XPost: alt.society.liberalism, alt.atheism, talk.politics.guns   
   From: lunch@nofreelunch.us   
      
   On Fri, 17 May 2013 20:54:47 +0000 (UTC), Zepp  wrote in   
   alt.atheism:   
      
   >On Fri, 17 May 2013 14:53:00 -0500, RD Sandman wrote:   
   >   
   >> Klaus Schadenfreude  wrote in   
   >> news:msucp8hn3utue1ujitm37me0hulmgdbdkq@4ax.com:   
   >>   
   >>> On Fri, 17 May 2013 17:20:43 +0000 (UTC), Zepp  wrote:   
   ...   
   >>>>What are the first three words of the Constitution, bubbles? It's not a   
   >>>>very hard question. Google it if you don't know.   
   >>>   
   >>> Completely irrelevant.   
   >>>   
   >>> The rest of the words very clearly demonstrate we're not a democracy.   
   >>   
   >> Actually, there is very little difference between a republic and a   
   >> representative democracy.  Too many people look at a democracy as only   
   >> being a pure democracy, a direct democracy, etc to realize that there is   
   >> also a representative democracy.   
   >>   
   >>> You didn't know that, did you?   
   >>>   
   >>> [chuckle]   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >   
   >What this illiterate bonehead doesn't understand is that a Republic and a   
   >Democracy are two different things, but they don't exist exclusive of   
   >each other--it's usually the opposite, in fact.   
      
   Of course places that call themselves democrat republics are generally   
   totalitarian regimes.   
   >   
   >A Republic is any modern nation/state that is neither a monarchy nor a   
   >theocracy.   
      
   Nor any other strongman/jefe/dictator/generalissimo. Oddly the Dutch   
   Republic did have a monarch and the kingdoms found around the North Sea   
   these days all have monarchs with no power at all.   
      
   >A Democracy is any nation/state where sovereignty lies with the people.   
      
   In one definition. The other, older one would be one that has direct,   
   rather than representative democracy. Historically, the demos was a   
   relatively small subset of those who lived there.   
      
   >The UK is a Democracy, but not a Republic.  Same for Canada.  Saudi   
   >Arabia is a Republic, but not a democracy, even though they have voting.   
      
   Saudi Arabia is a kingdom run by an absolute ruler (you should have   
   noticed from the fact that the Saud family, the folks who run the place   
   added their name to the country).   
      
   >Sovereignty lies with Allah.   
      
   In reality, the Saud family decides what Allah wants. Always. The   
   theocratic trappings are also controlled by the Saud family. Hardly   
   different from the Borgias when they ran Italy and the Vatican.   
      
   >But the large majority of modern nation   
   >states, including America, are both Republics and Democracies.   
      
   Usually it's the ignorant reactionaries who insist that our country is a   
   republic, not a democracy, as if the two ideas were mutually exclusive.   
      
   >Klod is pretty pathetic.  He knows absolutely nothing of his own   
   >country's history or political make up.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)