I would add "critical thinking" to Stacey's four requirements for democracy, maybe you could say it's a subset of true literacy - but it certainly seems to have declined drastically in the past three decades.
BTW, this thread brings to mind a novel by Sinclair Lewis, It Can't Happen Here, about how fascism takes over America. (One great line (and I paraphrase):"Oh, but the boys look so splendid marching in their uniforms!" The seduction of the image, without questioning what lies behind it.) Nancy G. Stacey Elin Rossi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Four requirements for democracy: > >1) freedom of press >2) high literacy rate >3) high voter turn-out >4) low infant death rate > >The U.S. fails on all counts. It is not a democracy. > > >--- Allan Balliett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> This essay was written as though the polls >> themselves were not >> already contaminated. As though intelligent and >> charismatic liberal >> politicians in this country have not been culled >> through assasination >> or media-fueled scandals in this country since the >> Kennedy >> assasination. (I mean, folks, do we really think >> that Kennedy's death >> served no purpose?) >> >> The controlling technique of the New World Order IS >> democracy, or the >> illusion of the same. Generally, it's enough to just >> have the larger >> funds for media control. We've seen in this country >> that it can go >> further, even when the left offers mediocre >> candidates. Benign >> dictators normally meet death through junta, eh? >> >> I agree. For the most part the tools for true >> populist control of >> this country are still, for the most part, in place. >> If you chose to >> run, don't fly a plane, of course, or call yourself >> the leader of the >> World Peace Movement. Now IS the time to start >> working on real >> democracy as though there will be no tomorrow >> otherwise. >> >> In the current form of democracy, they take the >> power and we, the >> people, take the blame for everything. Votes never >> count for much as >> long as the ruling powers pick your choices. > > >===== >@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ >Stacey Elin Rossi >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >http://zip.to/anaserene >@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ > >__________________________________________________ >Do you Yahoo!? >Yahoo! Mail Plus – Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. >http://mailplus.yahoo.com > > __________________________________________________________________ The NEW Netscape 7.0 browser is now available. Upgrade now! http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/download.jsp Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/
