OCCUPY….THIS!
(….turning democracy into….mob rule)

There’s a big difference between being a –democracy- and being a – republic-, but apparently the -Occupy Wherever- protestors haven’t figured out that difference yet, and the recent scenes of their activities and behavior in places such as Oakland, California, clearly show us what happens when Protestors-R-Us start turning “democracy”…. into mob rule.

To hear and see the wide range of their outcries and slogans one has to wonder at the lack of focus these display. It’s as if every participant in these street theatrics chose whatever issue came to mind, in a collective display of incoherence, and, with absolutely no real understanding of what our –Constitution – is all about.

Demonstrating, protesting, and otherwise engaging in the peaceful exercise of our American rights to peaceably assemble to petition for redress of grievances is one thing. Organizing disruptive street actions, just for the sake of raising hell, is not only counter-productive but self-defeating as well.

The irony here is that many of the protestors hollering against capitalism and so-called corporate “greed”, are wearing clothes, using digital equipment, and consuming products all produced by the very same corporations and capitalist system against which they’re protesting. Were they truly sincere with such protests….they wouldn’t have any of those things. So it’s weirdly somewhat hypocritical to watch a protestor rave and rant against corporate “greed”, while at the same time holding a cell phone to his ear.

But, as with all such populist movements, there are anarchic rogue elements and other factions which sooner or later tend to take over and carry these situations in more radical directions, namely towards mob rule. And the danger with that is not only its potentials for chaotic violence, but also, for the inevitable end result of tyrannical rule (either by an organized minority or by an individual), for which mob rule creates a pathway.

Perhaps a bit of rear-view mirror look at history might awaken us from it, and give us some insights into that process.

Some of the ancient Greek city-states came up with the concept of – demos cratos – the people rule (even if they don’t know how). But most of these early models of “democracy” ultimately degenerated into mob rule (the death of Socrates being one of the more egregious examples of that), leading them back to–tyranos- or autocratic rule (that is, rule by a control-freak where what he says….goes).

It wasn’t till the Romans came along and figured out that the only way to prevent that was to have the people rule by the principle of – Law – and calling it – Res Publica – or, public rule. Of course, despite that, it also degenerated into oligarchic rule (rule by a syndicated group of fat cats) and again, ultimately, into imperial tyranny.

Then along came the Goths who proceeded to knock everything down, leveling everything into anarchy (where everyone does as they please, when they please, with no one ruling and no law). In that matrix things then evolved into a long period of gang warfare between rival warlords, which we call the – Dark Ages – where the rule was – might makes right- , and as we know that morphed into feudal and monarchic societies, with such mottos as –Dieu et Mon Droit – (God and My Right…you’d better believe it).

Bit by bit however all of these things created new cycles of popular discontent with the way things were; then, when new city-states emerged, the concept of – res publica – sprouted up again. Even so, revolts of one kind or another against the established order occurred; and, as so many times before, all such revolutions degenerated back into –tyranos- once more, each with tyrants more absolute and bloody-minded than the previous one. The list of these stretching from Napoleon to today’s catalogue of the likes of Kaddafi, Assad, and the Ayatollahs.

Now here we are today in America where, despite our exceptional good fortune of having been given a most unique blueprint for a dynamic and delicately balanced system of democratic governance by our founders, we now seem to be facing the same cycle of mob rule, and possibly ultimate tyranny, just as everyone else has had in that long cycle of history trailing behind us. And here we thought we were to be the only exception to that cycle.

We’re truly in a world….turning upside down.

CENTURION