Overnight Open Thread: A Timely Civics Lesson? (genghis)

This post is bound to be controversial (not to mention a little earlier than usual), but I think the linked video should be viewed, even if you don’t agree with the political group behind it. It’s a 10-minute comparative analysis of various political systems by John McManus, president of The John Birch Society.

I wasn’t aware that they even existed anymore, but McManus turned up on a local Seattle radio talk show today. The organization has certainly had their share of controversies over the years, well-deserved or not, and are typically viewed by many as a radical right-wing, paleoconservative group.

I disagree with much of what the group stands for, such as isolationism, and they seem to be way too closely aligned with the views of people like Ron Paul. So why am I posting this? Mainly because the video doesn’t stray into those areas, but does a pretty good job of explaining the differences between a republic and a democracy. It also illustrates how the latter can easily turn into an oligarchy, along with how democracies tend to end up committing suicide, intentional or not.

You can view the video here courtesy of the Dori Monson radio program. If you’d like, you can also listen to the radio interview with McManus here. Click on the March 19th show, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. hour to listen to the mp3 file. I’m not sure exactly when the interview starts but I think it takes up most of the hour. The synopsis:

”President of the controversial John Birch Society John McManus talks LIVE with Dori about Congress, Obama, economy, AIG bonuses, bailout and the heart of American government.”

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posted by xgenghisx at 10:21 PM

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