Authoritarian rulers under democracy's sheep clothing: The new norm

 Authoritarian rulers under democracy's sheep clothing:  I first heard it from an academic. Modern authoritarian rulers use democracy as a mechanism to create a fog that makes it difficult for the international community to detect and eliminate their anti-democratic practices, said Ozan Varol from the Lewis and Clark Law School.

Authoritarian rulers have adopted the same constitutional laws and legal institutions, yet they either ignore them or use them to conceal their repressive ways, he added, speaking at a conference in Istanbul. They employ legal methods against dissidents, such as using non-political crimes to prosecute opponents, as has occurred in Russia, where opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky was prosecuted for tax evasion and embezzlement.

Modern Democracy thanks to our sad example

We set the new standard of do what you have to in order to get what you want and when you're caught lie and scream as loudly as possible as we see displayed daily right here and it is disgusting.

Democracy castrated!

Mikhail Gorbachev has accused Vladimir Putin of "castrating" Russia's electoral system and said he should not seek re-election as president. Putin has been a Russian Nazi in his unending effort to put an end to Russia's "failed" foray into Democracy. I have always liked and respected Mikhail Gorbachev and have found him to be genuine and as a result we are always in agreement.

It is not funny because I have written about it for years. "Democracy castrated" depicts most every Democracy in the world today including in the US.

Congress is complicit in our facade of Democracy while we criticize others:

A U.S.-based human rights group says despots around the world are attempting to pass themselves off as democrats, and in far too many cases are not being challenged by the world's established democracies. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington, where Human Rights Watch released its annual report on the state of human rights across the globe. First the good news: according to Human Rights Watch, many leaders have come to recognize the value of being seen as defenders of democracy. 

 

As a brand name, "democrat" has never been more popular. But that is only the beginning of the story. "The bad news is that established democracies are letting autocrats pass themselves off as democrats," said Human Rights Watch Director Kenneth Roth. He said 2008 had seen a "cheapening or degradation" of democracy. It gets worse every year!

"Democracy has come to be seen as the key to legitimacy. We see leaders playing rhetorical games. And so you have [Russian President Vladimir] Putin talking about 'sovereign' democracy, where the sovereign in question seems to be himself. You have the Burmese generals talking about 'disciplined' democracy. China discussing 'socialist' democracy. Or [Pakistani President Pervez] Musharraf, in his audacity, talking about 'genuine' democracy as he imposes emergency rule," he said. Speaking at Washington's National Press Club, Roth accused established democracies like the United States of complicity in the charade.

"Perhaps the best illustration of the way that the natural defenders of democracy - the major Western democracies - are lowering the bar on what it takes to enter the club of democracies was the way that President Bush responded to General Musharraf's declaration of emergency rule in Pakistan. Musharraf detained thousands of opposition figures. He shut down part of the press. Judges were dismissed, undermining the rule of law. Yet President Bush said that Musharraf had somehow not crossed the line [gone too far]. He noted that Musharraf believed in democracy. Now he is in prison!  

 

The road to democracy? Now if the road to democracy includes locking up one's opponents, silencing the press, and undermining the rule of law, it is easy to see why every tyrant around the world thinks that he, too, might be able to qualify as a democrat," he said. The US no longer has the moral authority

* Of course the White House dismissed any suggestion that the United States has ceased to be an effective advocate of human rights. we are no longer a Democracy ourselves. It is merely a moniker used to interfere around the world. as I watch the world falling apart not just on a Government level but on an environmental level around the United States, throughout China, and the world.

* The world is falling apart the country is falling apart, our economy is collapsing, we are told our national guard are inadequate to rescue us if needed and our so called Politicians allow it to happen and just play frigging games. We hold ourselves up as the work in process model of Democracy and we are a frigging mess. We are not a Democracy we are a corporatocry. Democracy is supposed to control corporations our so called legal system has allowed corporations to control our Democracy.

China is doing a fine job of using Democracy to support their communist country. I was sickened when George w Bush told China they should model their Democracy after us.

Now we have the Muslim Spring in the Middle east and North Africa. Watching the degradation of our own Democracy as Politicians lie to use the façade of concern for our Democracy for personal concern I am very concerned for the countries rising up and following our poor excuse for Democracy as an example to follow. Look at Iraq, Look at Afghanistan, look at every country we have interfered with. Know Democracy castrated describes every country I can think of I have to believe we are seeing the waning days of the grand experiment called Democracy. What do you think!



James Joiner
Gardner Ma
http://anaverageamericanpatriot.blogspot.com