America: A Nation of Dissidents

I have concluded my re-reading of the U.S. Constitution with the following thoughts:

The founders of American Democracy shared the same zeal for defeating every single aspiring dictator with a deliberate system of check-and-balance.

To prevent the disease of dictatorship from rearing its head, we'd better be  healthy and strong skeptics, collectively and individually. We're born or reborn to dissent.

We are NOT united behind our political leaders. Instead, we are united behind our time-honored belief that politicians tend to corrupt if given too much power. No wonder our Constitution makes life so difficult for politicians by making life so easy for dissidents.

Our dissident-friendly system works. No? Then tell me why all those dictators, who allow no dissent, try so hard to stop their people from coming here.


Author: renqiulan

 

 

自由意志是创造力的源泉 ：--））

“We're born or reborn to dissent.”

Freedom of speech. For example :

We don't agree with what someone said, but we defend

their freedom to speak.

Theoretically right, practically nobody do it voluntarily!

我不同意你说的，但我捍卫你自由表达的权利。这在美国还是很常见的吧。

哈哈哈！

Our Constitution deserves an interpreter like you.

Thought-provoking.

The good news is there is no dictator in America

The bad news is there are two dictators in America: GOP and DEM. Those two take turns to dictate this country. This country is ruled under two parties for more than two hundred years. I don't think people in this country like anyone of those two. Every four years, I heard "we need to change". One goes away and the other one step on the stage. However four years later, the exact process happens again. People want to change again. The expelled one come back. The ruling party gets booted, until four years later. 

Come on America. Can't you make up your fking mind? What the hell exactly do you want?

Thanks, 方外居士! With all due respect, that's not true---

In 1977 The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) defended

the free speech rights of an American Nazi group

broadcasting antisemitic messages in the Jewish suburb of

Skokie, Illinois. The ACLU is well-known for its

liberal advocacy against racism. This case has been adapted

into a movie titled "Skokie" (1981).Yes, in America, you bet

you can find someone defending your constitutional

rights regardless of your ideology.

永远老李, thanks for your comment. Just let you know that I am

averse to expletives. So please do some clean-up.

National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie,

arising out of what is sometimes referred to as the

Skokie Affair, was a landmark decision of the US Supreme

Court dealing with freedom of speech and freedom of assembly

At the end of the day, the Nazi group was allowed to march

through the Jewish suburb without the swastika.

The Nazi group chose to cancel the march, saying

that it had already benefited from media reporting.

Interesting! Thanks for sharing!

感谢Oona！自由意志加上相对的自由国度，许必拓新造奇。

谢谢秋兰！we desperately need the founders now

Immigrants made America, in my opinion.

Even devils benefit from free speech in America.

That's what civil rights professionals are doing everyday.

I bet you would do a lot better than I did.

Thanks, 蓝灵!

发言权就是人权的体现，否则人权就是空话而已。

Thanks, 颤音! Today's America might overwhelm the founders.

American politics has turned violence in Jan 6th 2021.

That is way beyond coarse language. People were dead for presidential election. Hundreds of people did jail time becuase of what they did in Jan 6th. This is way more than dissidents. I don't like the result so that I will not accept the result of democratic process and I will get rough?

If the temperature of America politics doesn't cool down a little bit, both side of the country will become more extreme. "Dissident" will be such an understatement. 

 

 

How about having George Washington moderate a presidential

debate?

i feel he would be considered a right wing extremist

how elon musk is treated by our government and media after

he took over twitter is very concerning

George might want to debate Elon. Hahaha!

that's a dream match!!!

For this offer, George might get a Tesla for free.

God forbid, George might want to command Space X.

hhh, or bring Tesla back to life to command space X

Today's Tesla, tomorrow's spacecraft.

Keep me dreaming, please.

Elon Musk knows how to realize a dream

秋兰，great post with great thoughts, thank you for sharing.

Language matters, as far as I am concerned.

Good for him.

"We're born or reborn to dissent", I agree this totally :)

The January 6 mayhem? Let the chips fall where they may.

Thanks, 小西!

Dissent is in our national DNA.

