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: I don't necessarily believe that the absence of Vietnam-style protest is a bad thing; merely that it was perhaps the last occasion when the average citizen actually went and did something political and meaningful. Not once since then has the citizen had any real engagement with how their world is run. That said it's generally a mindless and basic form of political action; fine for raising awareness but clearly no basis upon which to formulate policy. : When the idea of democracy was first mooted (amongst a people who never even considered extending the privilege to women or slaves) at least there was real public debate. Nowadays not even our politicians debate; they sloganeer, grovel and administer, but they don't get their hands dirty with the real business of dialogue. They can't- they aren't allowed to show doubt, to change their minds, to disagree with the polls. They are the modern, political equivalent of the Greek Sophists. Kierkegaard was right: what the world needs is not more information, or more specialized knowledge, but a new Socrates. : In your post you are conflating politics with elections and legislatures again. Surely the most important issue for any citizen <i>qua</i> citizen is how their society works, and that is entirely a political question. It affects us every hour of every day of our lives, no matter how much we try to distract ourselves with McDonalds, yoga cles, weekends in the country and calling ourselves 'consultants'. If we want society to advance consciously, openly and tending towards goals we see as worthwhile, the citizens have to be active in their citizenship, not content to let others run the city/country/planet for them. : As a scrawl on a cubicle door at Uni said this morning, "Democracy=Access+Participation". : Incidentally Joe, if you dislike Baltimore so much, why stick around? You spend half your time attacking the place. Do what Det. Munch did: join the NYPD and declare "I will never set foot in the city of Baltimore again. I was surrounded by intellectual pygmies". : (I think that was the quote. If any <i>Law and Order: SVU</i> fans want to pick me up on that, I really don't care.) : Wulf

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