"THESE ARE THE TIMES THAT TRY MEN"S SOULS"...AGAIN... TIME FOR PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY?
We as Americans all remember being taught when we were young about our nation's founders, the patriots who stood up to the tyranny of the crown of England, the drafters of the declaration of independence, the constitution, and the bill of rights, the documents that became the framework for a system of governance that they believed would maintain a balance of power within a truly representative government, that would preserve the basic rights and liberties of the people, let their voice be heard, and provide to them a government, as Lincoln later put it, "of the people, by the people, and for the people."
What we may not be so quick to recall, however, is that there was much debate between the founding fathers as to what model our system of government should follow. Those such as Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Patrick Henry on one side favored a pure and direct democracy with the legislative power vested in the very hands of the people, while others such as James Madison, John Adams and George Washington held that a representative democracy would better serve the people than a true democracy because they believed it would protect the individual liberties of the minority from the will of the majority. Alexander Hamilton even went so far as to support the creation of a monarchy. In the end, those favoring representative democracy won the day and that is the system they put in place in the hopes of creating a "more perfect union."
Now we must ask ourselves, what would the founding fathers think if they were resurrected today to see what has become of their vision? One can only assume that they would begin to search for modern day patriots to meet them once again at the liberty tree in order to plan a new struggle for freedom and self governance. Although we continue to praise and honor those who founded our nation and sought to create a truly just form of government for it, do we really stop to reflect on whether we as a nation have in fact succeeded in preserving what they fought so hard to create?
Today, in contrast to our revolutionary ancestors, we as citizens of the United States generally observe politics from afar and the vast majority of us may participate in the political process only to the extent that we go to the polls once a year to vote. Over the decades and centuries we have allowed the erosion of the ideals of the founding fathers and the corruption of the principles which they enshrined in those so carefully conceived documents. We have been left with essentially no real power to influence our "democratically" elected officials. We may write an occasional letter to our senator or representative that generates a form letter in response and a statistical data entry that may or may not be weighed against the influence of some powerful corporate lobby. We may be permitted to participate in a march or demonstration of thousands or even millions, something our patriots of old would have marvelled at, only to be dismissed as a 'focus group' with no bearing on policy decisions.
How then is the government held accountable to the voice of the people? Are the people meant to speak only at the polls when given a choice between a select few candidates that may be equally corrupt? No, as Jefferson and his allies rightly believed, the people should be heard much more than that.
In spite of their good intentions, the system of representative democracy that the founding fathers opted for has been systematically undermined and has ultimately failed in preserving the well being of the people of this nation. Most of us accept this reality as being beyond our control and continue to observe, comment, and complain without aspiring to achieving any real change. Our local leaders and activists in our communities, and even those local elected officials who may have the best of intentions are for the most part powerless to make real positive change happen in our neighborhoods, towns and villages when there is so much corruption from above.
We have become so accustomed to this failed system of representative democracy that it may not occur to us that there are other alternative forms of democracy. In various places around the world participatory or direct democracy has been instituted both in concert with representative democracy, and as a replacement for it. It is a form of democracy that is designed to take directly into account your views, and the views of your neighbors, and to politically empower you to make real positive change possible in your communities. Initiative, referendum & recall, community councils, and grassroots organizing are but a few ways in which direct/participatory democracy is achieving great success around the world.
This site will attempt to explore in depth the concept of participatory democracy and how this grass-roots based form of governance could help bring us back in line with the principles this country was founded upon if it were allowed to take root here. In the hope that one day we can become a nation working together as a united people practicing true democracy as true equals, we open this forum…
More than 2,000 people marched last Monday at the annual MLK Day rally in Seattle. The theme "End War, Poverty, and Racism" united people of various political stances, backgrounds, and ages on a day to commemorate one of the most influential figures in North American history. This DBTP editor participated as well.
Perhaps it was merely a symbolic representation of our feelings about Martin Luther King Jr. and about the great problems and challenges that we face daily as citizens of a nation that remains a long way from achieving social justice. Some may go as far as to say that all we accomplished was a big traffic jam, but the rally also showed that we were all committed to causes that the struggle of MLK exemplified.
Being there in the multitude served as a reminder that there can be a united front to combat the evils in this world, and that people are willing to participate in the fight for better politics, society, economics and justice, if only symbolically in the absence of a forum where they are granted real political power. It also reminded participants that it takes both struggle and unification to create an atmosphere where participation is more highly valued, and more effective.
Demonstrations, marches, walk-outs, and rallies are important ways to remind people why we are on the street - our government allows us no other way to voice our opinion. We must continue to work together to create and expand avenues in to the exisiting political system and begin the transition to one where citizen participation is valued as a contribution to society, rather than an obnoxious traffic jam.
For an interesting glimpse at the way people around the globe are demonstrating and participating in order to have their voices heard, check out this new activist video sharing website:
http://www.activistvideo.org/ - Editor
More than 2,000 people marched last Monday at the annual MLK Day rally in Seattle. The theme "End War, Poverty, and Racism" united people of various political stances, backgrounds, and ages on a day to commemorate one of the most influential figures in North American history. This DBTP editor participated as well.
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