"If You Can Keep It"

Ben Franklin's response, when asked if the Continental Congress voted these United States to be a Republic or a Monarchy, was said to be, "A Republic, if you can keep it."

Well we've lost it, assuming we ever really had it in the first place. Measureably one might go as far back as 1960 as the Nixonians would have you believe, although some contend they were doing in southern Illinois what they accused the Kennedys of doing in Chicago. But certainly in 2000 We The People were deprived of our say, beyond, that is, our indicating our preference for the other guy and by more than a half-million votes, not including the 2 million more that went to Ralph Nader. Would it be fair to conclude, then, that had Nader forseen the long-term damage his candidacy hath wrought (while keeping in mind we remain entirely sympathetic with his reasons for running, while paradoxically holding his stating he'd do it again as contemptuous), at least 3 quarters of his votes would've gone to Al Gore?

Same thing in 2004, only it was electronically, thus far more rampantly, corrupted, and consequently less easy to prove. Which is why one Republican congressman called for exit polls to be federally banned. That way, you see, the discrepancies in vote-counting, causally related to the criminal slight-of-hand, would be complete but beyond notice. All of this, of course, is deemed "non-news" by the corporatized 4th estate. We'll have a rant about that down the road.

Despite all of this, it appears the Republic will not be returning to health anytime soon. Check out that last graf on the link.

Which now begs the question as to what kind of government is the United States left with? A Plutocracy? An Oligarchy? A Fascist Dictatorship?

(D) All of the above?

I'm beginning to get the sense of how right Thomas Jefferson was when he suggested that in order to maintain a healthy Democracy/Republic, bloody revolution would be necessary every 25 years or so. Something about watering the roots of the tree with the blood of patriots.

Having endured the stench of this presidency for 4-1/2 years now, we hold these truths to be self-evident.