Well, actually it's a Republic (so is America).  Here is a quick definition for those who use democracy in place of republic often.  

Democracy: Democracy is a system of government by which political sovereignty is retained by the people and exercised directly by citizens.

Republic: A republic is a state or country that is not led by a hereditary monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people)[3] have impact on its government. The word originates from the Latin term res publica, which translates as "public thing" or "public matter".

Whodda thunk that Pakistan has a more vibrant democracy than the good ol' USA?  Perhaps there's a slight angle to this argument, but consider the roles of Bush 'the Guardian of Democracy' & Musharraf 'The Generalismo'.  Now, consider the following:

1.  Pakistan actually sees demonstrations that aren't composed of vapid demonstrators simply wanting personal attention.  In Pakistan the attention often comes from suicide bombers or zealot policemen, yet the heroic lawyers protest on!  When's the last time you saw a group of 1000 climbing fences and sucking tear gas in America - other than spoiled brat (F)anarchists?

2.  The protests actually mean something, as witnessed by the resignation of Musharraf on charges that he violated the constitution.  Charges?  Back in the good ol' USA the we have legislation (FISA again) which officially acknowledges wrongdoing, but there's nary a twitch on the protest line.  

Combine the above with news about the dismal state of American electorate involvement and ability and it suggests that we need a kick in the pants.  Hmmm...Musharraf '08?

More hmmms...HS civics students graded on protest involvement?  Civil disobedience arrests as pre-req for Polisci degrees?

http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Madrasah (Arabic: مدرسة, madrasa pl. madāris مدارس) is the Arabic word for any type of school, secular or religious (of any religion).
The Republicans have their own madrassa- their "school" is the airwaves, television, presidential bully pulpit and news outlets.  What is the curriculum and the religion of the  Republican madrassa ?  

Hatred for all things liberal.

Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf has finally resigned - and may be heading to exile in Saudi Arabia.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...

This is going to be a short dairy.

He was going to be charged with subverting the constitution and impeached this week. Here is the chronology of Musharraf's rule.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...

Darling of the western media - Gen Musharraf switched loyalty from Taleban to US overnight after 9/11. Inspite of the great help he had given Taleban and Al Queda, he was embraced and made an "ally" of US in the "war on terror".

So, yet another ally of Bush departs. Couldn't have happenned to a better dictator ... one question though will remain. Was he with us or against us ?

Update 1 : Added obligatory "Breaking" to title. And what it means to US below the fold.

Well, I didn't say what American I was referring to...pedantic asshole that I am.  Perhaps not unlike the spoil sports constantly reminding everyone that December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000 was not, in fact, a millenial moment.

Anyway, I digress.  I thought I'd update the ol' Daily Kos with some heartening international news of our neighbors in the western hemisphere.  After 60 years of rule by the often brutal Colorado Party, Paraguay has new center-left president, an ex-bishop named Fernando Lugo.

This is wonderful news, and hopefully continues to move the western hemisphere (or those parts of it south of Brownsville, Texas, anyway) away from the darkness and brutality of the 20th century, a brutality that, sadly, our own country sometimes played a vigorous--if often covert--role.

Perhaps born out of ideas fashionable amongst business commanders, economic philosophers of great multitude and voice, the careerists who flock to pledge their allegiance to industry profit and government sectors since the negotiated settlement of world economic war circa mid 1940's up to and including the current administrocity, my heart tells me to guard against rapists serving in Government and Global Trade at all levels, where they are most certainly moving from amateur to professional.

Attorney General Michael Mukasey announced today that there will be no prosecutions in the cases of the HIGHLY ILLEGAL hiring & firing practices at the Department of 'Justice'. More after the break.

In recent times we have been bombarded with advertisements from the McCain’s campaign attempting to redefine Sen. Obama as a world celebrity that may not be capable to lead. In fact some of the ads even try to ridicule Obama’s recent visit to Europe and the Middle East region in which many pundits, allies and foes alike have expressly agreed was a defining moment for the young Illinois senator.

I've been really pleased with the responses to my diary about adding transcripts or captions to diaries with videos - especially in this age with "video+2 sentence" diaries. Many people have been more than willing to take the time to create transcripts for videos they deem important for the Kos Community. For example, Danya Romulus transcribed the Paris Hilton response video last week; as a result, many more people were able to access this viral media. I have friends who are both deaf and hearing who were not able to see what Ms. Hilton said - until Danya stepped up to the plate. But something disturbs me: the number of people who say "transcript for the hard of hearing." More on why this is disturbing, below the fold...

democracy doncha know
used to be the corner store
a kid shoveling snow for fun money
neighbors being neighbors--'Hi'

but shit that's like so retro
democracy moved to the Mall
sits on a bench with a sign
that says 'Help Me, I Need An Operation'

well you can't fix everything
there just ain't enough money anymore
and it isn't even a collectible
just an old junker you can't even give away

Peter Buknatski
Montpelier, Vt.

