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• Thursday, December 4, 2008 05:59 AM

  Nice to see

  a little more recognition of the Palace Culture that infuses DC from top to bottom (effectively uniting the media and the elect), and to see some recognition of how it has come to be and how it is preserved.

  "Versailles on the Potomac," indeed.

  Anti-democratic? Well, not if you redefine "democratic." Which has been done, after all. The trend is toward a "directed democracy," wherein certain established interests within the palace aristocracy (including our media) determine and direct the course of discussion, debate, and ultimately who is considered eligible for "election."

  Always been thus? In some ways, yes. Despite all our democratic and republican trappings, our government directly descends from the hereditary monarchies of England and Europe, and from the Cromwellian dictatorship (which tried itself to be hereditary). Resistance is built in, but we are still dealing with monarchial styles and pretentions, hereditary positions if not titles, and with an in-built tendency toward authoritarianism and autocracy.

  This is all part of the origin of our nation's government. Unless you're prepared to change the nature of that government, dispose of the Constitution and start over -- in other words, engage in some kind of Revolution -- it's not really going to change. No, "incremental change" is not going to do the trick. All that does is reinforce the status quo, a status quo tending toward ever greater reliance on hereditary position, insulated Palace points of view, ever greater class distinctions reinforcing vastly powerful arisocracy ruling over a nearly powerless underclass/proletariat, and a more and more autocratic, imperialistic, militaristic executive. A King as it were, or if you prefer, an Emperor.

  In other words, the "incremental changes" are going the wrong way, almost all toward consolidation of and reinforcement of the very things you're criticizing.

  There is no sign that trend is reversing.

  Every sign points to further consolidation and reinforcement of those trends under the New Administration.

  We're in a multiplicity of crises after all.

  Crises=Opportunity -- for further and deeper expansion of our New Model Government.

  —Ché Pasa Read Ché Pasa's other letters
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