http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/democracy/ en-us Sat, 26 Dec 2009 10:43:38 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415232/posts Iranian security forces and opposition activists have clashed in the centre of the capital Tehran, reformist websites and witnesses report. AFP news agency said police "sought to disperse about 200-300 people" who wanted to gather in Enghelab square. Tensions have risen since influential dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri died a week ago. BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415232/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 10:43:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414860/posts http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414860/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 07:50:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2410581/posts There hasn't been much news about it in the U.S. but an American citizen has been arrested by Cuban authorities and has been placed in one of Cuba's most secure facilities; El Morro Castle, Havana. Cuba has yet to announce what charges they are leveling against the man but he was arrested after he gave out laptop computers, cellphones and other communication equipment to Cuba's beleaguered citizens. The Cuban government claims these items are against the law for its citizens to own because it "subverts" government authority. The American was a contractor for Development Alternatives, Inc. a company that has... Publius Forum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2410581/posts#comment Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:32:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405860/posts A month ago, Gen. Muhammad-Ali Aziz Jaafari, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, vowed to stop further antiregime demonstrations in Iran and break what he termed "this chain of conspiracies." But this week the "chain" appeared to be as strong as ever: Students across the nation defied the general and his political masters by organizing numerous demonstrations on and off campus. The various opposition groups that constitute the pro-democracy movement have already called for another series of demonstrations on Dec. 27, a holy day on the Muslim Shiite calendar. Meanwhile, the official calendar of the Islamic Republic includes 22 days... WSJ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405860/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 01:34:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405402/posts The solution to the crisis with Iran was visible on December 7, Students Day in that country, which marks the anniversary of 1953 anti-American protests when Vice President Nixon visited after the coup that removed Mossadegh from power. The Iranian people continued their strategy of hijacking pro-regime holidays to express their opposition and demand democratic change. On the days when the regime is supposed to appear strongest, it instead appears weakest. Liberal Middle East expert Juan Cole marveled at how widespread the anti-government demonstrations were. He described them as being larger than the previous November 4 rallies and only being... FrontPage Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405402/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:28:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403839/posts According to an Associated Press report, “Obama declared that the United States still considers Manuel Zelaya to be the president of Honduras and assailed the coup that forced him into exile as ‘not legal.’ ” So the question arises, why would Obama refer to Zelaya’s ouster as an “illegal coup?” As the AP reminds us, “The term ‘coup’ is defined as ‘a sudden, decisive exercise of power whereby the existing government is subverted without the consent of the people.’ When a country’s legally and democratically elected government ‘removes’ an individual, using the processes outlined in its Constitution, it is not... The New Media Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403839/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 17:46:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403115/posts As an avid follower of and writer on political and legal subjects for almost fifty years, I’ve gotten on many mailing lists from all parts of the political spectrum. This week I received the “2009 Scorecard on Campaign Reform” from an outfit named North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections. Sounds like God, flag, and Mom’s apple pie, doesn’t it? I had never heard of this organization before. But there is a standard process I use to smoke out the bias, if any, in any new organization I hear about. My knowledge was new; the organization is, apparently, ten years old.... Special to FreeRepublic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403115/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 20:20:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398768/posts The Obama administration messed up when it decided to back the aspiring Chavezian thug Zelaya in Honduras. Zelaya had attempted to illegaly change the constitution to remain in power. For this he was legally ousted from office. Everyone who spent more than five minutes looking into this topic understood that the people who ousted Zelaya, while not perfect, were certainly on the side of the angels on this one. Everyone, that is, except Obama and his State Department. Creative Minority http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2398768/posts#comment Wed, 2 Dec 2009 22:02:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396236/posts Public buildings will provide prayer rooms for Muslim prayers just as a local athletic building in New Jersey has done so for Muslim sports figures there. The Magic City Morning Star