[lojban] Re: "democracy" vs "representative republic" in lojban?

[Pierre Abbat <lojban-out@lojban.org>]

On Monday 15 May 2006 23:30, Matt Arnold wrote:
> The only way Lojban can help is if you go back to the list and declare
> that from now on you will not use the word "democracy" since you do
> not wish to be misunderstood. For pure democracy (that is to say, in
> which every issue is voted on by everyone and majority rules), you
> will henceforth say {roltrusi'o} and you ask that they understand it
> as such. When you use the word {rolka'itrusi'o} you ask to be
> understood to mean representative democracy.

We also distinguish between a state and an idea of how a state should be 
governed. For the former we have {ka'irje'a} and various other words.

AFAICT, it is not the method of electing representatives to the legislature 
that preserves individual rights, but the Bill of Rights and the ability to 
get a law overturned if it violates those rights. If a majority of states 
have a majority of cannibals, then the vegetarians could still get eaten. And 
if a majority of representatives are bought out by oil, drugs, and other 
special interests, then people's rights get trampled even if they elected 
them.

phma


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