God and Democracy

God and Democracy

Philosophy is the anti-thesis of ideology. The true philosopher has no pride, no sense of self. The philosopher is king and always will be, as the conceptual limits of our world are often set by men who have been dead for hundreds or thousands of years. The mighty emperor is governed by his ability to perceive the world around him, and his perception is informed by the will and words of the philosopher.

In Egypt, the birthplace of civilization, we witness an illustration of contrast that hopefully will give birth to new understanding. We must first suspend judgement if we are to understand.

There are two opposing forces vying for control of Egypt. Backers of the establishment of an Islamic state believe that man should be governed by Gods will as interpreted by the Koran. Backers of the establishment of a constitutional democracy believe that it is gods will that man should be governed by reason.

This distinction is crucial to understanding what democracy is. Democracy is not about the imposition of Karl Marx, Milton Friedman, or any other version of God. Democracy is rule by reason, rule by philosophy. Democracy is not a dictatorship of the proletariat. Democracy is not a dictatorship of the market. Democracy is not a dictatorship of the Koran. Democracy is not about self it is about truth.

The two faces of ego are ideology and greed. These are manifested when men seek control of the state to impose what they believe without the support of reason, and when men seek control of the state to accumulate wealth and power as an end in and of itself. A cynic would say that the two faces of ego are the only paths history will take, but there is a third way out and its democracy.

Democracy is when people come together and solve issues based on reason. The central word here is reason. Decision making is not allocated based on social status, money, or party monopoly. The objective of democracy is not to “win” what you want or to crush your “opponent”. In a pure democracy you have no opposition and there are no winners or losers. In a pure democracy all you have is people working together. That doesn't mean they will always agree on everything it just means that they will approach governance from the perspective that it is not about them.

The fundamental misunderstanding of the Chinese Communists is the perception that reason is just a tool of power. In their mind everything is war, a political struggle for ideological dominance. They will spend considerable resources constructing ideological arguments in order to manufacture perceptions that advance their interests. Truth can not be manufactured, only perceptions. True reason will stand alone apart from interest.

How ought we as human souls reconcile the truth of our connection? Democracy is the answer to this question. It conceptually nurtures compassion and starves ego. Our duty is to recognize the others as we would ourselves and pursue the public interest based on informed and well reasoned dialogue. The failure of modern liberal states in a global context is not a failure of democracy, it is an example of what happens when people forget what democracy is.

If we are to look to God for answers we should look to him as the original financial advisor. When Jesus Christ said love one another, he implicitly said that if we do not follow that commandment than we will all end up poor, dead or both. Without people there is no wealth, it is a concept within us. If people do not follow the financial advise of God there will be poverty and social problems. Loyalty to your wife and family, respect for others, forgiveness and compassion are the recipe for a better society. God should be a cultural compass that leads to comprehensive wealth, not a system of governance.

As a rejection of ego, democracy is the only option we have that respects people and principal above ideology and greed.

Democracy is the next evolutionary step in human awareness, but there is no guarantee that human society will progress. Democracy is a seedling threatened from all sides by the weeds of selfishness. Totalitarianism lives, and so long as it does it plots to stamp out any alternative to it's authority.

We must defend democracy from the well organized infiltration of communist totalitarian forces enabled by a corrupt and incompetent capitalist class. Our freedom will only be preserved by the actions of brave souls who take it upon themselves to carry the legacy of our forefathers. The people will be preserved and strengthened within the house of the lord. Amen.

A Prescription for what ails Democracy

What I Would Change About Politics in Canada
Elizabeth May


Democracy is, as Winston Churchill once quipped, the worst system of government, except all the others that have been tried.

He also, less famously said, “The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter,” but I don’t think the average voter is our problem in Canada. And I do think we’ve got a problem.

The symptoms of the problem are easy to spot — low voter turnout, with worryingly low levels among young people with no sign they will start voting once they are over 30, a less than vital Fourth Estate, undermined by an alarming level of concentration of media ownership in very few hands, public apathy, indifference bordering on antipathy toward the whole process, excessive power in the hands of the few (or the one, since I refer to PMO), a loss of respect for the fundamental principle of the supremacy of Parliament, misuse of the talents of Members of Parliament of the large parties as MPs are expected to toe the party line on every issue, big and small, and its flip-side, excessive control by the un-elected top party brass in all three main parties.

