Another response to America's Exceptional Values:

>> America is not a democracy. It is a republic. <<

Yeah, yeah. Tell me something I don't know.

Did McCain's quote mention "democracy" at all? I don't think so.

If Bush*, McCain, or another American touts our democratic values and principles, that isn't inconsistent with our being a republic. A republic operates mainly on democratic principles, although some of its features are undemocratic.

>> If we were a pure democracy, Jim Crow would still be the law of the land. <<

As opposed to a republic, where Jim Crow was the law of the land for "only" 80-90 years? I'm not sure what the big distinction is. In fact, I'll argue your claim is wrong. If the US had been a pure democracy, the majority would've voted slavery out of existence at some point. America's reliance on republicanism, a more conservative form of government than democracy, helped preserve slavery and Jim Crow laws.

>> One aim of a free society is to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority. The lynch mob is the ultimate in democratic expression. <<

Okay, I'll buy that. But if there's a point lurking here, I haven't spotted it yet.

>> And, keep in mind, Adolph Hitler was the democratically elected leader of Germany. <<

No, I won't keep that in mind, since I disputed it a few years ago when you (or someone) said the same thing. I believe it was Cecil Adams of "The Straight Dope" who effectively debunked this myth.

>> America was not founded on the principle of blood or ancestry, or allegiance to a king or motherland or fatherland or particular religion <<

Right, as long as you're a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant. The nation's "principled" WASP founders discriminated against almost everyone else on the basis of blood, ancestry, allegiance, creed, color, and so forth.

By the way, aren't you the one who has touted our Judeo-Christian foundation in the past? And now you're denying it? Hmm.

>> But if we are so ignorant and arrogant, why the hell does everyone on this planet want to live here <<

They don't. People in Latin America and Asia want to move here because it's the closest open and democratic society. People in Africa and the Middle East have migrated to Europe more than to the US. People in the South Pacific have migrated more to Australia than to the US. Etc.

>> why does every other country on this planet, to one extent or another, try to imitate our constitution and/or system of government? <<

Is it our government they're imitating, or the British model that preceded it? Or the Anglo-Saxon model that preceded that? Or the Roman model that preceded that? Etc.

I'm glad you added "to one extent or another," because that's the key point. Other countries are emulating the good elements of our government and society and rejecting the bad elements. Problem is, Pollyannas like Bush*, Powell, and McCain don't realize there are bad elements. Luckily, they have me and others to point these flaws out.

Let's look closer at what "every other country on this planet" is doing. Most European countries are content with their parliamentary-socialist governments. So does India, the world's largest democracy. People in places like France and India are fighting the incursion of American culture as embodied in McDonald's and Hollywood movies.

In eastern Europe, some countries are voting for Communist leaders because they're so unsatisfied with the democratic/capitalist model. In Russia, the world's third largest "democracy," the people are battling against the democratic/capitalist model. In east Asia, countries like Japan, South Korea, and Singapore seem happy with their semi-autocratic versions of democracy and state-run economies.

Countries like Mexico and Indonesia may be moving toward more democracy and capitalism, but they're hardly adopting America's unbridled political and economic systems. They're adopting the best American and European practices and eschewing the worst, just like I said. Or as Professor Gray put it, "The claim of the United States to be a model for the world is accepted by no other country."

Rob

*Not the legitimate president.

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