[atomiczombie]

Originally Posted by Miss Tick

Does it sound more familiar than this?

Core Democratic Characteristics

• Democracy is government in which power and civic responsibility are exercised by all adult citizens, directly, or through their freely elected representatives.

• Democracy rests upon the principles of majority rule and individual rights. Democracies guard against all-powerful central governments and decentralize government to regional and local levels, understanding that all levels of government must be as accessible and responsive to the people as possible.

• Democracies understand that one of their prime functions is to protect such basic human rights as freedom of speech and religion; the right to equal protection under law; and the opportunity to organize and participate fully in the political, economic, and cultural life of society.

• Democracies conduct regular free and fair elections open to citizens of voting age.

• Citizens in a democracy have not only rights, but also the responsibility to participate in the political system that, in turn, protects their rights and freedoms.

• Democratic societies are committed to the values of tolerance, cooperation, and compromise. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, "Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit."

It's really sad, but looking at these one after the other, I can honestly say I see a real fascist bend to our so called democracy.

Agreed. Although I wouldn't call the U.S. government out and out facism, the elements are coming together more and more. This is what happens when power and money get more and more concentrated to a smaller population, as they have in the last 40 years here in the U.S. It's easy to point to the Republicans as the ones who are pulling the country in this direction, but it has been happening under Democrats too, including Clinton and Obama. That's why I hate the 2 party system. Both parties are owned by the big multi-national corporations who control most of the resources of the planet.