Add to this, that the average voter in Canada — if anyone can be called “average” — is incensed by the goings on related to the excessive claims of certain Senators and the outrageous accommodation for Senator Duffy by the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff cutting him a cheque for $90,000 so he could make it seem he had personally paid back what he took through inappropriate means. The fact of a $90,000 cheque from the Prime Minister’s top ranking staff member and closest confidante remains just simply stunning. It was, on its face, illegal. It makes no sense and no sensible explanation has been offered.

So, what could we change to restore the kind of healthy democracy that would re-engage voters, stop the growth in public cynicism and give Canadians a system — and individual politicians –they could believe in?

Here’s a short prescription for what ails our democracy:

1. Get rid of “first past the post” and elect MPs, as is done in most modern democracies, by some form of proportional representation. Make sure every vote counts so voters feel the impact of their vote. Thanks to first past the post, in 2011, a minority of voters elected a majority government. Such “false majorities,” as University of Toronto Prof. Emeritus Peter Russell has dubbed them, have occurred for Liberals as well as Progressive Conservative and now Conservative governments. Such results are only possible due to First past the post.
2. Reduce the powers of the Prime Minister’s Office — regardless of who is the occupant. It is an invention, not mentioned in our Constitution. Its powers and budget are unchecked and unaccountable. It is now at $10 million/year. Cut it in half to $5 million…or cut it more. Its total power in times of majority Parliament is anti-democratic, especially in a situation of a “false majority.” Cut the power of PMO. Restore a healthier Cabinet system of government.
3. Restore a respected, professional civil service. Return to evidence-based decision making. Rebuild the wall between the PMO and the PCO (Privy Council Office). Only under PM Harper have the political operatives in PMO run roughshod over the civil service, contaminating government information with partisan spin. This must be stopped.
4. Pass legislation that deals with concentration of media ownership to encourage the rebirth of local journalism and reduce the powers of a handful of owners (our current legislation dealing with competition in the news media fails to deal with this issue and only addresses issues of the price of media products.)
5. Restore respect for the supremacy of Parliament. Ensure that the control of the public purse is restored to Parliament, where it belongs.
6. Remove the power of leaders of federal parties to sign the nomination forms for their party’s candidates. Allow the caucus members of parties the right to trigger leadership reviews.
7. Senate reform — open conversations and negotiations with provinces. Is abolition possible? Could a council of the federation with more effective representation from municipalities, provinces and territories bring something useful to Parliament?
8. And perhaps most important of all — re-assert the constitutional requirement that MPs are elected to represent their constituents, not to be mere ciphers of the back-room hyper-partisan spin doctors who call the shots.

Bring back Westminster parliamentary democracy. All our rules say we have one; only our political habits tell us we are moving toward an elected dictatorship. This prescription to restore and heal democracy can only be filled when the citizens of Canada demand it.
Canada Day 2013 is a good time to start.