I just realized the speaker (a child) in my poem

Enlighten me.

"My Little Titanic" is a dissent to her mom :) 见里面：

《My Little Titanic》《我的小泰坦尼克号》 - CBA7发表于 美语世界 - 论坛 | 文学城 (wenxuecity.com)

 

In less than a year, let's see what those dissidents do

to this country. 

Maybe in some degree it's international too.

Thanik you. Good night, have a great weekend!

I have just read your latest poem. Here're my thoughts:

Hubris sank their Titanic. Innocence keeps yours afloat.

Goodnight! Let everyone have a great weekend.

So true!

Everybody is unique, yet nobody is special... I think the

the founders was not intended to make life difficult for the

politicians, they just don't want to make politician special

politician, same as other service providers, must deliver

services as demanded by the people, and cannot force people

to accept their dictation...

Thanks, freemanli01! You have a point. Electioneering is

never smooth sailing, except for a few safe-seat occupants.

When a politician can't take power for granted, s/he won't

say that life is easy. Even George Washington had to deal

with the "Whiskey Rebellion," not to mention Abe Lincoln.

Here’s the huge problem

The huge problem is: there are huge amounts of people still believing Jan 6th was a peaceful protest and a very few of them being a bit excessive. This is not holding a small group of people accountable for losing their temper during a tour in Capitol Hill. They are still people believing the election was stolen without a thread of evidence. There was a presidential candidate debate which is totally meaningless because huge amounts of people support the other candidate who was not in the debate hall at all. To me, this is nowhere close to be a dissident. This is a fanatical political environment. It is that close to be a cult. 
This is NOT that America I know. 

美国所谓人权的优势在于它对没有人权的国家相比有优势，但是人权这玩意并不解决所有问题

你跟非洲比跟中国比，OKAY，美国的人权确实有优势，但是，美国国内都有人权，但美国国内也有很多实际问题要解决，这些实际问题靠标榜人权是解决不了的，美国单个的总统有人权，华盛顿好几百政客有人权，美国好几亿人其实都有人权，但美国同样存在许多问题，有些问题还相当难以解决。Human right itself is not a silver bullet. 

Misinformation and disinformation are part of

the American deal. Let's take a deep breath and

see how this episode will play out. The truth is out there.

US politics goes to a big mess

ding

(发自我的文学城离线浏览器)

200、300的历史相对人类文明，啥都不算，没有时间的考验。美国的最大优势是地理，第二是没有历史包袱，第三是吸取了当时最

最好和最有效的人才。

 

从人类几千年的历史来看，君主制是非常有效的意识形态。

再过至少1000年才能对目前的各国制度做评论

Thanks, 忒忒绿！We have been worse.

谢谢通州河来评！人生苦短。不过，正如王羲之所言：“后之视今，亦犹今之视昔。” 今天，走憲政，走民主的继续走。反其道而行的

继续反其道而行。但从移民趋势来看，随着走民主的人数有增无已。

这个趋势不能作为结论。西方最早工业化，文明程度高，生活水平高，移民去西方是一个提升自己生活水平

的快捷方式。

但从人类文明的来看，西方近代这一套真不一定是最终的赢家

谁在做结论昵？选择到较民主较自由的地方来提高生活水平，本身就明示不民主不自由国度之不济。再说，移民后代会集体“返祖”么？

想補充一點，人類文明有高低之分，不過不能用輸贏來衡量文明的高低。人類歷史中，往往出現高級文明被較低級文明摧毀的現象。

南宋之於蒙古，明朝之於滿清，都是高級文明滅於低級文明之手的例子。

君主制或許對統治者而言很有效，但是對普通民眾而言，民主使他們的生活更好，所以不少中國人也用腳投票，"適彼樂土"。

Hi,?ahniu.

什么可以解决所有问题的？击壤歌里的人很知足，压轴句“帝力于我何有哉！”最有意思。

入乡随俗。用脚投票，也要积极投票。只有投票，才能让政客注意和重视到我们！亚裔非哑裔！

民主不是万能的，但没有民主是万万不能的！：））