Our language has been taken hostage. Words like patriotism, freedom, and democracy have been bound and gagged, forced to perform indecent acts through the abuse of slogans. Freedom will prevail. ...
Democracy's only agenda is that we participate and that the majority voice be honored. It doesn't matter whether an answer is right or wrong, only that ideas be heard and discussed openly.
Terry Tempest Williams
So, President Bush is going to give a speech to the U.N.? What are fifty ways to say "bullshit?" Bush is the master of "do what I say, not what I do." We can foresee some wonderfully empty words on liberty and democracy by the head of an administration that in a myriad of ways proves how little it thinks of either. Diplomatic -- the ability to take bs without laughing out loud.
Terry Tempest Williams' words, part of an eloquent speech that is also found in her new book The Open Space of Democracy, are correct -- democracy in this country is more than majority rule. It is a set of rules that include an ability of each person to be heard and their basic interests protected in some basic ways. And, what troubles (aggravates) me greatly about the national government these days is its repeated inability to follow such rules in even basic ways. For instance:
Chairman Barton (R-TX) denied repeated requests from Committee Democrats to conduct a fair debate on the resolution which seeks information regarding Vice President Dick Cheney’s secret Energy Task Force. For the first time since he took over as Committee Chairman earlier this year, Representative Barton denied Committee Members the opportunity to make opening statements.
Of course, the United Nations are more concerned about the "illegal" war (in the opinion of Secretary-General Kofi Annan) in Iraq. It takes a certain amount of guts to go the organization you belittled and ignored and ask for assistance, now that things are going badly. The Administration has actually done some good in dealing with the troubles in Sudan, inadequate as it might be. But, how will we have the international help and respect we need if we do not earn it by our actions over time?
Likewise, talk of liberty and democracy ring a bit false when matched against mistreated prisoners, including the ongoing failure to have truly legitimate hearings in Guantanamo Bay. Or, without admitting error, releasing a citizen long held without a trial, but only if he goes to Saudi Arabia and gives up his citizenship. Or, after accusing a sympathetic chaplain to such individuals of espionage and then adultery, but eventually deciding to give him an honorable discharge.
Well, they did the right thing (sometimes; after months or even years of pressure) in the end, right? I really cannot take anything some of these people take seriously. The true test of character is how a person's words match their actions. A test this bunch failed big time.
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Update: I read a good essay by Naomi Klein that notes: "The message [an attempt to "sell" democracy as a brand] may have proved more persuasive if those values were better reflected in the Bush administration's communications with the outside world - both in its image and, more importantly, in its policies. Because as President Bush rightly points out, diversity and debate are the lifeblood of liberty. And they are enemies of branding." The themes found in the article are also discussed by her in an interview found here.
I'd add that part of the problem is that there is a certain disconnect here -- they believe in "democracy" and all, but how it is defined and "put in place" (sic) suggests that it is very different from how many others would define it. This is so even if the people think they believe in the same words being said. This suggests why many, like myself feel cheated -- as Klein notes, the brand (democracy) is fine, it is the product being sold that is broken.