But Hawk, they do the choosing, not me: <Democracy provides you the opportunity to choose which mob you want to rule you... LOL!! > You see, I'm a turkey and they are voting on what to have for dinner. For some reason, they always come up with an idea that I don't like.
As a more realistic example, "democracy" is a well-used word, but women, who didn't have a vote until well into last century in the USA had a vote in the 19th century in NZ [from 19 Sept 1893] and going back to 1867:
elections.org.nz
<Women who owned property and paid rates (mainly widows and 'spinsters') were allowed to vote in local government elections in Otago and Nelson from 1867. This right was extended to the other provinces in 1876.
In the later nineteenth century, however, growing numbers of women began to challenge this narrow view of the world. New opportunities opened up for women and girls (especially those from wealthy or middle-class families) in secondary and university education, medicine, and in church and charitable work. Attention soon turned to women's legal and political rights.
The suffrage campaign in New Zealand began as a far-flung branch of a broad late-nineteenth century movement for women's rights that spread through Britain and its colonies, the United States and northern Europe. This movement was shaped by two main themes: equal political rights for women and a determination to use them for the moral reform of society (through, for example, the prohibition of alcohol).
New Zealand's pioneering suffragists were inspired both by the equal-rights arguments of philosopher John Stuart Mill and British feminists, and by the missionary efforts of the American-based Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). >
I think the melanin-rich in the USA didn't get a vote [if they were slaves]. Or, if they did have a vote, I wonder whether they had been voting for continued slavery. In 1860 there were 4 million slaves in the USA and 488,000 free Negroes: en.wikipedia.org <The divisions became fully exposed with the 1860 presidential election. The electorate split four ways. One party (the Southern Democrats) endorsed slavery. One (the Republicans) denounced it. One (the Northern Democrats) said democracy required the people themselves to decide on slavery locally. >
It wasn't until 1965, which is well into my own memory functions, that Negroes got the full rights of USA citizens, according to library.thinkquest.org though they could be voting long before that. Unless they were Negro women. You couldn't have people like Condoleezza Rice having a say in government for goodness sakes.
In NZ [being progressive] we have now gone to the next stage of having women run the show in nearly all respects. You'll find blokes either in cyberspace, or the older ones in their sheds, tinkering with jet-powered beer coolers. asciimation.co.nz
I notice it's a popular url and he has rewritten it, somewhat self-consciously. I preferred the original version from about 2000 which was rougher around the edges, though lacking some good points such as the handy pee can.
We have had female prime ministers since 1997 and female Governor General since 1990 [Hardie Boys notwithstanding], Chief Justice, boss of Telecom NZ [biggest company], the Queen, various government Ministers, this that and the other. It's a hen-pecked society.
The USA, with a bit of luck, will have Condoleezza versus Hillary mud-wrestling to be POTUS. Hillary has a disadvantage in that she lacks melanin. Her hair style isn't as presidential. I haven't checked their make up techniques lately. Hillary would take Bill back into the White House, which I'm sure people would like, if only to make RRR [rabid rightwing Republicans] foam at the mouth like demented dogs.
Bill's pretty popular around the world, so she could send him out to roam the planet as UN representative of the USA. Heck, they could even persuade the planet to create Mq's NUN. Having another go at medical care in the USA is a bit boring.
Condoleezza can play the piano really well, so that would be great for a singalong at G8 meetings and APEC. Iraq is a mess too and unless that comes right, she'll be too tainted to win. Being in charge of Vietnam II isn't all that great politically.
Politics is a female occupation these days. It's unseemly for blokes to be messing with it. It's like having a bloke arranging the house. That's the ladies' department. The blokes should be out in the shed, or in cyberspace, fighting the new frontier, like always.
Politics used to be about new frontiers, conquest and kingdom, but that's old hat. There aren't any new frontiers as in the old style. Space looked prospective for a while in the 20th century but there isn't actually anywhere to go [within range]. The new frontier now is cyberspace, not outerspace.
Darkest Africa now has CNN beaming everything out if it's interesting. The magical orient is just another geopolitical hassle over Taiwan and the border between the Koreas = the children messing up the living room.
Hillary has picked Iran as a good strategic target to establish violent credentials, though she's hoping to line up serious UN support.
She should get the NUN going first. Why is France in the Big Five when India is equivalent to Fiji? They were only put there after the war as they'd have got the pip if they had been left out and had previously been a significant country. What have they done lately that's much use? I have to say the Millau bridge is a fantastic work of art.
Let the mud-wrestling begin.
Mqurice
PS: If Iraq hadn't been presented as such a push-over, with boastful "Mission Accomplished", and then the big climb down, it wouldn't have been seen as such a big failure. It isn't such a huge failure as such conflicts go. Only 3,000 dead troops after 5 years of 911 retaliation. Afghanistan well into their next phase of history. The rest of the world steady as she goes. Libya out of the nukes industray. Khan not selling nukes around the place. North Korea feeling pretty nervous and being called to Beijing for some serious discussions [North Korea's nuclear threat being a handy threat to counterbalance the USA threats over Taiwan should China exert control]. |
