Food for thought.

[Sapphocrat]

"The phrase 'tyranny of the majority' (or 'tyranny of the masses'), used in discussing systems of democracy and majority rule, is a criticism of the scenario in which decisions made by a majority under that system would place that majority's interests so far above a dissenting individual's interest that the individual would be actively oppressed, just like the oppression by tyrants and despots."

It was a tyrannical majority that voted away the rights of a minority in some 30 states.

More accurately, it was a very loud, tyrannically-minded minority that frightened, pressured, and in some cases coerced a normally reasonable majority into voting away the rights of a minority in some 30 states.

Peer pressure is a mighty strong thing.

You and I, dear friends, due to the essential powerlessness of our minority status, are forced to rely on and trust in the integrity of our judicial system, and in the hope that there are enough people who work within that system possessed of the rare sort of fair-mindedness that they may set aside their personal biases, in order to right the wrongs that result from mob rule.

While there is much corruption in the system, there is a big difference between 1) duly elected/vetted/appointed jurists and 2) vigilantes and the weak-minded "peers" who buckle under pressure to the will of said vigilantes.

When there is no higher authority than the mob, all hope is lost.

As a native-born, lifelong resident of California, I have seen what true "direct democracy" brings, where "the will of the people" means all. The result is seldom pretty.

That is all. Make of it what you will.

Be well, friends. I sincerely doubt I'll see you on the flip side.

[Bluenorthwest]

1. Excellent and to the point

As usual. Nice to see your words here!

[William769]

2. Recommended.

[NMMNG]

3. Agreed

I hope you're wrong, but you seldom are.

[Sapphocrat]

15. I was hoping I was wrong, too. n/t

[mitchtv]

4. Pretty grim

Not untrue, K&R
we will win, sooner or later

[xchrom]

5. i missed it to recommend it so i will kick it. thoughtfully said. nt

[Zorra]

6. Occupy, and vote for Democrats.

Do everything possible to bring about positive constructive change.

It is clear that we have much larger numbers of allies among Democratic legislators, and few or none among republicans.

It is clear that the system is compromised, and that enormous pressure must be put on the system to bring about the tension that leads to positive constructive change, particularly toward equality.

I firmly believe that, if we put a Democratic majority in both Houses 2012, and Obama back in the WH, that we will attain marriage and employment equality under federal law at sometime within the next 2-4 years.

The RW agenda must be continually and relentlessly exposed and defeated on every front by every non-violent means available.

With regard to the protection afforded us by the judicial system:

Whoever is President from 2013 to 2017 will be appointing one or more SCOTUS justices. Do we want Obama to appoint these justices, or a Mormon, like Mitt Romney, a phony RW fundamentalist freak like Newt Gingrich, or crazy lady Michelle Bachmann, appointing these justices?

This should be a no brainer for our community, (excepting maybe Log Cabin Republicans, speaking of no brainers).

Here is a quote attributed to Plato:

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."

Here is a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Letter From A Birmingham Jail":

"You may well ask: "Why direct action? Why sit ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?" You are quite right in calling for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. The purpose of our direct action program is to create a situation so crisis packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. I therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation..."

http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

Equality and Solidarity

(edits for spelling and math errors)

[Zorra]

8. lol.

Maybe it's my cryptic satirical British humor; I'm not British, I think maybe I watched too much Monte Python after reading Shakespeare, or something like that, it flies over people's heads sometimes I guess, I thought the post was quite fitting as a response, given the already cryptic circumstances.

Carry on, then.
;)

[queerart]

7. Not Quite Sure If You Are Addressing The Concerns Rolling Around In My Head.....

But I couldn't agree more with your premise.....

(RE)vigilantes and the weak-minded "peers" who buckle under pressure to the will of said vigilantes.

I think a golden era has passed, and a hungry snake will eat it's own tail.....


(just thinking out loud)

[Sapphocrat]

9. Kicked because...

...when this place is frozen in time, I want my Last Official DU-GLBT OP to be seen.

[jberryhill]

10. What "flip side" - Join Occupy DU2

[Sapphocrat]

11. I think I did, without realizing it...

...and I've already been tossed into the virtual Black Mariah!

[PatrynXX]

14. which seems there's a few mods left

but tolerable mods. not crazy mods on the other side


in the end I'm sure many of us will vote for Obama. we don't want another scott walker, however that doesn't mean we can't bitch about what he's doing. he specifically told us to hold him accountable and I'm doing exactly what he told me to do.

But either way I like to read an open discussion and thats harder to do on DU3 with the threat and perception that your post might be offensive to someone. never had to think about that before. Sure stuff can be offensive. It is very hard to offend me. Having had Carlin as my inspiration. But censorship does offend me. Thats what the bad cops are doing tearing down tents. (god forbid if those tent monsters in melbourne are catching. that was a good idea. now who's willing to dress up as a tent. with not much underneath. not sure how many in that video were wearing anything or not. Put the cops on the spot. want a bunch of people in the nude walking around because the cops stripped their clothes off :P

[racaulk]

12. I'm sorry that I'm too late to rec this.

But I'll be glad to kick it back to the top. Beautiful and thought-provoking post.

:pals:

[countryjake]

13. kicking for the rights of minorities

!