Yus,
It will be short this time.
You wrote;
"Democracy is a conceptual system that a Greek scholar defined a long time
> ago. No country in the World today practices it in it's purest form today,
> but the goal of those countries practicing this system is to get as close
to
> it's basic tenets as possible:"
>
Does this mean that democracy "in its purest form"has since been only on
the level of the Idea and not in practice.And how sure are you that in the
future Americans will be voted into office regardless of their social status
and influence, would matter most ,will be the desire,sincerity to serve the
society.Are you sure that,without the biggest ever revolution taking
place,corporate America will one day let go influencing decision marking in
their interest against that of the majority of American voters and people
,like in environmental issues ?
And then you wrote;
> 1. An open parliamentary system at every level that consists of officials
> elected by the collective majority of the people.
>
> 2. A fair, open system that respects the rights of human beings and
allows
> them to collectively influence the political system.
>
Democracy must go beyond this point.The people should have the possibility
of influencing the social,economic and social life of their nation.
And I have shown in my previous posting that it is not the ordinary American
that is influing the political ,economic and social system in that
country,that is done by others with economic influence and power.You have
not proof this wrong,you said only;
"But contrary to your assertion,
> big businesses do not get granted a free ride based on their
contributions.
> Their willingness to contribute towards a particular campaign is dictated
by
> the issues/reforms proposed by each candidate. There are also checks and
> balances that ensure that big companies are not given free rides in that
the
> president is not the decision maker.
You have miss the whole point,I never said that the decision of all politics
is made by the presesident.What I have said is that this check and balance
system in America is corrupted because it is the big business cooperates
that finance their campaigned,the whole political party and this make them
the property of big business corporate and not the ordinary American voters
and people.Is it not possible that, it is the desire of ordinary American
voters and people to wake up for a day,a week,a month without hearing the
news that some one have been short dead.Don't you think that if the decision
to allow gun control follows the desire of the majority of voters and not
the powerful and influential gun clubs and dealers,the situation would have
been different ?
But then you continue to saty;
"The system is not perfect and
"> inequalities to do exist but, despite the horrible wrongs of the past,
laws
> have been put into place that ensure that people are given equal
opportunity
> regardless of race, colour, gender, size or creed.
>
> Like you have, many people point to the judiciary system as one of the big
> failings of the American democratic system. Yes, there is a
disproportionate
> amount of African Americans on death row and in prison, several million in
> fact. But, before blaming the judiciary system, there are many factors
that
> one has to take into account. In particular, the economic disparities
caused
> by a legacy of slavery and racial discrimination are reasons why "
Bro Yus, this talk of equality is just on the paper and it has been there
for not less than 100 years,but you and I know,the realities are something
else.Just as you mention in this same statement above.
And I only hope that you don't go with the illusion that Rodney King,Jallow
issue are accidents.
Passing laws that do not function,but only as decorations to satisfy certain
demands is a mockery and should not be applauded
I only hope that this is not the type of Democracy we are yearning for the
Gambia.
And for the technicalities and fairness of the electoral system,America can
consult Senegal,they will be able to help to solve the problem you
mention.
Have a nice time.
For Freedom
Saiks
----- Original Message -----
From: Yusupha Jow <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2000 10:59 PM
Subject: Re: US Election Card
> Saiks:
> I would first like to rebut your assertion that Mumia Abu Jamal's death
> sentence and the failings of the American democratic system are somehow
> linked. In the instance of Jamal, one has to look at the evidence and
> motives presented in this case exclusively before making this connection.
In
> an attempt to separate the two, a different email under a different cover
> will deal with Jamal's issue.
>
> Democracy is a conceptual system that a Greek scholar defined a long time
> ago. No country in the World today practices it in it's purest form today,
> but the goal of those countries practicing this system is to get as close
to
> it's basic tenets as possible:
>
> 1. An open parliamentary system at every level that consists of officials
> elected by the collective majority of the people.
>
> 2. A fair, open system that respects the rights of human beings and
allows
> them to collectively influence the political system.
>
> Before one can conclusively condemn the system here as undemocratic, one
> should be able to prove that the US does not more than adequately fulfill
> these basic tenets of the system
>
> The mechanism that allows citizens to be elected as lawmakers at the
various
> national and state levels is open, fair and transparent. Aside from the
> presidential election, where the electoral college system is used to
> determine the victor, the rest of the races are decided by who wins the
> popular vote.