http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2396236/posts#comment Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:25:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395412/posts Sometimes the smallest ideas can have the biggest impact. And so it may be in helping to push change in Iran. Almost without notice, a small initiative to help democratic reformers in Iran is moving through the U.S. Congress. The notion is disarmingly simple: With a small investment of money, the U.S. government can help Iranian citizens get around efforts by the Iranian regime to block their use of the Internet to communicate with each other and the outside world. The power of this idea became apparent amid the widespread anger in Iran over the country's disputed presidential election this... WSJ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395412/posts#comment Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:24:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388026/posts Obama walks on eggshells in Shanghai Venkatesan Vembu / DNA It was a wet and windy Monday in Shanghai, but for Houston Wu it wasn’t the weather that rendered United States president Barack Obama’s ground-breaking townhall-style interaction with “China’s future leaders” a “colossal damp squib”. It was, he says, Obama’s “needless, excessive caution” about offending official Chinese sensitivities, which reduced him to “a mere shadow of his inspirational, lyrical self.” Everything about the meeting, says Wu, had a “surreal quality” to it: From the fact that the student audience was made up of handpicked Communist Youth League cadres, to their... Daily News and Analysis (DNA) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2388026/posts#comment Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:57:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385207/posts Control: The House and Senate climate bills contain a provision giving the president extraordinary powers in the event of a "climate emergency." As chief of staff Rahm Emanuel says, a crisis is a terrible thing to waste. If you thought the House health care bill that nobody read has hidden passages that threaten our freedoms and liberty, take a peak at the "trigger" placed in the byzantine innards of both the House-passed Waxman-Markey bill and the Kerry-Boxer bill just passed by Democrats out of Sen. Barbara Boxer's Environment and Public Works Committee. As Nick Loris of the Heritage Foundation points... Investors.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385207/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:54:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384648/posts New democracies that embraced the free market are facing their deepest crisis after years of rapid growth The Guardian UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384648/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:07:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383108/posts Today our leaders have no ethical grounding. If there are no witnesses, no one can prove who chopped down the cherry tree, why make life difficult? Plausible deniability, a well-crafted excuse and a good lawyer help one move beyond the occasional indiscretion. The word “truth” is passé, a quaint notion in which the proletariat finds comfort. “Truth” does not carry the nuance or flexibility one must use to speak ideology to power. The postmodern nihilism Harvard instills in our elites keeps them ethically limber. If there are no moral absolutes then one cannot suffer pangs of guilt when they are... The New Media Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383108/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:41:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2382197/posts One aspect of life that is particularly galling to seniors is the evidence that our schools are not teaching our young people about our form of government and the reasons steeped in history that make it so precious. We are afraid that their ignorance will result in its loss - never to be recovered. Everyone should find a way to have a young person view this video. It is a short explanation of the different forms of governing, and why our Founding Fathers risked so much to create a republic - and not a democracy. From Sea To Shining Sea http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2382197/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 17:27:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382111/posts (NaturalNews) Given that the massive health care reform bill just passed by the House was one of the largest pieces of legislation in U.S. history, you might wonder why you didn't get to vote on it. When it comes to federal legislation, your vote doesn't count in America, didn't you know? You are dictated to by a small band of the political elite who may or may not represent your interests (or even the interests of your fellow citizens). Those people are called members of Congress. And as you'll read here, they are essentially obsolete. Society no longer has any... NaturalNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382111/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 15:31:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382065/posts Muslims take full advantage of America’s freedom of speech to broadcast the Revolution Muslim cultic line per their own street vendors’ open season. Allvoices http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382065/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 13:44:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377873/posts Last week, I had the opportunity to address over forty members of the United States Congress with the goal to encourage their recognition of the importance of engaging the Iranian people and their ongoing struggle for human rights and democracy. I began my remarks by asking, "If the U.S. is to continue to assert engagement as the path forward in the case of Iran, whom precisely should the engagement be with?" The answer: the "Green Movement" of the Iranian people. If the U.S. supports the Iranian people in their struggle for democracy -- for human rights and liberties -- it... RezaPahlavi.