"Steve Ackman" wrote in message
rg...
In , on
Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:04:17 -0700 (PDT), Andrew VK3BFA,
wrote:

Have you read your constitution
Do you understand your system of governance.

It's a Constitutional Republic.

Do you believe in democracy.

Absolutely not, nor did any of the founding fathers.

--

sigh...

"The full experiment of a government, democratical, but representative, was
and is still reserved for us. The introduction of this new principle of
REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY has rendered useless almost everything written
before on the structure of government; and, in a great measure, relieves our
regret, if the political writings of Aristotle, or of any other ancient,
have been lost, or are unfaithfully rendered or explained to us. --
Jefferson, letter to Isaac H. Tiffany, 1816

"I consider the war as made for just causes [War of 1812 -- ed.] , and its
dispensation as providential, inasmuch as it has exercised our patriotism
and submission to order, has planted and invigorated among us arts of urgent
necessity, has manifested the strong and the weak parts of our republican
institutions, and the excellence of a REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY compared
with the misrule of kings, has rallied the opinions of mankind to the
natural rights of expatriation... -- Jefferson, letter to Mr. Wendover.
Washington ed. vi, 444.
(M. 1815)"

Shall I go on? g

It really boils down to one question: What do you mean by a republic? It's
really a good question, and the answer cuts through all of this nonsense
quoting.

--
Ed Huntress