As we look to the difficult transition to Democracy in Egypt, we may wonder whether a similar movement here would generate just as much unrest and uncertainty. by Bill Gee
(libertarian)
Thursday, May 12, 2011
The news out of Egypt is not encouraging. According to the BBC, within the power vacuum the Muslim Brotherhood is gaining strength and sectarian violence is starting to grow. In addition, Egypt’s transitional military government has been slow to act to stabilize the country’s economy, release jailed protestors, and provide a mechanism for justice and individual rights. In short, we are still uncertain as to whether Egypt will be able to successfully transform itself into a Democratic Republic that is capable of granting basic human rights to all of its people or whether it will slide into a sectarian civil war much like what we had the misfortune to see firsthand in Iraq.
In my previous column, I suggested that we look to our brothers and sisters in Egypt to provide a model for revolution in this country. One might look at the chaos that is over there right now and ask “Why would we want that here?”
It’s a legitimate question, but one in which I will put to rest right now. We only need to look to our own history and culture to know the answer to whether the sectarian and cultural clashes in the Middle East has any chance of happening here while we transition to a Republic that is more sensitive to the needs of the People rather than to their constituents on Wall Street.
Key Difference #1: Tradition of Religious Toleration
In this country, we enjoy a culture of religious toleration that is not experienced anywhere else in the world. This has not always been an easy relationship, but a majority of Americans strongly believe that as Americans we are free to believe and practice our religion in any way that we feel is right for ourselves and our families. In this country, it is not unusual to see a Catholic church, a Jewish Synagogue, a Muslim Mosque, an Evangelical Christian Fellowship and a Unitarian Universalist Church all within the borders of the same suburban town. In the workplace, people of different faiths work together every day and discrimination on the basis of religion or ethnicity is not only a terminable offense, but it is also widely seen as a hindrance to productivity.
It is important to note that especially in the Middle East, religious toleration is the exception rather than the rule. Christians and Jews are routinely persecuted for practicing their faith, which is probably more for political rather than religious reasons. In Israel, it is the Jewish majority that is the persecutor rather than the persecuted. In some countries, the government actively participates in the persecution of religious minorities while in other cases, it is the government that are the only ones who are protecting them.
Therefore, it is very unlikely that in a situation where the is a power vacuum in Washington that Americans would engage in sectarian violence. While I have to admit that some of the rhetoric coming from the more extreme elements of the Christian Right have me worried, I am also reminded that all religious movements have their more radical elements and that the majority is unlikely to allow themselves to be swayed by their ranting.
Key Difference #2: Democratic Traditions
In the early days of our country’s history, the majority of educated people in Europe were convinced that our little democratic experiment would fail within the first few decades mostly because they could not imagine anything like it working in their own country. They were right that it would have a very hard time working in their own countries, (the failure of the French Revolution being a clear case-in-point) but they were wrong because in this country we were already accustomed to the tradition of self-rule since the late 1600’s.
The main reason why the transition to democracy in the Middle East is hitting so many roadblocks is because the people there have very few democratic traditions to follow. In this country, we understand the need for voting, but we also understand the practice of compromise. In the Middle East, voting is seen as a form of legitimization of extreme behavior in that the “winners” are free to do whatever they want and the “losers” had best get out of their way. In this country, we also recognize the need to protect the “little guy”, whereas elsewhere the attitude is more “winner take all”.
Therefore, our transition to a more democratic union is unlikely to degenerate into a Dictatorship where a more extreme personality or minority group will be able to successfully overpower the majority. I am sure that some groups or individuals will try, but I am also sure they will fail.
Key Difference #3: Tradition of Rule of Law
Most people in this country understand the need for law and order in society. While our current judicial system is riddled with corruption and abuse, at the core level, we are strong believers in ethical behavior and that justice is truly blind. From an early age, parents try to instill a sense of justice in their children by encouraging them to share and to discourage bullying and violence towards others. Most Americans understand the basics of what is right and wrong.
Unfortunately, our belief in the rule of law has been terribly eroded over the past few decades. It is now a common belief even among children that justice is dispensed unevenly and has more to do with one’s ethnicity and economic condition than any other factor. It pains us to see billionaire criminals getting off on technicalities while poor black men spend the rest of their lives in prison for crimes they committed as angry teenagers.
Therefore, I believe that if we were to remove the financial incentives from our judicial system in the midst of a broader reform of our government, it would have the support of the people of this country. I also believe that as we reform the Federal judiciary, the state judiciary will remain intact so that lawlessness and anarchy would not happen.
A Warning
As this idea that we can change our Constitution and our Government starts to spread, those who wish to defend the status quo will likely use the downside of the Arab Spring to instill fear and uncertainty into those who would normally support the need for broad governmental reform. I can guarantee that pundits, politicians and advertisers on TV will give dire warnings that if this Revolution were to succeed, it will mean that churches will burn, crime will run rampant, and a Dictator will rise. They will call us Anarchists, Communists, Rebels, Socialists, and any other label they can think of to instill fear into you.
Know that they are simply serving their corporate elite masters, and that their warnings will be lies, just as they have been lying to you for years. You have the power – our Constitution gives you that power, and there is nothing that the corporate elite can do to change that. They may have taken over our Government for now, but we can take it back!
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Bill. I'm not sure what part of the Constitution needs changing as much as upholding. If we can't trust them to abide by the Constitution now, how can we trust them with changes?
A couple of million or so peaceful unarmed marchers on Washington, backed up by 30 million well armed Patriots might just work. Rrrrright, Americans no longer have the stomach to fight for their liberty. The 2nd. Amendment has become superfluous. We are too far apart. How could Constitutional conservatives compromise with the the left when the left has nothing to contribute to the long term wellbeing of this nation except a history of failures?
Posted By: Bill Gee
Date: May 20, 2011 01:21:06 PM
Bentree,
I really wish you could see that we're on the same side here.
The Constitution does need changing. The very existance of a two-party system emphasizes it because in order for the power in this country to be funneled to the required majority needed to dominate the agenda in Congress and the Presidency it needs a political machine that is funded outside of the government itself. Such a political machine is inherently corrupt.
I do agree that Americans no longer have the stomach to fight for their Liberty. That's because the message they are receiving in the media is doing an excellent job at convincing them that all of their suffering is "normal" and due more to their own personal failings rather than any fault that exists in the system. They're lulled into a false sense of security and honestly believe that their government truly represents their interests when push comes to shove.
Your belief in the 2nd Amendment is part of that illusion as well. The guns in your home may be a good defense against a burgler or a rabbid raccoon, but if the government had its mind on taking your guns from you, there would be nothing you could do to stop them. They allow you to keep your guns because it provides a false sense of security and the belief that you have the right to protect your Liberty with violence if necessary.
I don't know what it will take in order for Americans to stand up and demand their Liberty. Will it take another economic collapse? A major natural disaster? I'm not sure. My theory is that one day people are just going to start waking up to the fact that their Liberty is just an illusion, and that it's the Corporate Ruling Elite that is actually calling the shots in our day to day lives. It'll start small, but it'll grow rapidly until it reaches a critical mass. Then we'll see what happens.
