`Uncivil war' against U.S. democracy , An editorial in a major Japanese

[rumpel]

Newpaper.

`Uncivil war' against U.S. democracy
by Yoichi Funabashi

As the sun was about to set on election day, I took a leisurely stroll along Washington's Massachusetts Avenue on my way to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Along the way, I saw many people wearing stickers with the message ``I voted.''

The stickers are given at polling stations to voters to encourage people to cast their ballots.

Jessica Mathews, president of the Carnegie Endowment, told me she had just received a phone call from a friend in Ohio. The friend said, ``It rained in torrents. People had to stand in line for four hours before they could cast their votes. No one left the queue.''

then

What happened to the democracy in which the United States takes pride?

It becomes a serious issue when Americans and the international community start to doubt the legitimacy of U.S. governance and policy.

Four years ago, the Bush administration came into being with the difference of a single vote-in the Supreme Court. The fact that it went to war with Iraq without just cause subsequently gave rise to distrust and antipathy for the administration.

If the legitimacy of the election results is questioned once again, it will damage U.S. prestige further.

Concerning elections, Soviet leader Josef Stalin once said: ``Those who cast votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.''

That may have been true under single-party dictatorship. But who would have thought the United States would be reduced to the same level.

Stalin may be laughing at America from his grave.

(2004/11/09)
Full article at
http://www.asahi.com/column/funabashi/eng/TKY200411090179.html

[texpatriot2004]

1. Wll now we know that the Russians and the Japanese know

what really happened here in the good Ole USA.

[billbuckhead]

2. "Stalin may be laughing at America from his grave. "

This probably is the lowest point in American history.

[texpatriot2004]

4. Absolutely the lowest point and we are a laughing stock even

for Stalin, from his grave.

[rumpel]

3. This is Mr. Funabashi's credentials

YOICHI FUNABASHI, PH.D.

Yoichi Funabashi is Columnist and Chief Diplomatic Correspondent of the Asahi Shimbun. He is a contributing editor of Foreign Policy (Washington, D.C.).


He served as correspondent for the Asahi Shimbun in Beijing (1980-81) and Washington (1984-87), and as American General Bureau Chief (1993-97). In 1985 he received the Vaughn-Ueda Prize for his reporting on international affairs. He won the Japan Press Award, known as Japan's "Pulitzer Prize," in 1994 for his columns on foreign policy, and his articles in Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy won the Ishibashi Tanzan Prize in 1992.

His books in English include Reconciliation in the Asia-Pacific, ed. (USIP, 2003,); Alliance Tomorrow, ed. (Tokyo Foundation, 2001); Alliance Adrift (Council on Foreign Relations Press, 1998, winner of the Shincho Arts and Sciences Award); Asia-Pacific Fusion: Japan's Role in APEC (Institute for International Economics, 1995, winner of the Mainichi Shimbun Asia Pacific Grand Prix Award); and Managing the Dollar: From the Plaza to the Louvre (1988 winner of the Yoshino Sakuzo Prize); and in Japanese, Globalization Trick (2002); How to Come to Terms with Japan's War Responsibility (2002, ed.); Why not Make English the Second Official Language? (2001); U.S.-Japan Economic Entanglement: The Inside Story (1987); and Neibu: Inside China (1983).
His recent articles and papers in English include: "The world should also have a vote" (International Herald Tribune, 25/03/04), "Koizumi opens a Pandora's box" (Financial Times, 01/07/04), "China is preparing a 'peaceful ascendancy' " (International Herald Tribune, 30/12/04), "Learning from Five Years of Trialogue" (China-Japan-US: Meeting New Challenges, 2002); "Northeast Asia's Strategic Dilemmas" (Assessing the Threats, 2002); "Asia's Digital Challenge" (Survival, Spring 2002); "Japan's Unfinished Success Story" (Japan Quarterly, 2001); "Japan's Moment of Truth" (Survival, Winter 2000-01); "International Perspectives on National Missile Defense: Tokyo's Temperance" (The Washington Quarterly, Summer 2000); "Tokyo's Depression Diplomacy" (Foreign Affairs, November / December 1998); "Thinking Trilaterally" (China-Japan-US: Managing the Trilateral Relationship, 1998); and "Bridging Asia's Economics-Security Gap" (Survival, Winter 1996-97).
He received his B.A. from the University of Tokyo in 1968 and his Ph.D. from Keio University in 1992. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University (1975-76), a visiting Fellow at the Institute for International Economics (1987) and a Donald Keene Fellow at Columbia University (2003).
Academic Positions:
ÅEVisiting Professor, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea (2004- )
ÅEVisiting Professor, University of Tokyo, Japan (2003-2004)
ÅEVisiting Professor, Asia-Pacific University, Oita, Japan (2002-2003)