Originally published in the Huffington Post.
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^The military in this instance has acted in defense of democracy. No corrupt political party should be allowed to wield too much power over the people. Political parties are anti-democratic in that they are small groups of organized conspirators who seek to impose their absolute power. Democracy is not about going out to vote for a new dictator every few years, it is a process that is meant to happen all the time. The military and associated security apparatus has a role, it must protect a nation from the corruption of weak "leaders". Take the rise of Hitler as a prime example of how politicians can cause real damage to democratic societies. Hitler was democratically elected but after election he proceeded to dismantle German democracy and violate the human rights of German citizens. The German military should have intervened in the 1930's to protect German democracy. There were plans among the officers to do just that but unfortunately none succeeded. The point is that democracy is not just about elections, it is a process, a state of existence that respects people. My concern is that people from countries without cultural knowledge of what democracy is must have many misconceptions about what it looks like. Even in countries with strong democratic traditions much of the population is unaware of the philosophical origins of the modern world. If you set up a system where a radical segment of the population imposes their agenda on everyone else, that is not democracy. Even if you hold a vote every few years, the winners of the vote still must respect everyone's rights. Democracy is not meant to be about winning power over others, it is about bringing everyone together and finding solutions. I am disgusted that the competing mainstream parties take every opportunity to spout off spin and talking points every time they are granted access to the media. They are all fighting over the opportunity to form a "majority" so they can impose the agendas of their backers. The constant partisan messaging is an exhibition the profound immaturity and ignorance of our politicians. This is in sharp contrast to our brave members of the military who volunteer to risk their lives in service to god and country. I trust our generals more than I do our emperors. Men of honour in the tradition of Roméo Antonius Dallaire and Maximus Decimus Meridius are more trustworthy than most politicians. Just because someone "wins" an "election" it does not mean they are acting democratically or that democracy is healthy and on the right track. Some states have ruling political parties that control the media and arrest dissenters. Some states have ruling corporations and business elites who dominate the political process with money. Just because a vote occurs, it does not necessarily mean that democracy is happening. Democracy is more like a goal on the horizon that we continually chart a course for through reform and reconciliation. Don't get me wrong, we have a lot to be grateful for, our politicians are much better that the thugs of the completely corrupt and evil Chinese Communist party, but there are systemic and cultural issues that need to be resolved if we are to have any hope of dealing with the deteriorating economic and security conditions. We need leaders to put aside themselves, to put aside all sense of self. We must transcend crisis, history, and division to accomplish the preservation of our ideals. Hear me, I am speaking to you. You must make the dream a reality. You, in whatever capacity you serve, must do everything within your power to build our future. You must transcend your"self", and make "us" possible.                       

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" The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) banned the practice of Falun Gong in 1999, using tactics employed against peaceful Falun practitioners including imprisonment, forced labour, torture, murder, Orwellian indoctrination and even allegations of live organ extraction.

Help Elizabeth push the Canadian government to tell the Chinese government to stop their persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Sign or download her petition, get as many people as possible to sign it, and mail it – postage free – to either her Ottawa or Sidney offices. With as few as 25 signatures, Elizabeth can present your petition to the government in the House of Commons. "




Elizabeth May is one in a million. A politician that stands for ideals that you can trust. As you all know politicians are usually the worst kind of people on the planet. The vast majority of politicians have no bravery, they go along with the crowd and never stand for anything. Politicians are usually the opposite of leaders. Politicians go along with our flawed and corrupt systems without ever taking the risk of standing for real change. We are all human, we want to love one another, but the world that we want is not the world that we have. Nothing will change if we do not act to change it, and that requires bravery. The calculation of a better world is not a cold equation of personal gain and power, a better world is build by devotion to sacrifice.

We like to pretend that we are ok as a society, but we are not. Money and violence rules humanity as it always has, and through the process of globalization our responsibility for the ongoing atrocity has been collectivized. Our political processes are games between organized gangs of thugs, just as they always have been. The objective is and always has been to keep you addicted to the things that don't matter and ignorant of the things that do.

I don't want this. I don't want to feed this beast. It will only get bigger. I don't want a world where our money, our labour, our tears and the blood of our sons are spent to enrich foreign dictators. I don't want the money that I spend to be used to oppress people for the ideas that they have. I don't want to engage in a commercial system that enriches psychopaths and hurts ordinary people.

Long ago the ruling families were bound by family ties, today our political entities are bound by commercial ties. Money binds your "representatives" to histories greatest monsters. Money enables "democracy" to occur without informed debate or fair choice. Money makes law. I am not against wealth, in fact I view it as something virtuous, so long as it is paired with moral purpose. 

I am not a radical for wanting to ensure that we live in a world with human rights, democracy, an educated and informed citizenry. This is not the world we are currently building.

The only radicals I see are the thugs in the 1% who want to maintain their power through any means necessary. And it is through this they lose what it is that they seek to gain.

What scares the elite is that Elizabeth May is the most powerful person in Ottawa.
The seeds have already been planted, and they will grow.

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