[geeks] can't wait for Vista

[Charles Shannon Hendrix]

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 @ 13:39 -0500, Phil Stracchino said:

> Charles Shannon Hendrix wrote:
> > Mon, 06 Nov 2006 @ 21:42 -0600, Lionel Peterson said:
> > 
> >> There is always a choice in a free democracy. 
> > 
> > You might think this is a nit, but if you mean the USA, we aren't a free
> > democracy, fortunately.
> > 
> > The USA is a constitutional republic governed by the rule of law, nearly
> > 180 degrees away from a free democracy.
> 
> 
> I would not say that a constitutional republic is 180 degrees away from
> a direct democracy.  It's much closer to it than is, say, Stalinism, or
> feudalism, or an absolute monarchy.

No... 

A democracy is rule by popular vote.

A republic like ours is rule by elected leadership and rule of law,
which is just as 180 degrees away as Stalinism.

Direct democracy of any kind has always been a failure. It usually
resulted in civil war, largess until civic collapse, or a combination of
both.


-- 
shannon "AT" widomaker.com -- ["There are nowadays professors of
philosophy, but not philosophers." ]