Has America Become a Dictatorship Disguised as a Democracy?

Rutherford Institute ^ | 22OCT18 | By John W. Whitehead

[old curmudgeon]

But not for the reasons stated.

Rather because the voters are totally uneducated in history, the value of the Constitution, street economics (in contrast to the economics taught by ivory tower college professors) and totally lacking morality and self motivation.

For they are the people who put idiots and scoundrels in congress to run the country.

Human nature what it is, we have always had scoundrels, con men and just plain crooks but our generation has actually put them in total control.

Now we have a president who is trying to get control back into the hands of decent knowledgeable people and the criminals are fighting back.

[aquila48]

“A citizenry that does not think for themselves, obeys without question, is submissive, does not challenge authority, does not think outside the box, and is content to sit back and be entertained is a citizenry that can be easily controlled.”

Ridiculous article.

When or where has there ever existed a “citizenry” that “thought for itself”, whatever that means?

He rails against law and order without realizing that whenever a group of people come together to form a society, rules for living somewhat peacefully together (law and order) are an absolute necessity.

What he’s unwittingly advocating is anarchy. Good luck with that.

[familyop]

"Rather because the voters are totally uneducated in history, the value of the Constitution, street economics (in contrast to the economics taught by ivory tower college professors) and totally lacking morality and self motivation."

I've been a substitute teacher in elementary and high schools. There was no education in civics (how government works). History was limited to Sacagawea (feminism), Martin Luther King and the like. Young people are exposed to much television.

I also worked many temporary contracts in corporate offices including communications. Those places were steeped in policies imposed by the radical left, and so was their hiring.

That sums up education now. It's bought and paid for by advertisers, investors on boards and those who decide on what goes into curricula (wealthy alumni, regents, graduates who write texts,...). Those are the people controlling what is most easily and constantly available to the minds of the American people.

We need a complete flush and refill of academic, business and government leadership, except for the few who are now finally working for us in government, thank goodness.

[KarlInOhio]

In other words, we are being ruled by an oligarchy disguised as a democracy,

But what happens when the oligarchy picks one person for the Democrats (despite some pro wrestling style competition for the nomination) but completely chokes on their choice for the Republicans (please applaud)?

[imardmd1]

John Wayne Whitehead, Constitutional lawyer, prolific author. One of my favorites, although I haven't read him lately. But back in the day, I read and annotated "The Second American Revolution," "The Stealing of America," and "The End of Man," plus other separate articles. Supported the Rutherford Institute, when I could.

Thanks for posting this one, FRiend!

Thinking back, my memory was refreshed when I recalled having a videotape IIRC made with Frankie Schaeffer. It the end, what put a distance between me and Whitehead's theological views was that he was greatly influenced by R. J. Rushdoony, who is/(was?) of the Reformed ilk, with the idea that God's plan for history was that Christians would multiply and reconstruct a global society fit for the returning Jesus Christ to step in and start running His Earthly Kingdon built by His (millennia)(Presbyterian/Dutch Reformed/Lutheran) Church of disciple-priests.

That terminated any association that I might have withbthese amillennia Reconstructionists, since I am thoroughly and Scripturally convinced of a coming premillennial Rapture, seven years of Christless misery on earth, followed by a thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom, before the final tally is executed, and humans who have died without forgiveness set on fire for eternity.

So be warned, when you read Whitehead, be sure that behind his writing is the indercurrent that he believes Christians are going to save the world through eliminating resistance to Christian morality.

If you choose to believe that is true prophecy, well then, that's up to you. Current continual defining of deviancy downward does not seem to indicate that Rushdoony, Whitehead, and generally Reformed theology is way out of whack.

Reference link (written April 2009):

https://www.rutherford.org/publications_resources/oldspeak/creating_a_political_firestorm_that_is_still_burning_an_interview_with_fran

[faithhopecharity]

it was certainly a dictatorship under the Illegal Immigrant in Chief for 8 years.

it is not supposed to be a democracy. Indeed, our country’s Founders worked very hard to prevent that from ever happening to America

we are supposed to be a constitutional republic.
But the constitution has largely been thrown in the trash.
and, as Benjamin Franklin famously said, our founders gave us a republic.. IF we could hang onto it.

it was a long battle but the “election” of BO or whatever his real name was,.... put the nails in our republic’s coffin

[familyop]

"When or where has there ever existed a 'citizenry' that 'thought for itself', whatever that means?"

The Founding Fathers of the United States and their countrymen, of course. That's only one example.

[familyop]

Well, almost everyone is incorrect with their religious beliefs.

[familyop]

And possibly everyone.

[imardmd1]

Maybe some of us; but otherwise . . .

Remember that one (reconstructionist) effort Whitehead was backing was the Moral Majority, which absolutely did not work, even when their candidates got into office, and left the "Majority" high and dry, with nowhere to go. Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson gave a real good summary of how they got hooked, served with the MM, and found out that is was simply an unworkable and unscriptural approach. Here's a link to a review of their book:

https://www.amazon.com/Blinded-Might-Cal-Thomas/dp/0310238366

[Kickass Conservative]

Tagline...

[imardmd1]

When or where has there ever existed a “citizenry” that “thought for itself”, whatever that means?

This was the strategy the Moral Majority Reconstructionists thought could be implemented by electing their "Christian" (or at least somewhat moral) selected nominees to office. It was the Moral Majority that were uninformed, more than the voters that they influenced.

[imardmd1]

Error! My corrections to Post #25:

>> Current continual defining of deviancy downward does not seems to indicate that Rushdoony, Whitehead, and generally Reformed theology is way out of whack. <<

[imardmd1]

The Founding Fathers of the United States and their countrymen, of course. That's only one example.

Not all, only a controlling majority of them, some moral, and some not. Tracing the inevitable history of its decline, I guess you can see what has happened to the ending point of their idea. Peace and decency will come only when the All-Powerful Prince of Peace comes and sets up His Absolute Monarchy. IMHO.

Maranatha . . .

[aquila48]

You mean there weren’t laws back then that you had to obey?

And how exactly does a “citizenry”, that is a “collective”, think for itself.

The whole article is predicated on mushful thinking masquering as profound thought.

[rawcatslyentist]

our state legislators would get far richer on the proceeds from picking senators.

And that is the reason it was changed. Less people to bribe, less distance to go to bribe them. It changed the power structure from localized govt, to centralized.

[rawcatslyentist]

it was certainly a dictatorship under the Illegal Immigrant in Chief for 8 years.

We all knew who and what Hussein was and is before his coronation.

Just think whut Dubya knew and knows! Yet he said and continues to say NOTHING!

[ZULU]

When they cited Jimmy Carter, Princeton University abd Newsweek, I stopped reading.

Anerica is a Republic de jure which has morphed into a globalist, plutocratic, oligarchic, Kleptocratic beaurotocracy.

Trump is trying to fix it which is why it is trying to crucify him.

[T-Bird45]

“He spends a good deal of time making movie analogies...”

Glad to see I’m not the only one who thought the writer spent a huge amount of time in the Land of Make-Believe while trying to make a cogent point. If that’s the best the guy can do, punditry may not be his calling.

[a fool in paradise]

right, you cannot eradicate poverty when 10,000 poor illiterate unskilled people enter the country every week and have a welfare state willing to give them handouts if they remain below “the poverty line”.

Norway requires you to earn at least $47,000 a year to immigrate.