From: (No Email available)

Date: 2004-07-11 02:54:59

Comment:

First, the word "regime" may be defined by Webster as nothing more than a governing political unit, buch such a benign usage hardly applies today.  In today's world, the word is typically reserved for oppressive governments and usually implies fascist, dictatorial political systems.

Second, America is not a democracy, but rather a republic.  The difference between the two is that in a pure democracy, the people have no representatives, and any decisions made with regards to the government are decided by a "majority rules" vote.  In a republic, however, the people vote for representatives who, in turn, cast votes in government decisions (i.e., bills, amendments, etc.)  The important distinction between a democracy and republic, which few Americans understand, is that while a representative casts a vote based on a democratic-style, "majority rules" vote by the people he represents, it is possible that the vote may have a different outcome than the same vote in a democracy; for example, the presidential elections of 2000.  The Electoral College system is set up so that each state is worth a certain number of votes, based on population.  When the people vote for the ticket of their choosing, the votes are tallied and the ticket which recieves the most votes (by democratic, "majority rules") recieves all of the electoral votes for that state.  Ergo, as with the election in 2000, it is possible that a majority of the American voters will vote for one ticket, but the opposition wins because it is the electoral vote which counts, NOT the popular vote.  In a democracy, the winning ticket would simply be the one which wins the popular vote.

Finally, to say that the current administration is impinging on the American people's right to vote is asinine.  I'm not even sure how you can arrive at the conclusion that the Bush White House is threatening your right to vote or freedom of speech.  As far as education is concerned, I'd like to know where in the Constitution education is stated as a right of the American people.  It is a privilege, not a right. And freedom of choice over one's body?  I assume you refer to the issue of abortion.  The claim that a woman has a "right" to abort her unborn baby hinges on the definition of when the fetus become a human life, which in turn defines whether or not abortion is murder.  Unless we are prepared to argue that topic, I suggest we not delve into whether or not this administration is fighting to deny our rights to our own bodies.