What has always been (until recently) one of the most prominent characteristics of the Constitutional Republic given to us by our Founders? It has been the more or less peaceful transition of governmental power from one presidential administration to the next—often from one political party to a different one. (different, at least, on paper). That was what almost always separated us from the wild and mob dominated “politics” of other countries on this planet. The U.S. has always experienced the ire of a disappointed electorate, caused by real or imagined vote “tampering” or deliberate miscounting of votes. But with the election of Donald Trump as our 45th President back in November, 2016, the “robe” of Presidential “investiture” began to be purposely unraveled in a tangle of lies, conspiracies, invectives, incriminations, and downright malevolence! It has gone downhill quickly after that.
Why is this happening to us? Why did the relatively peaceful transition of power dissolve before our eyes, as “AntiFa” bullies and anarchists attempted to threaten our peace, our property, and our lives, as they flooded the streets of Washington, D.C. after Trump’s win and even during his presidential inauguration with meaningless and anarchist rhetoric and violence, and kept at it for much of his memorable administration, doing the bidding of the “gnomes of Ultimate Power”—people like the evil George Soros, Michael Bloomberg, and those who control THEIR (not our) main stream media? Are we Americans losing what has always been our political strength? Have we already lost it? Are we slowly succumbing to the WRONG belief that our political system is a “pure democracy”, designed from its inception to be responsive to the threats and the violence of a brainless (but NOT leaderless) mob? Just exactly WHAT is “pure democracy” and why did our Founders fear it?
Daily, and on our nightly news broadcasts, we hear the endless and INACCURATE assurances that Americans are living in a “democracy”, we always have lived in a “democracy”, and it is being threatened by external forces (those evil Russians who ‘controlled’ President Trump for four years), and especially by internal forces, those nasty right-wing extremists who are filthy rich, are armed to the teeth, and who are banding together to overthrow our historic “democracy”. Even intelligent people who know better refer to our CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC as a “democracy”, perhaps assuming in their misfiring brains that ‘republics’ and ‘democracies’ are exactly the same. But they are NOT!
WHAT EXACTLY IS A ‘DEMOCRACY’?
- Rule (political/military) by the majority of the citizenry;
- A minority of citizens can be tyrannized by the majority;
- Pure democracy (such as existed in ancient Greece) is characterized by MOB RULE, ever-expanding government bureaucracies, and endless demands for “free entitlements”;
- The minority of citizens (racial, social, class,) can lose their political or social rights if the “majority” so decide and pass laws to that effect.
I’d like to share with you a penetrating article from the Blog: Center For Self Governance. It was written by Bill Norton, and published on Jan. 23, 2017. I quote from this easily understood explanation as to WHY what is happening to us is happening:
“…(H)istory has proven the road to mass democracy will lead to turmoil, contention, anarchy, and will necessarily result in a tyrannical oligarchy that will be difficult to reverse….America’s Framers sought a form of government that would eliminate the extremes of tyranny and anarchy. George Washington described this human struggle wherein “there is a natural and necessary progression from the extreme of anarchy to the extreme of tyranny”. (Circular to the States, June 8, 1783). Jefferson hoped that “the pendulum will rest in the middle”. (Letter to William Smith, Feb. 2, 1788).
“The Framers analyzed history to identify what forms of government would best promote liberty rather than tyranny or anarchy. They discovered NO single form. They did discover that parts of one added to pieces of another provided a solution and from these created a unique mixed form of government with ‘separation of powers’ and ‘checks and balances’. Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what is for dinner. Great for the wolves, bad for the sheep. It could be said that our Republic is two wolves and a sheep voting on what’s for dinner, with a LAW that none of the three can be on the menu!
“All societies are made up of warring factions and have been throughout history…. The Framers realized that the only way to have good government is to provide the best representation for each faction. The way to accomplish this is with a ‘mixed’ form of government, which includes the most advantageous parts of a democracy, republic, oligarchy, and monarchy. They knew that mass (pure) democracy would become the tyranny of the majority, which has proven to be just as incompatible with freedom as any tyrant on earth. John Adams said, ‘While (democracy) lasts it is more bloody than either (aristocracy or monarchy)’…. (D)emocracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet, that did not commit suicide’. (Letter to John Taylor, Dec. 17, 1814).
“James Madison said in Federalist #10: ‘…democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have
in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their
deaths’. It is clear the Framers did NOT create a democracy, nor did
they even consider it. Some democratic principles are good, and must be kept, but if we remove the safeguards against the tyranny of democracy, we will be left in ruins like every other democracy in history.”
Read that last sentence again, my fellow Americans. Let the truth of that statement sink in. IF the wisdom incorporated in our system of government becomes disregarded and discarded, as I fear that it is, our beloved America will disintegrate into ruins “like every other democracy in history”. Are we letting this happen to us? Can we do anything to prevent it? Next time, in part two, we’ll explore some possible solutions to our dilemma.