Happy Independence Day!

[Catch]

I enjoy living in a Democracy because there is more freedom and need for leaders to be aware of everyone's needs.

What is your favorite part of living in a free country?
(Phrased the question so people living in other countries are able to respond.)

[HumanePain]

What Nation do you live in Catch? I live in the USA which is a Republic.
And it is not exactly free, but very expensive. But I do love living here.

[Ben Lahnger]

HP is right. It's not a Democracy (a common misconception) but a Republic.

It's a pretty good place to live. That's doesn't mean I'm above assessing other countries and calculating the "high cost of leaving".

BTW, I'm going to celebrate my independence by watching the Firefly marathon on the Discovery Science Channel on July 4. And I'm not doing it alone!

There's an event organized by Unstoppable Signals to duplicate the mass online viewing experience #FireflyParty that some of us Firefly fans enjoyed on Joss Whedon's birthday (June 23rd) once again for this marathon.

The idea is simple; watch the episodes on the Discovery Science Channel (preferred) or watch the same episodes on Netflix Instant Streaming IF you don't get the Science Channel (or on DVD if you don't have that option) and join the #FireflyParty tweet-chat channel on your laptop/pc/smartphone at the same time to enjoy a shared group event (the next best thing to inviting thousands of friends into your living room to watch the show with you.)

The viewing order (as planned by Discovery Science Channel) is the standard 1-14 preferred order as seen on the DVD sets, so if you have to watch on Netflix or DVD you can stay in sync. There's even a Facebook registration page where you can sign up and indicate you will be attending.

I had a blast last time watching people post some remarkable insights about the episodes, some hilarious jokes and sometimes just posting their favorite quotes. I think most browncoats would enjoy it. Time to celebrate the lost battle for independence, and what some big damn heroes did afterwards.

Last time we had over 3000 people participate!

[Sinjob]

If you really loved your country, you wouldn't get the date wrong. Twat.

[Alan]

You people know that a democracy and a republic are not mutually exclusive concepts, right?
What do you guys even mean when you say that?

[Grausamkeit]

I don't care. I'm just glad that it didn't take longer than 72 years after the declaration for women to start demanding equal rights. Fuckin' Victorians.

[HumanePain]

Originally Posted by Alan

You people know that a democracy and a republic are not mutually exclusive concepts, right?

Yes, I know that. An example of what you are inferring to is the democratic vote in California for Proposition 8, and the Republic mechanism responsible for electing a President. Co-existing systems. Ancient Greece was a democracy. Catch uses the term Democracy as if it were a good thing when in history the Ancient philosophers saw democracy as less than ideal government, aristocracy being preferred.

Originally Posted by Alan

What do you guys even mean when you say that?

I mean that the United States electorate may be democratically voting ("popular" vote) but the Republic delegates (NOT Republican in the sense of party membership) are the ones putting the President in power.

[Alan]

You're talking about a representative democracy, which is worse than a real democracy.
If you're basing your fear of democracy on the 'ancient philosophers' remember they also justified sexism and ethnocentrism from those very fears.

[HumanePain]

Originally Posted by Alan

...(stuff I agree with...)
If you're basing your fear of democracy on the 'ancient philosophers' remember they also justified sexism and ethnocentrism from those very fears.

OK, now you have lost me: how can they have justified ethnocentrism when some of the greatest teachers of the time were imported? But I have to plead ignorance on the sexism, I have yet to read an examination of the ancients in terms of gender, except for the Spartans, I have read that Spartan mothers told their sons leaving for war to come back victorious or on their shields (dead).

[Alan]

The anti-democratic idea is that not all people should be equal in deciding how to run their lives, only certain people are qualified for politics.
Who decides who is qualified and who isn't? Aristotle certainly didn't think neither women nor 'barbarians' were.

[HumanePain]

Ah yes, now I follow you. I thought it was "feared" because of the distribution of incompetence among voters, the same fears the founders of the United States had. Makes sense that in the ancients times even more shallow criteria would be significant drivers of what was more or less desirable forms.

[Saya]

Originally Posted by HumanePain

Ah yes, now I follow you. I thought it was "feared" because of the distribution of incompetence among voters, the same fears the founders of the United States had. Makes sense that in the ancients times even more shallow criteria would be significant drivers of what was more or less desirable forms.

Not that there wasn't huge limitations to who could vote in America either. Minorities, women, criminals. It was only in 2002 Canada legalized voting for inmates, and according to Wiki two states will not allow those with a felony record to vote, barring 5.3 million people from voting.

ETA: and some other states might still restrict inmates from voting, its a state issue.

[Fruitbat]

It's big, open, free to move around, has the only back to back world heritage site in the world (daintree and great barrier reef).

It has the most amazing beaches and the cities are relatively clean and well maintained and every Rememberance day (11/11) we all stand for a minute's silence at 11am.

And we are a democracy.

[Ben Lahnger]

I was actually referring to the verbiage, as in "and to the Republic, for which it stands".

I have no "fear" of any of the forms of government mentioned here.

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1776: Americans declare independence from rule of English. 2011: Palin declares independence from rules of English. -- Andy Borowitz

[Timeless Rebellion]

The booze and the ladies!
Or not..

I suppose the greatest part about living in a free country is that I don't have to look over my shoulders for two large guys with electroshock torture devices every time I say something that could potentially put the country leader's wife's sister's bastard child's son in a bad light.

That, and the freedom to travel and talk to people not from my country.

[Ben Lahnger]

Who said you live in a free country? As long as your email can be secretly scanned by a covert government program for profiling and as long as you could potentially be scooped up by government agents in the middle of the night and whisked off to Guantanamo Bay with no rights to due process and having no one ever hear from you again just because they decide to call you an "enemy combatant" (thank you, Patriot Act), can you really claim your country is free?

[Timeless Rebellion]

Oh, but as far as I am aware, this cannot happen in the country I live in.
Of course, if no one ever hears from the poor people being shipped off and no one knows what happens...
Hmm...

Next you are gonna tell me that my parents didn't take my dogs to a happy farm to live with other happy animals?

[Catch]

Originally Posted by rainytiina

Happy Independence Day!

Thank you, one person who understands the symbolism is gaining Independence from England, the former oppressors of the country, so people who actually live here and are most affected by laws have more control over how these laws are being made.

Wow. Seriously everyone needs to get a grip on reality or occassionally read a history book.

I think Independence Day for India is coming up. Gandhi was born or died on August 15th. It's not a holiday here.

Happy Independence Day in India!!!

[Ben Lahnger]

I'm free, so I can hold the opinion that YOU need to get a grip on reality.

[Grausamkeit]

Sorry, Ben, we just can't catch up with her thinking.