“I can’t agree with your assertions. Nazi Germany was a fascist dictatorship - far from the precepts of a republic which fundamentally guarantees individual liberty”
So? NAZI Germany was a constitutional republic dedicated to murdering Jews and enslaving the rest of the world.
Once again, a republic is any government without a monarch. Remember that Saddam Hussien called his best troops “The Republican Guard”.
George Orwell is rightly famous for pointing out that corruption of political language is one of the tools of despots. Obama will rightly claim to head a democratic republic, as he does his best to destroy the individual liberty that is our really precious heritage. We need to be very clear. A republic is not enough. Democracy is not enough. A constitution is not enough (especially if it isn’t enforced). We need individual liberty under the rule of law, with an incorruptible legal system to make it a reality. Nothing less will suffice.
"George Orwell is rightly famous for pointing out that corruption of political language is one of the tools of despots."
And I would offer your statement here as a perfect example of a despot corrupting political language:
"Remember that Saddam Hussien called his best troops "The Republican Guard"".
Just because a despot named Hussien used "Republican" to label his henchmen - it does not make his country a Republic.
To define a Republic as "any government without a monarch" is like saying "a human is a mammal, therefore, all mammals are humans". You are leaving out important aspects of a true republic that differentiates it from other "non-monarchy" forms of government.