Top 10 Strange Political Oddities
You and I know that there are way more than ten strange political oddities. But these are the ten that really jump out to me. You may have some of your own that you would like to share. So, please chime in at any time. Here they are…
10. If “con” is the opposite of “pro”, then isn’t Congress the opposite of progress?
9. The word democracy comes from a Greek word “demos” for “people” and “kratia” for “rule” in which power was not concentrated in the hands of one person but many. In their case, there were 5,000 members of their Assembly or main legislative body.
8. Separation of church and state is one of the fundamental principles of our government, yet court witnesses are required to swear on The Bible. (Let’s see…what’s wrong with this picture?)
7. John Locke, with his exposition of the “social contract theory” of government, directly influenced our founding fathers. However, he was also known for his “Fundamental Constitutions” for the new colony of South Carolina which was a document that provided for a semi-authoritarian form of government, built on the backs of African slaves. Turns out that Locke held stock in the Royal African Company that monopolized England’s slave trade. (Hmmmm…he must have been a Republican). So, Locke’s government had everything — equality, liberty, justice…and slaves.
6. The Republican party actually came from Rome, not Greece, while their Senate which supposedly represented the people, actually was composed of wealthy members who covertly pursued pro-business legislation. (Some things just never change.)
5. In Democracy in America, Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville expressed serious reservations about the political practices of America. He stated that America’s brand of democracy might lead to a “tyranny of the majority”. (Something to think about).
4. The Continental Congress resolved this country’s independence from England on July 2nd and members signed the Declaration on August 2nd. The July 4th date was a myth created during the first half of the nineteenth century. So, you really should be popping those firecrackers on August 2nd instead of the 4th of July. (Damn, someone’s always out there to ruin the party).
3. Just as an aside, Columbus didn’t discover America. This country was already populated with indigenous people with a developed civilization. He just made it possible for Europeans to exploit it.
2. Thomas Jefferson credited with the famous phrase in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…(blah, blah, blah)…”among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Well, it turns out that Jefferson had struck out “property” on the original draft which read “and the pursuit of property” and inserted “happiness” instead which it then read “and the pursuit of happiness”. (Hmmm…he was probably a closet Republican.)
1. Since 1789, there have been over 20,000 “Presidential Directives” or Executive Orders as we have all come to know them. They carry the force of law, even though the Constitution clearly places all lawmaking solely in the hands of the Congress.
You should also be aware of the current administration’s penchant for power in this area. The Bush Administration under the leadership of Alberto Gonzales and of course, Bush’s sidekick, Dick Cheney, have proclaimed “inherent powers” when reciting the expanded powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief. Thus this administration has proclaimed Bush as the world’s policeman who is the Commander-Without-Question who is in charge of enforcing the law from his comfortable perch above it.
It should also be noted that our founding fathers did not invent a form of democracy or government that was infallible. They realized that as they formed their constitution and laws that they could have made mistakes. It is even stated in the Declaration of Independence right after the “pursuit of happiness” sentence:
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
This being the case, why are we so blatantly passive as our rights under the Constitution are being violated, our human rights are being desecrated, and the judicial system is being politicized? And, all the while, we sit back while one man dictates the aggressive pursuit of imperial democracy and unchecked military spending? Our fore fathers not only knew this could happen but expressed in their very documents that we have recourse if it does. What has happened to us? Why don’t we stand up to this outrage? Where have we gone wrong?
I believe our fore fathers would be disgusted with us today…we have no backbone. Our forefathers not only gave us permission to question or amend their laws but encouraged us to do so. Now, we need to give ourselves permission and do something about the imbalance of power that has been developing in our government. Speak out and let those in power know that we won’t tolerate this abuse anymore.
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Well, the people revolted in 1776; why not again?
Because we are too busy shopping.
We are also too busy as households holding two and three jobs just to pay all our taxes (and to go shopping of course). Boy, are we stupid or what?
LOL … Notice what those taxes are buying you? Like, maybe a grain of sand from Iraq.
Seriously though, did anyone else see that Saudi Arabia has declared American occupation of Iraq “illegitimate” … I bet the real translation is stronger! And Israel is actually reconsidering signing an agreement with the Arab countries.
