To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (161564 ) 2/19/2003 9:25:25 AM From: tejek Read Replies (2) | Respond to Yes, you are. I don't care about how difficult it is to set up a democracy in a nation that has known none. I'm not impressed with your views that America has survived by strokes of luck. And I'm not falling for your strawman regarding "instant democracies" at the drop of a bomb. The underlying point is that every people group out there is ready for a democracy? Why? Because the foundation of a democracy are the self-evident, natural rights of every human being. That includes life, liberty, and apple pie (or kimchee, or cous-cous, or whatever). That includes the social contract, where the government belongs to the people, not the other way around. That includes individual choices and responsibilities. I repeat: Every single human being out there is ready for a democracy. Even if that means they willingly place all responsibility in a single ruler or monarchy or whatever. Even if that means a form of government that doesn't resemble anything American or Western for that matter. Whatever it is, it's going to be better than the hell that is Iraq. Or North Korea. Or any other repressive regime that you support. So when you pretend that you know more than everyone else here, and then you pretend that Iraqis aren't ready for a democracy, then you deserve to be called "arrogant." Because the fact is that you are doing EXACTLY what you accuse me of, and that is speaking as if you already asked the Iraqis what they want. And that is arrogant.
