PBS Newshour 4/5/2011
This comment is especially for my readers outside of the U.S.
America does not have a "lock" on what democracy is, we are not the only model. The U.S. brand of democracy may not work for everyone in the world. I would even say our model is NOT for everyone.
People of the world who hunger for democracy where they live need to take into account:
- The road to democracy is always long and hard, especially if your country does not have the historical tradition
- The democracy you desire must be your own model, one that works for you
- You must realize that democracy is built bottom-up
- You should not just depend on any leader having all the answers, it is "the people" who must take the rains (which is what is happening now)
- The foundation of democracy is freedom of information and literacy (therefore education)
- To have a democracy, you must follow the ideal, not loyalty to a leader nor a group, and must be supported by a document (law of the land) that no leader nor group can just override
American democracy is imperfect, as is all human enterprises, but it can be a good place to start building your own democracy.
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