Civic Activities:
ÅEMember, Board of Trustees, ICG (International Crisis Group)
ÅEMember, Trilateral Commission (Asia)
ÅEMember, international trustee, Asia Society
ÅEBoard member, Brookings Institution's CNAPS (Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies)
Public Service:
ÅEThe Prime Minister's Commission on Japan's Goals in the 21st Century (April 1999-January 2000)
ÅEMember, Government Commission for Reform of the Foreign Ministry (March 2002-March 2003)

Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Mail to: [e-mail]
Homepage: http://www.asahi.com/column/funabashi/eng/profile.html

[tom_paine]

5. MAY be? Stalin and Hitler are BOTH laughing at Imperial Amerika

from Hell.

And awaiting the arrival of Rove (who will room with Goebbels), Ashcroft & Gonzales (who will room with Himler & "Iron Feliks" Dzherzhinsky), and Colin Powell (who will room with Vytatus Quisling).

[texpatriot2004]

6. I think you are on to something here.

[madison2000]

7. Its a low point for Stalin and Hitler, knowing they are overshadowed

by someone even more sinister and evil than they were.
:evilgrin: :evilfrown: :evilgrin: :evilfrown: :evilgrin: :evilfrown:

[tom_paine]

16. Well, I wouldn't go that far YET, Hitler and Stalin were pretty evil

In the end, it certainly is possible that the Busheviks will overshawodw them, though given the aspect and likely nature of Kinder and Gentle Amerikan Totalitarianism, it is unlikely that even at their worst will the Busheviks be able to rival the sheer amount and inhmanity of Nazi and Soviet actions.

(though I could be wrong -- time will tell)

Overshadowed by Bushler? No, at least not at present.

But have Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Idi Amin and Ferdinand Marcos (whom Bushler more closely resembles at present) have a new nation and Leader (Fuhrer) in their column.

For that they must surely be smiling down in hell, especially given that the nation now joining theirs was the one who primarily stood for the ideals of Liberty and self-determination that they loathed.

[Griffy]

8. the only ppl that dont know is the 75% of Americans,denial or disbelief nt

[Kellis]

9. exactly.

We've never truly had to deal with something like this and so the general public believes the government wouldn't do anything to jeopardize Democracy-That the governmentcouldn't do anything to jeopardize it b/c of the checks and balances in place.

But those checks are now next to gone.

We *DO* have criminals in charge and they *ARE* jeopardizing America/Democracy.

[rumpel]

10. US will not have much say at the UN, no wonder Bush & Co. wants

to dismantle the UN

[RaulVB]

11. The article really blasts the American political system

What a shame!

[Straight Shooter]

12. As Cheney said when queried about Kerry's massive crowds,

"Well, he may have the crowds, but we've got the votes."

And with a sinister grin, he left it at that.

Nice work, dickboy, now the world is quoting Stalin in reference to our U.S. election. What a proud legacy, indeed.

[texpatriot2004]

15. Now Straight Shooter I have never questioned you, and maybe

I am being gullable here, but did Ch* really say that, for real? Huh? Was he hanging out with that drunk guy King who said they would take care of the counting?

[McCamy Taylor]

13. Grover Norquist keeps a picture of Lenin, his hero...

...while Karl Rove obviously fancies himself Goebels.

[RaulVB]

14. Norquist also...

reads the works of Antonio Gramsci, the Italian communist.

He really admires him!