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Tag(s): Democracy; Government; Greed; History; History; International; Money; Oil; Riots; Weapons
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May 21, 2008 at 23:46:07

Headlined on 5/21/08:
The Hypocrisy of Democracy

by Justin Soutar Page 2 of 2 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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The joint partnership of the American government and media elite squelched all the bad news, successfully keeping US citizens in the dark. But the truth eventually leaked out in 1979, when the Iranian citizens rose up in unison against the Shah and overthrew him, bringing in the fiercely anti-American Ayatollah Khomeini with fantastic jubilation. Unfortunately, the US government could not stand the combination of a virulently anti-American leader with the overwhelming allegiance of his people. He was a perfect scapegoat for the US, which immediately piled false condemnations upon him and a year later we helped Iraq to fight a war against Iran, partly to punish the latter for its breakthrough to democracy.

The Constitutional Revolution of Persia, the overthrow of Ahmad Shah, the election of Mohammed Mossadiq and the joyful welcome given to Ayatollah Khomeini are all classic examples of a nation’s people asserting their right to self-government—what G. K. Chesterton called democracy—despite external pressures and intervention. As Thomas Jefferson alluded to in his remark quoted above, fallen human nature tends to obscure and threaten true democracy. We Americans must be on our guard for the evil of a relentless transnational mega-corporate greed disguised as the good of an unselfish worldwide spread of democracy.

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http://justin-86.newsvine.com

Justin Soutar is a Roman Catholic freelance writer from Ohio. Since 2005 he has published twenty-five articles on pro-life issues, the Pope & his message, American politics and elections, terrorism, the Middle East, and other topics in a wide variety of Internet and print publications. I was born and raised a devout Catholic and a patriotic, conservative-leaning, Republican American. Early on I acquired a keen interest in politics. At age 10 I memorized parts of a 1996 presidential election debate between President Bill Clinton and Senator Bob Dole; attended a Republican rally in an airport hangar; passed out Dole campaign literature around my neighborhood; and created my own "Dole Kemp" sign for my bedroom window facing the street. More quietly, but with great hope, I rooted for Bush-Cheney in 2000. After the tragedy of September 11, 2001, I became a staunch advocate of the "War on Terrorism". The showdown between President Bush and Pope John Paul II over the war in Iraq led me to begin critical thinking and open-minded research about American foreign policy. Subsequent discoveries provoked me to begin writing in March 2005. Previously published articles include "Rescuing the 2008 Presidential Campaign" (Political Cortex, April 10, 2008); "The Peace Pope" (Inside the Vatican, June/July 2006, pp. 36-39); and "The Shadow of Death" (Hereditas, August 2005). My book on terrorism is expected to be released by Tate Publishing in late 2008.

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3 comments

Brett Paatsch is an Australian born secular humanist with degrees in management and science and an interest in politics. He is a former pro-American that wishes to be pro-American again and thinks the impeachment and repudiation of President George W Bush for the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 is necessary to reestablish trust in American signatures on international treaties and confidence in the global rule of law.
Brett PaatschBrett Paatsch is an Australian born secular humanist with degrees in management and science and an interest in politics. He is a former pro-American that wishes to be pro-American again and thinks the impeachment and repudiation of President George W Bush for the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 is necessary to reestablish trust in American signatures on international treaties and confidence in the global rule of law.

Hey good article.

I see from your bio that you are not someone with whom I would expect to agree. A Roman Catholic born in 1986! You are young and not yet corrupt beyond an ability to change and grow and teach and share it seems - good luck to you.

"Democracies" change their governments on fairly short cylces of three or four yearly and for the most part I think that is a good thing as it gives citizens an opportunity to be involved in selecting their leaders, but it has consequences.

The desire to create wealth through investment is usually held by individuals for considerably longer than electoral cycles and the temptation to pursue and wield wealth for personal gain seems almost irresistible.

How many ordinary people that want good things for themselves and their children could forgo having shares in corporations that return higher rather than lower profits by taking advantage of differential standards in humans rights in different places on the planet. Pretty few probably.

There is in psychology a phenomena known as bystander calculus whereby the more people perceived to be involved in a particular situation the less responsible individuals feel themselves to be to take positive moral action.

Democracies seem to be perfect for bystander calculcus. Voters and ordinary citizens who would not personally abuse children or inflict deliberate harm on other people if they came face to face with them will do so because they are removed from the harm that is done on their behalf and with the aim of increasing shareholder value and return.

Politicians to get elected have to get elected by those voting. And foreigners are not constituents.

The sad truth about democracy is that when it is only national and capitalism is global no one is ultimately in charge and the citizens of democracies don't want to accept responsibility for what is done in their name.

Most people would not torture and murder if they had to do it themselves but ordinary people will accept it quite willingly as long as there are enough of them that they can rationalise that they aren't responsibile.

I think your catholicism will see us disagree on almost everything that looks like a solution because I think that you will retreat into the land of the supernatural when confronted with too much cognitive dissonance but who really knows.

by Brett Paatsch (0 articles, 2 quicklinks, 22 diaries, 1041 comments) on Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 1:32:44 AM

Song sample for November, 2008 Casey's Song from the cd Flameland. Michael Bonanno is a published poet, essayist and musician who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of his poetry can be found at The Poetry Corner at OpEdNews.He is an associate editor for OpEdNews. Bonanno is a political progressive, not a Democratic Party apologist. He believes it's government's job to help the needy and that leaving the people's well being to the so called "private sector" is social suicide.His CDs may...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Michael BonannoSong sample for November, 2008 Casey's Song from the cd Flameland. Michael Bonanno is a published poet, essayist and musician who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Some of his poetry can be found at The Poetry Corner at OpEdNews.He is an associate editor for OpEdNews. Bonanno is a political progressive, not a Democratic Party apologist. He believes it's government's job to help the needy and that leaving the people's well being to the so called "private sector" is social suicide.His CDs may...

to see more of bio, click on member name

I don't know

if anyone has ever asked you this, but how do we teach Americans who are losing their comfort at such a snail’s pace that they won’t know it until it’s gone that this nation is not exempt from poor leadership and corruption?

The kind of truth which you write is the kind of truth that those who’d rather listen than research do not want to read or hear.

Michael Bonanno

by Michael Bonanno (87 articles, 19 quicklinks, 24 diaries, 124 comments) on Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 11:51:01 AM

Unfortunately it seems that the only way democracies can

learn about consequences is to experience them.

It seems like it takes the memory of a recent war in the population to get that population to appreciate esoterics like treaties and the need for the rule of law.

When human teachers try to teach students the students question their bona fides, their competence and their relevance. When the environment whacks them over the head those still alive learn.

by Brett Paatsch (0 articles, 2 quicklinks, 22 diaries, 1041 comments) on Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 10:11:15 PM