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It has been quite a while since I looked up the root of a word. Butas I experience the blinding speed of change in the U.S. and searchmyself for courage to face the crushing reality that the government is gearing up for a unilateral war on Iraq, I find myself pondering the meaning of the word "democracy." According to Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, "democracy" is derived from two Greek words: demos, meaning "the people," and kratein, "to rule." It has several definitions, including government by the people, majority rule, and the acceptance and practice of the principle of equal rights, opportunity, and treatment. In its adjective form, "democratic," it is also defined as "of or for all the people."
In these ideas I find some contradiction concerning who will have a voice. In the debacle surrounding the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore garnered the popular (or majority) vote. However, the Electoral College, coupled with the politically skewed Supreme Court, declared the election for George W. Bush, even as Florida's chaotic election returns were still being sorted out.
So, what is democracy? Daily, I am witnessing the fattening of the powers, privileges, and costs of this radical, "conservative" government. "Conservative" should imply conservation not only of the people's freedoms, rights, and resources, but also of the goodwill and respect toward other peoples and lands that protect international relationships.
Instead, this Administration has revived the option of first nuclear strike and disassembled nuclear treaties so that missile defense ("Star Wars") can be developed. This reckless rhetoric of threat and aggression-the hallmark of this Administration from the beginning-is interpreted by many Americans, United Nations representatives, and even our friends in the international community as inflammatory and
destabilizing.
As U.S. rhetoric gets more volcanic with each passing day, it paves the warpath to self-fulfilling prophecy. It also demonstrates the rigid confidence that goes with the psychological phenomenon known as "projection." Projection enables people to cast their own unrecognized and unacceptable attributes onto others, thereby preserving their position of moral rectitude. The U.S.-biggest weapons broker in history, home to the world's largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction and weapons-grade plutonium, and world-renowned trainer of soldiers from repressive regimes-is depicted by the president as guardian of the world with the blessing of God.
It seems to me that unless we, the people, are prepared to see our fragile democracy eroded further or relegated to the archaic ruins of lost ideals, we need to take action to halt the abuse of power by this Administration.
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