[EM] language/framing quibble

[Fred Gohlke]

Good Morning, Juho

re: "If there is a common understanding that this (or some other
      plan) should be implemented then you can do it."

That's wishful thinking.  Every perversion extant, political or 
otherwise, runs counter to the 'common understanding'.  Optimism is a 
wonderful trait; an unrealistic expectation is not.  Glenn Miller's 
beautiful rendition to the contrary notwithstanding, wishing will NOT 
make it so.


re: "There have been also idealistic revolutions that have not
      led to positive results in the long run."

I'm not sure what that assertion is intended to mean (it may contain a 
typographical error).  In any case, idealistic revolutions can lead to 
widely different changes in society.

We've mentioned the disastrous results of fascistic and communistic 
revolts, while, on the positive side, my country prides itself on the 
major advance in democratic governance that flowed from its revolution. 
  The results of revolutions tend to be dictated by their leaders.  As I 
said in a recent message, "The American Revolution was unusual because 
its nominal leader had no aspirations beyond the stated aim of the 
revolution."  Unfortunately for all of us, that is the exception rather 
than the rule.


re: "Parties have the potential to be destructive.  But I don't
      see that they would necessarily become destructive at some
      point."

Of course they don't 'necessarily'  become destructive.  They need a 
catalyst ... a demagogue ... to send them careening down the path of 
extremism and destruction.  Building on such a foundation is building on 
quicksand.  It guarantees failure, if not because of your party, because 
of someone else's.

It is my opinion that giving any subset of our society greater influence 
in our government than any other subset is inherently wrong.  Unless one 
is committed to advancing some point of view over other points of view, 
the purpose of considering political systems must always be to ensure 
that everyone has an opportunity to participate in the decision-making 
process.  Whether any or all of them are Liberal, Conservative, 
Catholic, Protestant, Communist, Capitalist, or of any other ideological 
bent is not important.  The important thing is that they, all of them, 
have an equal opportunity to participate ... whatever their biases.


Juho, you and I examined the elements of partisanship in detail several 
months ago.  If you can not see the deleterious effect partisanship has 
on our world, if you didn't recognize the cause of my homeland's 
invasion of a sovereign nation, if you are unaware of the politically 
sanctioned excesses that led to the economic collapse engulfing us, if 
you haven't noticed the poison flowing out of the middle east for more 
than 50 years, I don't believe there's anything I can say that will 
change your mind about a fundamentally flawed approach to democratic 
government.

Fred Gohlke