as a despotic regime. Look at our country. Look at the little game we play every four years. Let's forget our petty predujudices and past squabbles and think about Washington as an institution for a moment.

Do any of you think that people of real substance that wish only to advance the fortunes of all of us regardless of political or ideological affiliation and desire no power beyond that to serve others actually hold any positions of influence?

With the inbred, entrenched systems of lobbyists, PACs, big-money influence peddlers, and a mindless, emotional electorate that is at best incapable of critical thinking, at worst actively avoids it while it elects manipulatable face men and women who serve interests that care little if at all about America or its citizens, do you honestly think our government is benevolent?

So many average Americans have been driven out of the politcal system by the partisan bile and combativeness, not to mention the increasingly closed entry points to participation that it is an assured impossibility that our government truly reflects the will of the majority of our people. The squeakiest wheel gets the grease while the smooth-running wheels toil in silence. This smooth-running wheel is getting really tired of taking up the slack for the ones with bad bearings.

Democracy is not a basic human right, Freedom and Liberty are. Democracy is just a political system that while in the most general terms is preferrable to any other system, it is not without the ability to oppress. Have you checked the rules of your homeowners association recently? Better cut that grass and buy the right mail box. Yeah, democratic as it may be and even though you bought the house, you can't do what you want with it now can you?

You think you are that free? Try not paying your taxes.

[IBCoupe]

Try not paying your taxes.

Only works when you stop interacting with the oppressive masses.

Ever wonder why the IRS never bothers this guy?

[AZhitman]

Democracy is not a basic human right, Freedom and Liberty are.

Yeah, democratic as it may be and even though you bought the house, you can't do what you want with it now can you?

You think you are that free? Try not paying your taxes.

My bad, I was typing without thinking.

I'm on the HOA Board, so I'm well aware... but I accept those limitations in order to ensure I don't have to live next to some a$$ with a turquoise house and an 83 Monte Carlo on blocks in the front yard.

I don't pay a lot of taxes. And I like it that way.

[themadscientist]

Not knocking it, but one must be aware of the facets of society and how the comforts and conveniences it provides comes with counterbalancing advances into your personal liberties. Every individual must weigh these and find an equilibrium that suits them.

I don't like anybody trying to infringe on me in any way, but a cabin in the woods is not currently an acceptable arrangement so I tolerate suburban conventions that I may find a bit encroaching for the benefits of public utilities, paved roads, and shopping in close proximity.

Were I single and substantially less interested in affecting the direction of our society, however, I would have little concern about loading up my truck and heading up into the mountains and making my own way. People piss me off a lot and I am quite confident I can do just fine living "retro."

[stebo0728]

One question I'd like to hear some of you answer, and it pertains to alot of the engagements we are currently involved in, as well as some we've chosen not not to be.

Do the certain inalienable rights we enjoy in America exist universally? Or are they merely a manufacture of our creation as a nation? If they exist universally, does suggest a responsibility for those who enjoy them to help spread them to those who dont?

[IBCoupe]

Assuming the answer to your first question is "Yes," the answer to the second, in my mind, is "sometimes."

Compare Libya to Iraq - giving the populace a truer democracy could arguably be one of the goals. What's the difference? Libyans started the thing, whereas we brought a burning bag of democracy to Iraq's doorstep, rang the doorbell, and hid behind the bushes.

[themadscientist]

I am very much a beleiver in the right of self determination, but also beleive that the concept is a higher-level mental construct and not a law of nature. A mouse cannot stand up for this right against an owl as it swoops in. No, natural law is suvival of the fittest and the stratification of predator and prey , the domination of the weak by the strong. One of the advantages of a society is the attempt to impress arguably important ideas over our natural animal instincts.

The less evolved the government of a group, the closer they are to the natural state described above. The responsibility of free people to advocate for the freedom of people outside their sphere of influence is purely an idea, not a natural law, but I think it is our duty and that we stain our own liberty by turning a blind eye to the oppression of others.

Unfortunately, I don't think our government or most of our populace decide who is and is not deserving of our help based on the rightness of the action itself, but rather if the people are "freindly." I don't see how anyone regardless of political slant could say we advocate for freedom and rights around the world in an objective manner. We rush to help some and let others swing in the wind, often at the same time.

IMO, walk the talk, always, or STFU.