Hi Mark,<div><br></div><div>As far as I understand it the original western democracies, and especially the U.S., were designed as Republics, and explicitely anti-democratic, i.e. designed to defend the power of the enlightened property owners against the 'mob'. All the more real elements of democracy, such as universal suffrage of all genders, were imposed later through long-standing social mobilizations ... The Electoral College is just one example of an technique specifically aimed at not having the people directly decide ...</div>
<div><br></div><div>Michel<br clear="all"><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>XXX</div><div><br></div><div><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Date: Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:05:04 -0600</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">From: Mark Janssen <</span><a href="mailto:dreamingforward@gmail.com" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">dreamingforward@gmail.com</a><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">></span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Subject: Re: [P2P-F] Fwd: Ancient Athens didn't have politicians. Is</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">� � � � there a lesson for us?</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">To: P2P Foundation mailing list <</span><a href="mailto:p2p-foundation@lists.ourproject.org" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">p2p-foundation@lists.ourproject.org</a><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">></span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Message-ID:</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">� � � � <CAMjeLr-K=13yqx3x2Z3LOw7ESQT-</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">56xrkQ7+rg=</span><a href="mailto:MdGi1NNWt5Q@mail.gmail.com" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">MdGi1NNWt5Q@mail.gmail.com</a><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">></span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 9:19 AM, George Dafermos - TBM</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><</span><a href="mailto:G.N.Dafermos@tudelft.nl" style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">G.N.Dafermos@tudelft.nl</a><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">> wrote:</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">> i suppose that was probably meant as a joke, right?</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">> x,</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">Hah, I guess I should have clarified. �I mean "nominally" or legally</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">it has a government of, by, and for the People since the Constitution</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">remains the "highest" Law of the United States. �Such as it is, if one</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">were to take the issues to court on where it was failing, the courts</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">would have to uphold this standard and ideal. �The fact that the</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">People have let their government deteriorate through neglect, and the</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">void of power, left thereby, be filled by those with less noble ideals</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">is a shame. �But, nonetheless, I don't think it can copy Greece's</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">model of democracy, where it was supposed to be an indivisible unit.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">mark</span></div>
-- <br>P2P Foundation: <a href="http://p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://p2pfoundation.net</a>� - <a href="http://blog.p2pfoundation.net" target="_blank">http://blog.p2pfoundation.net</a> <br><br><a href="http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation" target="_blank"></a>Updates: <a href="http://twitter.com/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/mbauwens</a>; <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens</a><br>
<br>#82 on the (En)Rich list: <a href="http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/" target="_blank">http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/</a> <br>
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