Originally posted by: heartsurgeon
our Christian nation did/does with all it's patriachcal and puritain laws
what? patriachal and puritain laws....what a bizarre characterization....
just don't see how the majority will can be supressed
the design of the constitution, and the separation of powers guarantees rights to the "minority" in our society..
hence "freedom of speech", hence "separation of church and state", the constitution protects the rights of the
minority from the tyranny of the majority..it is a bizarre characterization to say that "suppression of the majority will = dictatorship"
the constitution is a set of rules...
to have the "majority" express their will
without rules is the definition of "mob rule"
i believe that Secretary Rumsfeld is stating is that their won't be "mob rule" in Iraq..
there's going to be a democratic multi-ethnic representative government..probably with
a constitution that we help craft. The religious "leaders" are not going to have direct political
power in Iraq..you can absolutely sure of that. In Iran, the elected representatives of the people
can pass any law they want, but a religious "Board of Directors" reviews everything the elected officials do, and can
crush any activities they deem inappropriate..that won't be happening either.
is Islam and democracy and the freedoms we value incompatable in any form?
what? Turkey is a democracy with strict separation of "church" and state. Turkey is 98% Moslem.
how do you come up with these statements?
finally - you've got to understand we live in a republic..authority is granted the government by the people,
the government must operate within a framework of laws, with separation of executive, judiciary and legislative powers, and
laws exist to protect the individual...democracy is an incomplete description of what will govern iraq..