Rejoicing in Democracy

» suitewoman - Rejoicing for what exactly?

Appreciated your article and I agree with your point that we can benefit by examining our own elections in this country more closely, as in raising a serious collective objection to permissive disenfranchisment of the voter.

Dahr Jamail, an un-embedded journalist in Iraq, reports a different version of elections in Iraq. He reports that the Iraqi people were told if they did not vote, they would not get their food rations. He also reports on a heart-wrenching example of an Iraqi injured seriously in a bombing and the unavailability of medical attention, from anywhere in Iraq.

Some of the troops were sent out in their under-armored humvees and tanks to door-bell at Iraqi homes to get out the vote. One American soldier was killed while on this door-knocking campaign.

We don't really know what the Iraqis were celebrating; the hope of the end of American occupation, the hope of control of their lives, the hope of basic living necessities as water, food, electricity, the hope of promise of the beginning of an end to the carnage.

Not challenging your points, I hope adding some additional information for consideration.

-- posted by suitewoman

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» kenrg - Re: Rejoicing for what exactly?

In response to Rejoicing for what exactly? posted by suitewoman:

Thank you Lietta, for your response, and the information from Dahr Jamail. As I'm sure you realize, the point of my article wasn't really to comment on the Iraqi election so much as to point out the shortcomings of our own.

I've read some of the un-embedded accounts of the Iraqi election, and agree that it was not quite what the mainstream press here would have us believe. I do, however, still see value in the election, and hope that it brings our troops one step closer to home - a hope I'm sure you will agree with.

Best,

- Ken

-- posted by kenrg

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» suitewoman - Re: Rejoicing for what exactly?

In response to Re: Rejoicing for what exactly? posted by kenrg:

Hi Ken,
I think I understood the direction your article was pointing out, and do not take exception to your points. I'm among those who worked hard in blogosphere land beginning with Nov 3 through certification of the election to help move along the issues of vote anomalies and voter disenfranchisement in multiple counties in multiple states in our own country's election.

It's not a real stretch when our own "democratic" elections are questionable to conduct an even more questionable election in Afghanistan and Iraq and call it "democratic". Makes one wonder and want to get more clarity on what we mean when we throw out the word democracy. So I set myself a task of researching the word democracy and republic just to give myself an abbreviated refresher course in our own country's basis.

Recognizing that your article built off another topic of the conservative political persuasion, I felt your article would likely receive discussion. I wanted to add to the discussion or at least bring in some other content for consideration. I wasn't intending to take exception to your article or provide an opposing view. Thank you for responding.

-- posted by suitewoman

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