Would we in Western Culture nations have the guts?
By ParaTed2k
@ParaTed2k (22940)
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
June 23, 2009 1:02am CST
The miracle of the election process isn't so much that people are allowed to vote, or that people bother. It really isn't even that candidates spend so much time and money (their own and OPM) begging for us to throw our vote their way.
The true miracle of the election process is, the standing head of state not only agrees to vacate the position, but actually assists in the transition.
This is a miracle that is performed at regular intervals in many countries of the world. On the other hand, history gives us plenty of examples of a mistep in the miracle.
What is going on in Iran right now could be an example of this sort of major malfunction. The candidates jockeyed for position, the voters cast their ballots, but then things got muddy... and muddy turned to bloody.
The people of Iran hit the streets in protest against the evident election fraud. It all began with the usual protest prattle, progressing to a full uproar then regressed to totalitarian tactics by the government.
That got me thinking about the last few election cycles here in the US. The Democrats were sure that Bush stole the election from Gore. Not to be outdone, the Republicans produced their own evidence of election engineering by the Democrats. ACORN made a science of it all and didn't even try to hide it.
Through it all, there were accusations, court cases, charges filed and other legal wrangling and hand wringing... but there was no violence to speak of. Which, btw, is a great thing and evidence that we are still a nation that respects rule of law over rioting. (We reserve rioting for celebration).
But what if the incumbent present pulled an "Ahmadinejad"? What if the outcome of the election was so obviously skewed as to leave no room for doubt, lawsuit or "Goreism"?
Would we have the guts to take to the streets and refuse to let the offending official get away with it? Would we be willing to risk life and limb to make our outrage known?
We have survived presidential scandals. Through teapots, postal rates, Watergates, Iran-Contra and Cigargate; our opposition or support for the sitting president helped shape the next administration, but never prevented it.
Fortunately we in the US have a system that precludes an outright refusal of the president to pass the buck. However, we can't say we have figured out a way to unsure full integrity in the election process.
So what say you... if it came down to a call to arms to defend our republic, would we stand and deliver like so many in Iran today? Or would we simply grant the fraud legitimacy, in the name of "Peace" and "Democracy"?
1 person likes this
6 responses
@heathcliff (1415)
• United States
23 Jun 09
Major difference between here and there is the amount of openness built into our government and society. A relatively free press is a powerful thing. As long as we have faith in our proceses and cannot prove wrongdoing most people will behave. If problems could be proven, the public would find a way to rise up. Remember Nixon?
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
23 Jun 09
Yes, I remember Nixon, I also remember how the members of Congress weren't allowed to read the bail out bill before they had to vote on it. I also remember Obama saying that his would be the most transparent administration ever.
As far as the press goes, I think the Iran thing is pretty much proving the irrelevance of the traditional press in today's world.
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
23 Jun 09
All that being said, I do agree with your point. We haven't had the need to take to the streets since Vietnam because our system (with all its faults) has basically worked for us.
@BlueGoblin (1829)
• United States
24 Jun 09
No. The media would paint the protesters as being vigilantes, racists, anti-Americans, non-patriotic, or a number of other shut up words to quiet dissent. Most Americans would tune into their idiot box and believe everything that spewed out of it and agree with them. The American animal is easily controlled by episodes of Lost. No one wants to protest during an episode of Lost or Desperate Housewives.
@rsa101 (41005)
• Philippines
25 Jun 09
Well of all election processes I have a deep admiration as to how Americans deal with it. They have lots of issues thrown at each other during the campaign period, but in the end of the process they all go to their own private lives like nothing has happened to their lives. There is no problems when transition happens in your country, even the politicians who were bitter enemies come there and witness the transition.
In my country although we are deeply democratized country and we believe in the electoral process as the best option in choosing our leaders, we do have a violent election every now and then and political bickering amongst then continues on even after the election has transpired. The losing party would always use of electoral fraud as their excuse when they lost in the election and it may go till the end of the term of the so called "elected official". That is why there is always a cloud of doubt as to his position until the end of his term.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
23 Jun 09
Of course I believe that we would stand and deliver...but I'm a product of the turbulance that was the 60's and the 70's when it was this country's young people who spoke out the loudest in opposition to a war that was killing too many of our own.
Kent State was mentioned above this response but what has been forgotten is the Mayday demonstration in 1971 that, to this day, was the largest civil disobedience action in American history. Instead of marches and speeches, the goal of Mayday was to shut down the federal government. Without the aide of cell phones and the internet, without national organizational leadership and without the support of the media, over 25,000 protestors managed to block traffic in Washington, D.C. and to cause the mobilization of tens of thousands of D.C. police officers and National Guardsmen with over 13,000 arrests made that day. Although the event itself could be called a failure, the fact that so many turned out and were willing to face the legal consequences of their actions that, according to historians, it was said to have unnerved President Nixon and the members of his administration. These sentiments were repeated in a nationwide demonstration in 1972, again in response to plans the President had for Veitnam. Back in the 60's and the 70's it was the young people who had the most to lose who stood up first and who stood up the longest. Should it come right down to it, I believe that all generations would stand together in order to defend this republic...and word would spread like wildfire.
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
23 Jun 09
Yup, isn't it sad that many of the same people who stood up for freedom back then are now the biggest threats to our freedoms today. They have become that which they once protested.
@katran (585)
• United States
23 Jun 09
I really would hope that the American people would stand up for themselves in such a circumstance. America has a long history of doing whatever it takes to maintain and extend freedom and rights to everyone. We as a nation have historically had little patience for tyrants and dictators, and I do not think that the American people could ever accept such things. Moreover, I would be very surprised if any president ever had the cajones to try such a thing, because it would almost certainly lead to them being tried for treason. I believe that American values are too deeply rooted in us for us to ever ignore or forget them.
That being said, people disappoint me every day, so I guess all we can do is hope that something like that never happens. And if it does, I can guarantee you that I for one would not go quietly. If I had to march on Washington all by myself and get shot in the process, I would rather do that than live in an America that succumbed to the rule of a tyrant.
@roger30 (39)
• United States
24 Jun 09
Jan 28, 2007... It should not surprise US that the findings of such research would be... Further,we nkow that simply by moving to Amerika, people from the nations with. Its no coincidence that most of the plants we come to rely on are. But the Industrialization of our food that we call the Western diet...
