an Outline for a Political Manifesto
1. Democracy was born in Athens which abhorred and fought Esparta, a militaristic, totalitarian regime. This conflict raged for centuries until both got weak and were absorbed into the Roman world. Rome, then, came with the idea of a Republic of elected terms and shared power, defined and ruled by law, which was then organized and collected into tomes that everybody could know. Although raging ambitions, wealth and, ultimately, corruption led to a civil war which resulted in a stronger and ruthless empire ruled not by laws but by the whims of single man. A long decadence introduced a longer dark age. Western’s civilization rediscovery of its glorious and tragic past led, inevitably, to the next great leap in political thinking: the American and French revolutions which showed a way for societies to organize themselves and prosper in peace.
2. But the basic conflict carries on today. Everytime after a society suffered a social collapsed and tried to organized themselves according to the rule of law, those same authoritarian forces manipulated itself into power and, thanks to the latest technological advances recreated the most hateful aspects of the Espartan society long dead. Lenin, Adolf and later Mao and other lesser despots refined their yoke into totalitarian regimes which would defy everybody’s imagination had they not been all-too real.
3. Democracy and the rule of law is always under a threat from within. It’s tolerance of political organizations which systematically abuse and manipulate the laws to seize power, and hence destroy all republican institutions and values by holding on to power indefinitelly. This has been called its greatest strength! However, experience and history shows that advanced peoples are prone to the magnetic effect of a talking gorilla -the Goriparrot- and once a despot is handed power, they only leave power by death or ousting (with or without force).(*)
4. Violence begets violence. The New Democracy Movement chooses a radical path of nonviolence to fight its own dictatorships, and an aggresive policy to isolate and erradicate all foreign dictatorships and to aid those nonviolent groups fighting to free themselves of said dictatorships. The New Democracy Movement will advocate that this policy becomes doctrine for the foreign relations of democracies around the world.
5. As for that place once called Venezuela and now usurped by a bolibananian interlude, we shall draw strength out of our tragic history. Not only was Venezuela the brightest beacon of freedom on a enslaved continent, it was also the first to carry its own liberation to other countries ending with a triumphal entrance in Lima, Perú. Once the bolibananian dictatorship has been defeated, The New Democracy Movement will be most intolerant of intolerance; and will reconstruct the republic and the rule of law.
And thank you for paying attention. This concerns you.
Finally, a word to those friends who encouraged me to write in english to explain what the nonviolent struggle in Venezuela is all about. I am just one of a wide network of similar minded individuals working day in and day out to defeat a most vicious dictatorship which is also very corrupt and inept, reviving the appearance and image of a tropical banana country. The struggle to revert that appearance and image will be long and difficult, as the World Cup in South Africa showed. ¡waca waca!
Cheers,
* It must be noted that with regard our -or anybody’s- despot we sincerely hope he/she survives his downfall because it would serve a better example that he/she would be tried in a tribunal that protects his/her rights as an accused, condemns him/she for every crime commited, and that he/she should serve a long jail sentence, with a twist: a totalitarian despot should ALSO loose ALL privacy under custody and so WE would create a big brother-style, 24/7 broadcast, courtesy of DirecTV, or better yet, beamed around the world in our Chinsed-made, launched and controlled “Simon Bolivar” satellite, which subscriptions (with a free sunday and holidays -special broadcast) would contribute to mitigate the economic damages created by his/her corrupt, inept rule; as well as sating our thirst for retribution. I also bet on him staying alive because this is an idea that could make me as wealthy as my pal M. Granier. Killing him would be stupid, inconvenient and anti-economic.
The reality show should have a catchy name. I propose The Big House Venezuela, and would include the construction of a high security instalation with good lightning and acoustics. It could become a part of a Museum of Democracy, and/or a penitentiary sciences institute for learning, training and indoctrination into the democratic principles and the awful consequences of impinging personal rights and spheres. This long note is part of a nonviolent campaign to manipulate the despot’s nightmares. After all, everybody wants to kill him... ¡bang!
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