Stand Up for Democracy

Start by saying what it truly is, who is attacking it, and why they are doing so.

Democracy is the evidently-still-radical-after-2500-years idea that the people that make up a society should decide what that society does. It shouldn’t be one guy who makes all the decisions, just because his dad was the one guy before him. It shouldn’t be whoever has the most guns or money. It shouldn’t be whoever yells that God talks to him the loudest.

A Democracy should do its best to communicate facts to the population, offer clear options, hear feedback from as many citizens as it can, and then follow the course chosen by the majority. It may be a radical idea, but it isn’t a complicated one. And yes, I know there are many other factors to consider, from a free press to the rights of the minority, but we need to revisit the basic principle of democratic rule before we worry about the exceptions and conditions.

Because no one comes out and says, “I want to do away with democracy and free elections!” while twirling their black mustache. In America, tyrants always come dressed as patriotic defenders. They take their rotten, evil ideas and pretend they are in the service of American ideals. The super wealthy need to have unlimited means to buy influence because money = speech, and we stand for Free Speech™ right? We…