Damn! That could mean the entire Middle East is regrouping against invasion by the west. They do NOT like Bush in Iraq. If he had stayed in Afghanistan, they probably could have handled it. But not Iraq, and crap will fly if he lifts a finger against Iran.
People just don’t realize the cultural stuff over there. Bottom line, culturally, we are the enemy and they will stop fighting each other long enough to fight us.
Wow, I couldn’t agree with you more. Saudi Arabia is in a tough spot right now with their monarchy’s friendship with Bush and his likewise loyalty to his Arab brothers. But what came across loud and clear with his statement, which by the way didn’t get hardly any press coverage, is that Arabs will stand together rather than stand with us any day of the week. You know that old saying “blood is thicker than water”, in this case it’s thicker than oil.
I lived in Saudi Arabia for about a year and know firsthand just how much they don’t like us deep down. They really believe we are the Devil in Prada and our excesses will some day bring us down (probably the sheer exhaustion of shopping alone will do it). Basically, they hate our guts.
But what I also believe about the Saudi King and especially Pakistan’s President Musharaf is that they know how to play the game. They will continue to play us for huge foreign aid money and technology until it’s not in their best interest anymore. Then they will dump us like a bad lay the day after prom night.
Did you see the news a couple weeks ago the Saudis were meeting with Iran. Another factor “skipped over” by a lot of mainstream media; although I saw it in the Washington Post I think.
My concerns aren’t what the Arabs are doing. That’s a given. It did surprise me that Israel is “reconsidering” a former settlement, but shouldn’t that be expected in the end considering what the Twig is doing?
My real concern is the ongoing stupidity of so many of the American people. They just don’t “get it” … maybe its from being offspring of a drug generation, or the “protected and illusional” middle-class yuppies, but the ignorance of high school graduates is amazing.
I live in a college town and have helpers who are college students. They don’t have a clue what’s happening. A Truthdig article asked where are the protesters of this war. They were on the streets over Vietnam (although American kids were getting drafted too, which the Twig has pointedly avoided).
But the crux of the protesters of Vietnam were college kids. Ours wouldn’t dream of holding a sign, much less standing up for something other than a trip to the mall.
Bye bye mall. Then listen to the outrage of injustice.
Have we fallen or what?
Yes we have fallen in a sense that “they” are in control and we are not. And, they have manipulated all of us into a trance like stupor of being obedient and pliant patriots. They have also dangled easy credit and payday loans that have mesmerized us into zombie shopaholics whose brains have been fried by indulgence or even drugs.
I am researching for an article about what is behind all the Bush insanity. It is extremely revealing and will explain a lot of what is going on. It has to do with how Bush is being programmed and how the elite control people. It is now finally all coming together for me. I am very excited about exposing this on our site. Look for it soon.
You have an excellent grasp on what’s really going on and you are right about our youth. But what do you expect from an education system that is only concerned about churning out obedient and compliant workers to be feed into the corporate conglomerate meat grinder. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
Thanks for your comments. You are always right on the money and add a great deal to our discussions.
I enjoy contributing to your site, and appreciate your allowing my comments. If you look at my last post on Civil Gideon (Texas Justice Yankee Style, I’ve reposted something from TortDeform.
The Internet is an “information pipeline.” I try to guide people to other sites to promote the flow of information. Many people don’t read sites I frequent regularly, and this way some issues I feel are important can be “caught” by those readers.
At the same time, I don’t frequent many of the sites that the writers of sites I frequent get their information from. By being able to read their views and follow their links, I’m able to pass information along to people who may hit my site for one reason or another.
Its the information pipeline.
Quite often, people forget to read the comments (or they are simply not easily accessible, like a few more clicks). But I’ve found comments, especially those including links to other information, to be extremely helpful in figuring out things.
There’s an amazing source of information, resources, and intelligent and educated people out there giving insight and understanding to what is happening in this world today. I particularly appreciate reading the sites from outside the United States. It broadens my perspectives and gives me even more insight into what I’m reading locally.
Keep it up Blog4Brains. We’ll change the world yet. Maybe not with signs and standing on corners, but hopefully we can spark the ones who will.
Thanks for the encouragement.
It’s nice to know that there are other people out there who still believe in the real world and not some fantasy of democratic domination and militaristic suprememacy.
I’ll keep blogging away at what I feel is logic and reason.
Thanks again…and keep up the good work at Civil Gideon as well. You’re doing a great job.