I respect your opinion, Laowai, and I like the debates you regularly have. However, when I watched the Conspiracy Theory (which is a bad name for the show, because everything they talk about on that show is actual fact) about the FEMA Camps, they asked what they were for. They were told it was for people who are afraid of Martians. Seriously? Also, why are none of the prisons filled right now when many prisons in the US are overflowing?
The Democracy in the United States has been dead for a long time. The Elitists put in power who ever they want as their front man to push their agenda. They are killing the US economy to cause a panic, then a revolt, and then put us into Martial Law to control and enslave the population. Granted, if none of this happens I'll feel pretty stupid and foolish...but it is going to happen, and with the sharp angle of downfall that things are going in the US, it's going to be soon.
But, that's not what this post is about and I will no longer hijack it. If anyone wishes to continue a debate with me, my PM box is open. Thanks for listening.
' Wrote:The Democracy in the United States has been dead for a long time. The Elitists put in power who ever they want as their front man to push their agenda. They are killing the US economy to cause a panic, then a revolt, and then put us into Martial Law to control and enslave the population. Granted, if none of this happens I'll feel pretty stupid and foolish...but it is going to happen, and with the sharp angle of downfall that things are going in the US, it's going to be soon.
~Leo
There is a fundamental difference between the US and China however. In the US, regardless of how cynical people are they can actually change the system. People can vote and the system, even though the deck is stacked for the 2 main parties can be changed. One of the reasons i feel that Obama has lost so much support amongst his base (and if you listen to the progressive media in the US, which i do this IS the reason why he lost that support) is precisely because he didn't change the system. People voted for 'change" and he turned out to be just another politician. Personally, i think that criticism is warranted albeit a little strong, but you get my point.
If another Ros Perot showed up tomorrow - i dont mean someone of his politics - but i mean a wild card outsider politician who is removed from the mainstream of US politics the people could vote that person into office and smash the system as it stands, this fundamental right of American citizens has never been removed.
Chinese people do not have this right. You cannot run for office outside of the Communist party and there are no "elections" to speak of. Folks in western nations are bored/apathetic/misinformed/ill-informed about politics out of choice. We have the choice to be informed, or not to be, because - as rubbish as it is sometimes - we have a varied and more or less 'free' media. Chinese people do not have this, their government actively and openly tries to misinform them and control what information they get.
Ok sure, all governments do this to a point, difference between China and the US is, in China, all your information comes through the government's filter.
This is why issues such as the Huff post article that started this thread, the proposed internet filter in Australia, and Net Nuetrality in the US are so important for citizens of a democracy to be aware of: for democracy to work, citizens need to be informed.
' Wrote:There is a fundamental difference between the US and China however. In the US, regardless of how cynical people are they can actually change the system. People can vote and the system, even though the deck is stacked for the 2 main parties can be changed. One of the reasons i feel that Obama has lost so much support amongst his base (and if you listen to the progressive media in the US, which i do this IS the reason why he lost that support) is precisely because he didn't change the system. People voted for 'change" and he turned out to be just another politician. Personally, i think that criticism is warranted albeit a little strong, but you get my point.
If another Ros Perot showed up tomorrow - i dont mean someone of his politics - but i mean a wild card outsider politician who is removed from the mainstream of US politics the people could vote that person into office and smash the system as it stands, this fundamental right of American citizens has never been removed.
Chinese people do not have this right. You cannot run for office outside of the Communist party and there are no "elections" to speak of. Folks in western nations are bored/apathetic/misinformed/ill-informed about politics out of choice. We have the choice to be informed, or not to be, because - as rubbish as it is sometimes - we have a varied and more or less 'free' media. Chinese people do not have this, their government actively and openly tries to misinform them and control what information they get.
Ok sure, all governments do this to a point, difference between China and the US is, in China, all your information comes through the government's filter.
This is why issues such as the Huff post article that started this thread, the proposed internet filter in Australia, and Net Nuetrality in the US are so important for citizens of a democracy to be aware of: for democracy to work, citizens need to be informed.
In democracy main fact is the Fundamental rights.
Each country defines it differently, A common man only have few basic requirements to live..
If say China, India both are developing, the common peoples supports only the party / Gov. who fulfill their basic needs....
As long as Chinese Gov. fulfilling it, peoples support it & have no problem to them......
We have one state in which Communist Gov. controlling it for last 35-40 years, until now they are elected by the peoples of that state in majority of 95%, but in last few years Industry & Dev. in that state decreased in large scale.....
So for the last elections, results are shocking for the communist party....
If you talk about the Democracy, India is the largest & complete one IMO.....
Here you can use your all fundamental rights, you can speak against the Gov., party or if you are the separatist then against the Nation too, still no one will touch you as it's your right to speak...
Try to speak against the National Interest or security in USA or in China....you will be in Jail for lifetime or get a bullet in head.
We are not to much diff. that USA, Europe as India is a simply Union of 28 states and seven union territories, Each state have its own languages, religion.....
All are same Humans, its just the question of mentality of that Human/Group that depends on their on interest.
' Wrote:If we are looking at what china has, BOTH our systems are still more representative. India is an interesting case as they are often held up as the counter balance to how China as developed.
You can't say that Chinese Gov. System is not representative of its peoples; after all it's a People's Republic.
But as compared to others countries its less, lacks in few cases.
In case China one party Gov., You can say it's a Dynastical rule of a party.
Yeah, India often held by Westerns to counter China.
As we shares the long few thousand Km. border & have lot of disputed areas....
China is a threat to India form its first day, as during the independence process of India,
British Authorities ask our politicians that Nepal, Bhutan & some part of Tibet can be added to this new country...
But our first PM wants a Buffer in between India & China, he made few more same mistakes & the Result was the Sino-Indian War of 1965.
Later India faced few wars with Pakistan at that time USA & China supported Pak's, after the threat of attack on their Nuclear facility by Indian authorities, Chinese withdraw their direct support to Pakistan.
Today India & China have few conflicts are on going in border areas, but not hat much serious, but Gov. always saw Chinese with suspicious, threat.
' Wrote:The Chinese general shook his head "We will never be able to defeat that nation" he said "until we also can do that.":
As per IMO, they reached the stage that they can defeat USA or India, European Alliance too...
India is at the stage its can only hold the Chinese attack, but far from to defeat it solely.
This does not bode well for you guys though, and I don't envy you. The internet, even being a filthy cesspool most of the time, is in its very core about free speech and freedom of...Well...EVERYTHING. I don't get how they can even justify that as being constitutional anyway, blacklisting websites...
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By the looks of things, if they get their way, it wont even be limited to the US. They'll be able to force <strike>ICANN</strike> ICANNT to just remove the domain from the root DNS network.