Opinion: How to Fix Our Democracy by Mark Green

[L. Coyote]

Wed Feb 28, 12:30 PM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20070228/cm_thenation/20070312green

"Democracy can come undone. It's not something that's necessarily going to last forever once it's been established." --Sean Wilentz , The Rise of American Democracy

Now that the Democrats' "100 hours agenda" has at least passed the House--and as Bush & Co. head toward retirement--the hard work of restoring our democracy must begin. For while the President frequently talks about exporting democracy, he has systematically undermined it here at home.

Not that this democracy was perfect before Bush had his way with it. If democracy means majority rule, minority rights and the rule of law, then the Constitution contained language that was far from democratic. Only men with property could vote. Blacks counted as three-fifths of a person. The Senate was not elected, and states of varying sizes had the same representation.

.......

[Martin Eden]

1. K&R

This article spells it all our quite matter-of-factly.

[Demeter]

2. Late At Night I Ponder This Very Question

Rome lost its democracy early in the game; the Roman Empire lasted 1000 years, or did it only seem that long to an oppressed world?

I believe in my heart that we can regain the uppper hand, reforge the Constitution with added language to prevent such piracy in the future, IF WE WANT TO!

We might even be able to do so without a civil war. IF WE WANT TO!

The fear is that there aren't enough WE'S around--especially ones strong enough to resist the corruption of corporate money and power. It will involve deprivation and suffering. IF WE WANT TO! Lives will be forever derailed, futures rewritten, but it could happen. IF WE WANT IT TO!

[T Wolf]

3. To paraphrase wise old Bill Shakespeare, "First, kill all the non-democrats."

It might not solve all the problems, but it would be a great beginning.

They are unsalvageable.