19.640 Google

               Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 19, No. 640.
       Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
                   www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/
                        www.princeton.edu/humanist/
                     Submit to: humanist_at_princeton.edu

         Date: Thu, 02 Mar 2006 06:16:29 +0000
         From: "dennis c.l." <cyberdennis_at_gmail.com>
         Subject: Re: 19.634 Google

I agree that this discussion has escaped the bounds of Humanist's
usual sphere of interests. I do not wish to belabour the point but the
"point" I'm trying to make is that the term democracy means government
by the people. If you want to talk about a government that respects
human rights or is generally "nice" to its citizens don't use the term
"democracy" use "liberal" or "approved by US government inspectors" or
anything else that comes to mind, but not "democracy" for this term
has its own meaning and this meaning does not include "human rights"
or "niceness" in general.
dennis cintra leite

On 2/28/06, Humanist Discussion Group (by way of Willard McCarty
<willard.mccarty_at_kcl.ac.uk>) <willard_at_lists.village.virginia.edu>
wrote:
> Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 19, No. 634.
> Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
> www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/
> www.princeton.edu/humanist/
> Submit to: humanist_at_princeton.edu
>
>
>
> Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2006 06:54:33 +0000
> From: Dimitar Iliev <d_iliev_at_abv.bg>
> >
> >What everyone seems to miss in this discussion is that democracy=
  means
> >government by the people. If the people elect a government that not
> >only aproves of torture but makes systematic use of it or if said
> >government puts human beings in jail for years without a trial and
> >then the selfsame people proceed to reelect this government for
> >another four year term does not make it less of a democracy. The same
> >can be said of governments elected by the majority of its people in
> >places like Iran, Palestine and anywhere else the US of A disaproves
> >of.
> >
> >professor dennis cintra leite (retired)
> >
>
> let us not start a debate over the Middle East
> and the controversial intervention of the US there.
>
> the point is completely different.
>
> the point is that 'democracy' is a term defining
> the way a government acts towards its citizens,
> and not (or rather not only) a way a government is elected.
>
> firstly, fair elections don't justify all the
> actions of a government after it has been
> elected. fair and democratic elections are a
> process of delegating rights *only* under certain
> conditions and terms of use. Nixon won fair and
> democratic elections,but abused the rights
> delegated to him - see Watergate. not to mention
> Hitler, who also won completely fair and
> democratic elections and then brought all of Europe to ruins.
>
> secondly, as a citizen of a former Communist
> country, I can give a detailed account on how
> "spontaneous" demostrations, "fair" elections and
> "free" expression of people's will were organized
> by the authorities some 20 years ago. it is naive
> to always take those at a face value.
>
> Best regads,
>
> Dimitar Iliev
> PhD candidate in Classics
> University of Sofia
> Bulgaria
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> http://mm.music.gbg.bg/
>
Received on Thu Mar 02 2006 - 01:53:19 EST