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377873/posts#comment Wed, 4 Nov 2009 01:22:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377606/posts Democracy vs. Terrorism - Congress, UN Vote On Goldstone Israel Gaza Report Joel Leyden Israel News Agency Jerusalem ---- November 3, 2009 ..... There was never an easier vote to decide upon. Today the US House of Representatives is expected to vote on a resolution requesting US President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton “to oppose unequivocally any endorsement or further consideration of the ‘Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict’.” What has become known as the UN Goldstone Report, a biased, one sided investigation that refers to the internationally recognized terror group Hamas as... Israel News Agency / Google News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2377606/posts#comment Tue, 3 Nov 2009 19:12:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374941/posts India shows the world how to stand firm with China. As President Obama prepares for his trip to Beijing next month, he'd be wise to cast an eye toward New Delhi, where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is showing the rest of the world how to deal with Beijing when it gets into a bullying mood. At issue is the Dalai Lama's proposed trip next month to visit Tibetan Buddhist believers in Arunachal Pradesh, a province governed by India but claimed by China since the 1962 border war. Chinese spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu said last week the trip "further exposed the anti-China... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374941/posts#comment Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:46:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372495/posts This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Thirty years ago, Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran from exile to found a totalitarian theocracy -- the likes of which we have not seen for hundreds of years, perhaps even since medieval Europe. Thirty years ago, Iranian militants took American embassy workers hostage. Thirty years ago was the last time I saw Iran. To this day, I have not been able to return. In 1979, the new Iranian clerical regime promised the Iranian people a republic. By definition, a "republic" is a state in which the supreme power... RezaPahlavi.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372495/posts#comment Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:02:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372303/posts Although democracy now comes closer than anything else to serving as a world religion, it has never lacked critics. For millennia those critics, such as Aristotle, had large followings among political thinkers and practicing politicians. Even as late as 1787, when a group of prominent men met in Philadelphia to compose the U.S. Constitution, democracy was viewed with trepidation, and the framers created an apparatus of government in which democracy was hemmed in on all sides, lest the country fall into the much-dreaded condition of “mob rule.” Nowadays, democracyÂ’s defects are more likely to be seen as relatively benign ―... Liberty and Power at the History News Network http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2372303/posts#comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:57:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2371866/posts Corporate CEO salaries have been a target of criticism for a long time, and that criticism increased during the mortgage banking collapse, when bank CEOs also became targeted for doing a lousy job. The heads of large companies do make huge salaries, as shown by this sample from the 2008 AFL-CIO CEO Pay Database: Robert A. Iger, The Walt Disney Company, $51 million; Lloyd C. Blankfein, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., $42.9 million; Mark V. Hurd, Hewlett-Packard Company, $34 million; and Rex W. Tillerson, Exxon-Mobil Corporation, $32 million. There are a few reasons for this criticism, including envy and not... Annuit Coeptis http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2371866/posts#comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:07:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371473/posts As a doctor and psychiatrist, I spent an awful lot of my professional life trying to change individuals in a direction that I thought appropriate and beneficial for them. I am not under any illusions about how far I succeeded. I think I succeeded very little. At the best, I implanted the seeds of change rather than caused change itself. It was often the case that my patients had adopted grossly self-destructive paths in life, that viewed dispassionately and with a minimum of common sense could lead to nothing but misery, despair and chaos. Indeed, my patients often acknowledged this... New English Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371473/posts#comment Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:44:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2365057/posts Very few Americans understand our form of Government. All too often citizens think majority rules or that we live in a democracy. Some advocate no Government at all. But our Founding Fathers had something a little different in mind. Choosing to avoid the entrapments inherent in Monarchy's and Dictatorships, while protecting State's rights, they settled on a Republic. you tube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2365057/posts#comment Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:01:11 GMT