In this occasion of Beijing 2008 Olympics, I'd like to talk a little bit about my view of China. I know that many of you are reviled about China's human rights abuse, and many were adamant about Tibetan freedom (or autonomy), and wish that China would open up, and hopefully in one day will embrace Democratization of its government. I understand that for you who have enjoyed the freedom and benefits of a democracy like the United States', certainly you desire the end of a one party rule in the most populous state on the world. However, me being an Indonesian who has tasted how a democracy works in this third world country of mine, I have to say that perhaps for China, this authoritarian one party-rule is best for them.

I know that it's a very funny thing to write in such a progressive blog like this, but let me humbly offer you the point of view of where I'm standing right below the fold, and why I would say that. Granted, this piece of writing will probably not be a mojo magnet, but perhaps it would give some insights.

Today, August 8, is the day Richard Nixon resigned the Presidency of the United States in 1974 to avoid impeachment and conviction for high crimes and misdemeanors.  Today is the day that Holy Joe Lieberman was driven from the Democratic Party.

Today is also the day the Strangebedfellows Moneybomb is set to go off.  Back in June-July when the FISA fight was roiling, pissed-off civil libertarians raised over $300,000 to run ads targeting Democrats such as Steny Hoyer who colluded with Congressional Republicans, the White House, and the telecoms to pass the corrupt and dangerous 2008 "FISA Amendments Act."  The Strangebedfellows aim to continue and broaden that campaign, and they need our help.

I always have this feeling of wonderment, exhilaration and commitment to the people’s movement for hope and change in the country as led by the able, articulate, informed, transparent, patriotic and exceptionally humanely diplomatic and affirmatively the personification of the American dreams and ideals, Sen. Obama and all those who are associated and equally steadfast and dedicated to changing the course of this great country.

IF Obama gets elected, and IF he succeeds in curbing the power of special interests while simultaneously freeing us from our polarized paralysis, and IF we somehow filter out a great deal of corporate media bullshit so that even the blue-collared worker with nothing but network television can remain authentically informed - then there is hope for the United States of America as it currently exists.

But this, I think, is our last chance.

We Are Perilously Close to Losing It

YOU CAN’T MAKE DEMOCRACY WORK, if you don’t have a fully functioning FREE PRESS to keep the legislators honest.  The word Free in the title means the Press is by definition free of any censoring, free of any governmental or corporate control over what it publishes. The PRESS is how we have always kept excesses under control in America.  But that was then, this is now.

We have a vague notion that the "inevitability" of democracy's spread throughout the world may be a false claim, but we don't know for sure, and don't know how to evaluate the idea.  So even Democrats hesitate to call the idea nonsense.

Frances Fitzgerald wrote "Fire in the Lake," published in 1972.  This book described the debacle that results when Americans try to insert American values and institutions into a society (Vietnam) that cannot accept them.

From outward appearances no member of Congress, no present or recent member of the administration (let's include Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz and the State Department) and none of the Sunday morning interview hosts has ever read this book or any similar book.

I’ve been out of the loop for weeks, enjoying the peace that comes with a lack of daily confrontation, but with the conventions drawing near and election day beckoning am once again feeling the pull of Daily Kos.  So just for fun I’m putting in my two cents—today’s thought on the best hope for democracy in America, long term.

I’m a dweller (though not a native) of Long Island, that vast, suburban (and populous) wilderness off the east coast of Manhattan.  And I was thinking, there are a lot of people out here.  Just today I checked that, by pulling out my 2008 World Almanac.  If you leave out Brooklyn and Queens (and judging from how Brooklynites I know feel about LI, they’ll thank me for that), the combined population of Long Island’s two counties was 2,795,377 in 2006.  

At ~2.8 million people, doesn’t Long Island deserve to be a state?  Doesn’t it deserve 2 US Senators? Seventeen states have smaller (2006) populations than Long Island, and each one has two US Senators weighing in on health care, energy, the WAR, etc. OK, it’s really sixteen, but I’m including DC for the sake of argument and additional democratization potential.

Have a look over the fold:

I was reading the story from Independence, MO and the Kossak who was arrested for following the state law regarding voter IDs, and immediately thought: what if there was another person who knew the law also waiting to vote?

No, wait.  What if there was another person who knew the law standing behind the Chief Judge that day?