Who needs a reason?

Apparently not the writers of the song "I am a Patriot", the song in the opening montage of episode 8 of Carrier. I didn't pay much attention the first time I watched it, other than to notice it was bad (although I liked the chanty/spiritual-ish bit at the beginning and end), but last night I caught another line that made my estimation of the song and songwriter sink a little lower (although I wonder if it was written for the show, so may not be all the sw's fault). The chorus is (iirc):

I am patriot,
And I love my country,
Because my country,
is all I know...

You love your country because it is all you know? I think this is the saddest reason to love one's country and be willing to die (and kill) for it. Not knowing any different is not a good reason for much of anything. It's right up there with "the Bible (preacher/Momma) says so". It is also, imho, a reason that can fall apart if it is questioned too much. What happens if/when you learn more about the world and the USA? (Ever try talking to someone who can't even entertain the hypothetical that the Bible/preacher might be wrong about some little thing? Like if they question that one little thing their faith/world will implode? It's like that.)

I've never lived anywhere else, and have only been overseas once, but I like to learn about the world and what life is like elsewhere (and would love to travel more). I also paid attention in my history classes. So while I certainly don't think the our government is infallible (or our culture the best for everyone and always) but I do think we have an excellent foundation to build our government on (it would help if policies actually mattered more to voters than slogans/image) and the freedoms on which our country was founded have made it a pretty good place to live. The 1st Amendment rights and the principle that "all men are created equal" (in dignity and under the law) and that we all have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" (whatever that last bit is suppose to mean) have allowed us to become a nation and people that many long to join. We aren't perfect but we are a lot better than many places out there. The ideals embodied in the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are why I love my country not just because it's home.

Democracy or Republic?

A red herring in a comment made by Shadowhelm a while back, started me thinking about the different ways in which we can define our government. He said our government was not a democracy but a republic. My initial response was to think, "damn, everybody calls themselves a republic. What does that tell you?"

So it has been in the back of my brain to look up the definitions of 'republic' and 'democracy' as well as the different types that could apply to the United States of America. Since I don't feel like doing actual work this morning, I decided I'd look them up (using wikipedia and a couple of online dictionaries).

The word "republic" comes directly the French and its most basic meaning is a state in which supreme power rests in the people. There are some modification to this definition in modern usage making the best definition I've found to be: a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them. Additionally, the head of state can not be a monarch, although the United Kingdom can, as a constitutional monarchy, be considered one type of republic. As you can already see, definitions of political systems can be complex and confusing.

The word "democracy" is derived from the Greek meaning rule of the common people. Key parts of the modern definitions include majority rule, free elections, and the power of the people. Most modern democracies are representational, where the power of the people is exercised by their representatives and not the individuals personally. Most people think of Athens as the first democracy but the Athenian government would probably not fit the description of a democracy by those same people. The number of "citizens" was relatively small (between 10-15% of all residents) and not all had the same vote. Additionally, Athens would be a direct democracy (if one at all) and most modern democracies are representational.

From my (not vast) reading the USA is a federal and constitutional republic. We can also be said to have a mixed government/constitution. Some other would say we are a capitalist republic (Marx's "dictatorship of the bourgeoisie"), but those would be people who aren't fond of our economic system. In terms of democracies, we are a representative, or more specifically a liberal democracy. (Please note that almost all of the world's government's refer to them selves as republics and/or democracies, whether anyone else would define them as one or not.)

That brings an end to my lesson on types of governments. Regardless of how one names the government, a representational government requires an educated electorate or it will become an oligarchy, ruled by the those already in power and their hand picked successors.