Is America No Longer A Democracy?

Many apologies for the delay on the Obamacare follow up.  Things have been crazy busy lately, and there's so much substantive news about the topic that it's a bit of a challenge to collate it all into something useful and coherent.  It's coming, I promise.  In the meantime, here's a little thought-provoking editorial from an Iranian about the American political scene.  Read and consider:

As an immigrant, I come from where America is heading. I have seen, lived, and fled from a country where a small group can drag the large majority where they do not want to go.

I have seen how a small group of ideologues succeeded in creating fear in the hearts of the majority, forcing them to self-censure and not defend their rights, to cease speaking of the facts or telling the truth.

I have seen how they shamelessly attack and destroy good people by false accusations and lies, without any consequences or punishments, because the people are uninformed and or intimidated to use their right of freedom of speech.

The Democrats in United States are doing exactly what the Iranian left -- supported by the Soviet KGB -- did during the 1960s and 1970s. They were determined to kick America out of Iran and take Iran back; by using constant attacks, foul accusations, and lies against America and the Shah.

I have envied the American patriotism that has now been labeled as outdated and taboo, exactly what the left did to Iran.

The truth is not heard because it is crushed by the fast-moving flames of the propagandized lies that according to Winston Churchill runs around the world before the truth tie its shoelaces. Instead of the facts, targeted fictions are the politics of destruction for the Ideologues.

The Anglo/American political culture of polite, sincere, tolerant, and cooperative politicians are being destroyed by a small minority with the philosophy of total control, and no one dares to speak up for the fear of being attacked and destroyed by them.

I see the elections in America are becoming not about who is the best, most qualified, and honorable person, but who is the best propagandist, capable of attacking, destroying, and annihilating the opposition without any remorse or qualm.

Elections are no longer about appealing to informed voters, the good of society, country, and freedom; it is about targeting and promoting the greed in the uninformed and uninterested people who are easily fooled.

The dictators pitch the people against each other and demonize the opposition. The people of Iran poured out, marched in protest, and asked; "where is my vote?" and they were killed for it. However, I do not hear anyone in the free and democratic United States of America to stand up and say, "I want my vote back", although everyone knows that they have been lied to repeatedly and on every issue.

Bill Clinton lied about his personal dalliance and was pushed to impeachment. The "elites" of America called for the impeachment of George W. Bush for the absence of nuclear stockpile in Iraq. President Obama has been outright lying on important vital national and foreign relations issues time and again, and people do not even dare to use the word "LIE". Is this fear in the hearts of the citizens, the result of intimidation, or can it be called discrimination?

What happened to the free and Democratic America where I sought refuge? Where are the patriotic Americans who should ask for their votes back, since their votes were cast as the result of the lies they were told. Since had they been told the truth they would not have cast their votes to reelect Barack Obama.

Is American government and political system moving towards a third-world style of a minority ideologues ruling the majority, forcing their policies through the back doors of fear and intimidation?

When elections are about who is the best propagandist who stops at nothing to defame the opponent by lies and false accusations, it is democracy in shame.

When lying to the people becomes a normal political act and knowingly misleading society is considered just politics, that is no longer democracy, it is called corruption by the media when it happens in third-world countries.

When the members of one party stand behind the podium and knowingly make untrue accusations against the candidate of the other party, it is gangsterism not an honorable democratic challenge.

When the media becomes the lapdog, not the watchdog, of the executive branch it means democracy is dead.

When the statement of "I will fundamentally change America" replaces the "I will serve the people and the country", it terrifies the immigrant me, because I ran away from the big dictatorial government who ruled me.

I did not chose any one of the European socialist countries with free health care and monthly food stamps and special government provided housing in the ghettos for ethnic communities.

I chose America for the freedom and respect for individualism and independence of the citizens from the government. I chose America because among all the many countries that I have known, America was the only land of real freedom in a society full of opportunities and open doors, and we the immigrants hate to see it changed.

It's not just immigrants who hate to see it changed, but they do have a unique perspective on the reality of the alternative, don't you think?  This downward spiral is precisely why we need to vote away the old guard on both sides of the aisle in Washington and install new blood.  We need people who have lived in the real world rather than just career politicians, people who aren't planning to stay in office for more than a reasonably short time, people who actually do what they promised to do in their campaigns.  Perhaps more than anything else, we need an informed American public to start bringing more sanity and depth to the political scene.  Ignorance is literally killing this country, and unethical, greedy politicians in both parties are taking advantage of that fact to unimaginable degrees.  If we let this spiral persist too long there will be dire consequences for future generations of Americans.

Your thoughts...?