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This is a posthumous Fog column.

Neither a Democracy Nor
a Christian Nation

We are spending billions trying to convince (in various ways) a lot of nations to convert to democracy...

...holding ourselves up as an example.

But, we're not a democracy.

Never have been.

I'm sure you know that we've "elected" a number of men to the U.S. Presidency...

...after most Americans voted for someone else.

But, you probably assumed — with electoral college and all — that at least the most populous states...

...sort of swayed the results in favor of the people.

Not true.

The way things have now been jerryrigged...

...some of the smallest states in terms of population now have the most political power...*

...some of the same states that not only pay the least in taxes...

...but get the most handouts from the Federal Government...

...serving political vested interests...

...while further thwarting the will of the majority.

Not much of a democracy.

And this discounts the fact that today, big business controls elections.

...not exactly a state secret for anyone who takes the time to look into how things work in Washington.

When you get down to it, we're a long way from a real democracy...

...but I guess we hope nobody will notice.

We also try to export our predominant religion...

... Christianity...

...while exemplifying very few of its central concepts.

Remember Christ saying, "If you love me, feed the hungry?"

In terms of percentage of money given...

...the United States is at the bottom of the list of industrialized nations in looking after the poor and hungry of the world.**

Fact is, over time, nations where Christianity is a minority religion have done much better.

And then there is the Biblical admonition of turning swords into plowshares ...

...while we spend 30 times more money making bombs and guns than we spend helping the poor and needy.

Did not the Jesus of Christianity clearly say in Matt. 5:44 and Luke 6:27-28 to love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and bless those who curse you? Does it not make us hypocrites to proclaim that these are the inviolable "Words of God" when at the same time we spend more and more on more money on ever-more-effective ways to kill our enemies?

So tell me...

...how do we expect to convince anyone that democracy is the answer....

...and set ourselves up as the supreme example...

...when we don't really have a democracy...

...or that Christianity is the superior religion...

...when as a self-proclaimed Christian nation we ignore its most central precepts?***

Maybe we hope that the rest of the world won't see this hypocrisy.

Unfortunately, most people in other industrialized countries...

...follow what's going on in the world...

...much more closely than most Americans...

...which probably explains a lot right there...

...including the fact that Americans can't figure out why we aren't liked all that much around the world.

Duh!

*In 2004, the 13 smallest states with a population of 18-million, carried more political weight than California with a population of 35 million.

**Despite Washington rhetoric to the contrary, the latest available figures show that the percentage of United States income going to poor countries remains near rock bottom: 0.14 percent. At the same time Britain is at 0.34 percent, and France at 0.41 percent, Sweden at 0.79 percent, and Norway at 0.92 percent.

Meanwhile, a few days before Christmas, 2004, it was announced that the Bush administration has further reduced its promised contributions to global food aid programs. The money was apparently needed to finance the Iraq war.

*** While extolling freedom and especially the freedom of religion, fundamentalist Christians openly use various means to debase other religious, philosophical and scientific beliefs.