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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

The Whole Is Not Always Greater Than The Parts

Egypt is shaking for a change? I am not sure. Not saying yes or no, just I don't know. But I believe something, this country is not going to change as long as the whole is buried in fear. And this whole will always be buried in fear if there is no part of the society trying to get out of the silence break to affect the whole.

Peaceful change? I don't know whether this is a dream to come to true. We all understand how the regime is built upon the remains of us. Once we could be angry, once seems gone for good. Violence and injustice exercised daily and awfully by the regime in different ways: police against the people, the army against its own soldiers, professors against their own students, clerks against people and police against clerks. We are all fighting against each other as planned by the regime to remain afraid. Tell me how peaceful change would be brought about if police kills people, in the past secretly in police stations and so on and now on the street. Tell me what peaceful wisdom would encourage this afraid man to march in a demonstration if he doesn't see a heroic act that contribute to his feelings and thoughts.

Heroism in the state of violence is, by definition, against violence. The reaction of the mob however peacefully directed would at least be affected or cause a theme or two of violent acts.

People saying that a democratic reform cannot be brought about unless in a peaceful way. History doesn't agree. Democracy? Which democracy we are talking about? Do we talk about democracy as in the USA or Norway? They are different, not only in application but in principle. A democracy must satisfy the will of the people at a certain time and place. Democracy should reflect freedom however we define freedom.

Freedom is not won without a fight.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

People: the ultimate source of Authority

"Every nation has a right to govern itself internally under what forms it pleases, and to change these forms at its own will; and externally to transact business with other nations through whatever organ it chooses, whether that be a King, Convention, Assembly, Committee, President, or whatever it be. The only thing essential is, the will of the nation." --Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Pinckney, 1792. ME 9:7

"[The people] are in truth the only legitimate proprietors of the soil and government." --Thomas Jefferson to Pierre Samuel Dupont de Nemours, 1813. ME 19:197

"[It is] the people, to whom all authority belongs." --Thomas Jefferson to Spencer Roane, 1821. ME 15:328

"The constitutions of most of our States assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves in all cases to which they think themselves competent (as in electing their functionaries executive and legislative, and deciding by a jury of themselves in all judiciary cases in which any fact is involved), or they may act by representatives, freely and equally chosen; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed; that they are entitled to freedom of person, freedom of religion, freedom of property, and freedom of the press." --Thomas Jefferson to John Cartwright, 1824. ME 16:45

"We think experience has proved it safer for the mass of individuals composing the society to reserve to themselves personally the exercise of all rightful powers to which they are competent and to delegate those to which they are not competent to deputies named and removable for unfaithful conduct by themselves immediately." --Thomas Jefferson to Pierre Samuel Dupont de Nemours, 1816. ME 14:487

"The ultimate arbiter is the people of the Union." --Thomas Jefferson to William Johnson, 1823. ME 15:451