>
> Even the electoral college system that decides the presidential race was
> designed to reflect the outcome of the popular vote. Relative to it's
> population compared to others, each state is allocated a certain number of
> electoral votes. For example, California, with one of the largest
> populations in the country, is represented by 54 electoral votes
Similarly,
> Michigan, another highly populated region, is allocated 25 votes. To win
an
> election and the majority, a presidential candidate needs 270 votes,
>
>
> At the time this system was put into place, the manner by which electoral
> votes were designated electoral votes was an accurate reflection of the
> demographics of this country. However, population concentrations have
> changed and the presidential electoral system has not been revised to
reflect
> this change and thus maybe outlived it's usefulness. This is a probable
> reason for the discrepancy between electoral vote and popular vote, not
> because the voting system is inherently unfair or biased. The electoral
> system has served it's purpose accurately for over a hundred years and,
> though it seems to have failed the test this time, there is definitely a
case
> to be made in it's defense.
>
> As you pointed out, there are other factors that corrupt the electoral
> process such as big business and the media. But contrary to your
assertion,
> big businesses do not get granted a free ride based on their
contributions.
> Their willingness to contribute towards a particular campaign is dictated
by
> the issues/reforms proposed by each candidate. There are also checks and
> balances that ensure that big companies are not given free rides in that
the
> president is not the decision maker. The senate and congress are a big
part
> of the decision making process. Segments of the population are also given
> leverage to agitate and thus challenge the senators that illegally comply
> with the wishes of big business. Laws are also in place to prevent these
> type of things from happening.
>
> In regard to the influence of the media on the voting process, it happens
> everywhere and this country is no exception. The influence of the media
is
> more pronounced here because some of the most established and powerful
> broadcasting companies exist here.
>
> It is testament to the fairness of the American democratic system that a
> comprehensive recount is being done today in Florida with no stone being
left
> unturned. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the electoral system is being
> questioned. Campaign finance reforms are also being discussed. The
system
> is open and transparent enough for the voting system to be scrutinized.
> Openness and transparency are crucial aspects of a democratic system.
>
>
> The opportunities, freedom and potential for self achievement provided by
> this system adequately fulfill the democratic ideal in this regard. This
> country gives it's citizens more opportunities to grow and advance than
most
> other places in the World. Most are offered the adequate opportunity for
an
> education, jobs and self advancement. The system is not perfect and
> inequalities to do exist but, despite the horrible wrongs of the past,
laws
> have been put into place that ensure that people are given equal
opportunity
> regardless of race, color, gender, size or creed.
>
> Like you have, many people point to the judiciary system as one of the big
> failings of the American democratic system. Yes, there is a
disproportionate
> amount of African Americans on death row and in prison, several million in
> fact. But, before blaming the judiciary system, there are many factors
that
> one has to take into account. In particular, the economic disparities
caused
> by a legacy of slavery and racial discrimination are reasons why so many
> African-Americans turned to crime, not because the judiciary system
imprisons
> unfairly all the time. Despite being labeled as undemocratic, programs
such
> as affirmative actions and quotas have been put into place in an attempt
to
> narrow these disparities. Occasionally there are travesties like in the
> cases of Amadou Jallow, OJ Simpson, and Rodney King. But, while far from
> perfect, the judicial system works quite well in upholding the laws and
> protecting the residents and citizens of this country.
>
> Most importantly, every person and group is given the right to free speech
> and mobilization. From individuals to labor groups to action groups,
> everyone is given a right to seek redress for causes they perceive unjust.
> Mass movements have been responsible for crucial changes. Policies and
laws
> have been overturned because of mass movement. The civil rights, women's
> voting right and the anti-Vietnam movement all achieved their final
> objectives after massive mobilizations. These type of mobilizations not
only
> happen at the national level, but all the way down to local levels. The
> ability of people to mobilize for change is also a crucial aspect of
> democracy.
>
> The definition of democracy is much more extensive than the narrow
> constraints it is sometimes reduced to. In order to accurately make a
> sweeping determination that this or that system is undemocratic, one has
to
> take the whole range of what comprises democracy into account. In the
final
> analysis, this system is a conceptual one that is neither absolute or
perfect
> in any given setting.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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