I’ve been very fortunate to travel much of the world, both for personal and professional reasons. In my travels, I’ve observed similarities in people no matter where I am. Love for one another. The power of laughter. A desire to provide children with a better world. I’ve also seen differences between people. And perhaps there is no greater difference between citizens of authoritarian-style governments and Americans when it comes to speaking out against their government.
Whether it’s China or North Korea, the constituents of those places know better than to speak up on political issues. It’s not just the threat of imprisonment or death that keeps them quiet. If those were the only things stopping them, people would risk their lives to speak up. No, rather it’s the unspoken understanding that speaking up will not lead to change. Freedom of speech is useless in these places because the voice of the people would simply fall on the deaf ears of those in charge who are more interested in hoarding power and wealth that affecting change.
In the United States, we have freedom of speech. We attend rallies. We protest. We call for change on issues from gun control to a woman’s right to choose. Unlike China or North Korea, our politicians listen. They empathize when they can and sympathize everywhere else. They engage, take notes, form committees and then our elected officials enact change do nothing. They give constituents the equivalent of the passive-aggressive “K” you give someone texting you to let them know you got their message but don’t care.
There is a belief in this country that our democracy is somehow superior to all other forms of government. That belief is only made worse by the idea we are a chosen people and therefore the only people capable of making democracy work or teaching others how to make it work. The truth; however, is that it takes a stunning amount of ignorance to foster that level of arrogance. Arrignorance. An arrogance only made possible by ignorance.
Let’s not kid ourselves. There are issues on which most Americans actually agree. No one wants to send their child to school hoping that child returns home and isn’t slaughtered by a semiautomatic rifle during a vocabulary test. We could enact some legislation that either bans high capacity magazines or requires a special license before being able to purchase an assault rifle. There is overwhelming public support for both ideas. It’s not a lack of support keeping such legislation from passing. Rather, it’s the same thing that motivates the politicians of other countries we speak of in condescending tones - power.
For example, the gun lobby in this country has a firm hold on far too many politicians. They use a carrot and stick approach by making campaign contributions to candidates they deem friendly, while at the same time threatening to primary any candidate that might actually do what the people want and vote for some measure of gun control. It is those special interest groups who actually control legislation.
In China and North Korea, Xi and Kim Jong Un keep those around them wealthy so they won’t challenge their respective leadership. They also have shown a willingness to imprison or murder anyone that might think of going “against the family.” The difference between those countries and ours is just the blatant and frankly, more honest way they go about it. But the end result is the same.
Until we force term limits and keep special interest from controlling the political agenda, the response to calls for gun control, a woman’s right to choose, affordable healthcare and combating climate change will simply be, K.
D, your wisdom is remarkable. Thank you for educating us on so many topics.
Glad to see you back. We need you.
I, for one, am tired of the word 'democracy' which is nothing more than mob rule. The United States in a REPUBLIC, to PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL, even if the individual is 'different'. It seems nowadays, protecting the rights of certain designated 'groups' is more important, than the 'regular' guy and politicians use the rights of the 'special groups' as a battering ram to get votes and then they leave behind them a trail of broken promises.
The OTHER way the word 'DEMOCRACY' has become a dirty word for ME, is the way our leaders use that word to invadeother countries only to steal their natural resources for the profit of corporations and their INVESTORS, who don't care if China has to hanging suicide nets to keep the workers from jumping out as long as the stock price stays up.
You are 100% right about term limits and AGAIN the people are to blame, voting for who their union bosses support and never give it a second thought as long as THEIR house is in order.
This planet is a mess and we DO need a 'global' network to make things fair for ALL mankind but not if it is run by a bunch of entitled psychopaths who think being 'rich' gives them the right to govern us . But if people don't WAKE UP and stop saying everything is a conspiracy theory, we are running headlong into a disaster where NO ONE will have
any freedom and sadly, they won't even know how it happened.
I hope you might again entertain the thought of running for office. We need leaders with integrity and energy. What you have accomplished with Helical Outposts is an example for people to aspire to. If not, please keep writing and posting the TRUTH. We NEED your words so we don't drown in our own tears. We need leaders who care about helping other countries, not stealing control of their natural resources. Instead of feeding a them for a day, why not teach them to fish?