dinsdag 23 oktober 2012

What is Democracy? 4

Fixed Elections and Fear of the Masses

By  (about the author)     Permalink       (Page 1 of 2 pages)
OpEdNews Op Eds 



In the third Presidential debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, Americans got to see who would most support Israel and who would be the strongest warrior, able to best crush any country that gets out of line.   But did anyone promise not to start any more wars or occupations?      Did anyone promise to make reparations for the crimes the military has already committed on American and foreign soil?    Did you see any promise to ground the drone bombers? Did anyone promise to discontinue the use of torture?   Did anyone promise to make sure that no more children or   babies died in horror in Gaza as a result of being denied medical supplies by a government that keeps preventing life-saving humanitarian supplies from reaching those injured babies and children?     Did you see either of these men come up with a plan to give the homeless back their homes?    Did anyone speak about how they were going to take back the American tax dollars given to Wall Street?   Did anyone present a plan for free college?  Do you really believe that anyone with Mitt Romney's values could win a Presidential election without rigged voting machines?   Why do you suppose the Republicans didn't even bother to run an electable candidate against Barack Obama?   Isn't this an election where Americans have no choice but to vote for a war candidate?   Are both parties actually backing Barack Obama?   Is the election just smoke and mirrors to distract us?   If Americans have no choice, isn't the election itself rigged to perpetuate war?  
With third party candidates not even being on the ballot in many states, wasn't the Electoral College rigged against these candidates before the first early ballot was cast in this election?   Obama had no primary opposition.   A handful of party leaders made sure of that and scared off possible contenders.   Obama is running against a Republican whose only future (absent programming the election machines to change the result) is a concession speech.   The American people are pretty much left out of the loop when it comes to determining their future.   (Maybe somebody should bring us democracy -- but not in the American way.)
Some states are terrified of voters.   They threat the voters as dangerous animals, waiting to invade a voting booth.   To exclude as many legitimate voters as possible, many states are passing voters ID laws.   In California, no ID is required before registering or voting and the listed address can be the nearest intersection to where a homeless person sleeps.   That's democracy.   (Note: Debra Bowen is California's Secretary of State.)

Geen opmerkingen:

Peter Flik en Chuck Berry-Promised Land

mijn unieke collega Peter Flik, die de vrijzinnig protestantse radio omroep de VPRO maakte is niet meer. ik koester duizenden herinneringen ...