Monday, March 20, 2006
Off on the Wrong Foot
I always thought the phrase representative democracy was an oxymoron.
If so, then Americans took a wrong turn from the outset, when the Continental Congress consulted with the Akwesasne (Iroquois) on the foundation of their highly successful confederated form of government. The difference--and a significant one--was that the Akwesasne system of governance was based on participatory democracy, something the rich white guys, who had their eyes on the imminent real estate bonanza, weren't quite ready to unleash.
You see where that got us.
If so, then Americans took a wrong turn from the outset, when the Continental Congress consulted with the Akwesasne (Iroquois) on the foundation of their highly successful confederated form of government. The difference--and a significant one--was that the Akwesasne system of governance was based on participatory democracy, something the rich white guys, who had their eyes on the imminent real estate bonanza, weren't quite ready to unleash.
You see where that got us.
