MF CALL FOR TOPICS - NOV2K

From: Horse (horse@wasted.demon.nl)
Date: Fri Oct 27 2000 - 01:43:19 BST


Hi There

Continuing in the same vein(?) as Marco's subject for October:

As I was reading through many of Octobers posts both supporting and questioning the
various (de)merits of democracy, I started reading a history of the town in which I currently
reside. It's most famous former occupant - one Oliver Cromwell - had a few things to say
about democracy, even going so far as to fight against and advocate death to what he saw
as democracy's chief enemy, the King of England. Having been a closet admirer of
Cromwell for some time (regarding his political NOT his religious views - well, most of them -
some regarding the Papacy seem reasonable enough given a historical contest and that
institutions regard for democracy) got me to wondering what would be the most reasonable
reply to current threats to democacy and exactly what are those threats.
It seems to me that, as in Cromwell's time, the chief threat to democracy are the privileged
parasites that feed off us but give back as little as possible - the multinationals - and their
friends in government who are quite willing to sell out for cash and various kinds of favours.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, eh?

Subject (1)
What is an appropriate MoQ response to the continued and relentless attack on democracy
by multinational corporations, their friends in government and their cover operations such as
the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation? Is it peaceful civil disobedience, an
armed response, something in-between (the battle in Seattle etc.) or what? Can intellect
defeat society without a little help from biology, or are we, as the saying goes totally stuffed?

Another thought that occured to me is the apparent mistake of including democracy and
freedom within the same frame of thought. You can have one or the other but not both
together surely? This seems obvious from an MoQ point of view as one is a set of static
patterns and the other an escape from static patterns.

Subject (2)
Is it possible to reconcile the ideas of Democracy and Freedom within the MoQ? Freedom
from static patterns would seem to be the highest form of morality within the MoQ but
subservience to and acceptance of the static patterns of democracy appears to be rife. Is
there a crisis of belief here?

And lastly, whilst I was pondering on why the hell we bother with democracy anyway, it got
me to thinking about alternatives that have been tried and some which never have, so:

Subject (3)
According to what we know of the MoQ so far, what would be the most moral form of
government. We should not confine ourselves to known or accepted forms by which we are
currently governed but to what would be the BEST form of government our imagination could
provide and still remain workable.

As regards where me and Ollie (Another fine mess you've gotten us into Charles) Cromwell
live, I leave that as an exercise for the reader ;-)

Horse
------- End of forwarded message -------

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