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02680: RE: Thoughts on WDDM rebirth!

From: Δικηγορικό Γραφείο Γ. Λ. Κόκκα & Συνεργατών <geoko(at)otenet.gr>
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010 02:09:34 +0300
Subject: RE: Thoughts on WDDM rebirth!

            I waited for the  answer of Mirek and  I wonder  why  he  has  not answered  yet ( or maybe  he  answered  only to you Lee?). In any  way we  continue to  exist  thanks  to  his  excellent  efforts  to  make  www.world-wide-democracy.net

 happen, after  our 4th  WDDM Conference in  Prague (2005). I  I hope  all is  ok  Mirek  with  you!


            I also  agree  with  Lee’s  remarks and  I  hope  that  we will actually  make  a  progress in Prague, as  Jiri  says!


            In  the  meantime  I propose  Lee  Gottlieb ( having been  impressed  by his two  books , that he  offered me this  summer in Las Vegas) to be nominated  as  Coordinator  of  a  contemporary  WDDM   Coordinating  Committee, consisting  of  the  recipients  of this  post and every other  interested volunteerly , (including  Ted  Becker and  Senator  Mike  Gravel )  trying to  implement a bottom  up  structure in  our  Organisation, TEN  YEARS  AFTER  OUR  ESTABLISHMENT  IN Greece that  failed  to  celebrate  this  jubilaeum  otherwise  than  our  participation  in  the  Global  Forum of Direct  Democracy  in  San  Fransisco!  (  By  the  way  have  a look  at  my  speech  there about  Constitutions  of  Direct  democracy  that  can  be  watched  in  our  site : www.dimopolis.gr )



            Let’s  wait  for  the  interest  and  ideas  of  everybody in  the  wdddm  list, as  I  take  the  Initiative  to  make  this dialogue  known  to  everybody!


Best regards 

George L. Kokkas

N.G.O Forum for Citizens’ Democracy

Ippokratous str. 42 – GR-10680 Athens

Greece

Tel.: +30 2103648300 - Fax: +30 2103610882

e-mail : geoko(at)otenet.gr

web: www.dimopolis.gr




From: Jiri Polak [jiri.polak(at)swipnet.se]
Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 8:08 PM
To: Lee Gottlieb; Miraslav Kolar
Cc: George Kokkas
Subject: Re: Thoughts


Lee,

I agree with your proposals. In practice, solutions to the problems engendered by current systemss are awfully difficult to implement, even if unassailable in theory. I hope that we can take a step in the right direction in the Conference planned for 2011. This conference has a better chance to succeed than the previous ones because of the participation of Prof.Becker and the fact that it is meant to be organized by the University of Prague. This will give it a dignity we have not achieved until now. Needless to say I hope for your participation. We plan June which gives us plenty of time to prepare papers and concrete proposals. And we want to invite Lula da Silva... Unlikely he would come? Certainly, but we can try nevertheless. Miracles can happen

Sincerely,               Jiri

----- Original Message -----

From: Lee Gottlieb

Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 3:46 PM

Subject: Thoughts


Mirek,

I'm sending this to you, personally. Whether or not
you place it in a public area is up to you.

As I've been away for a bit, I've had to read
all of the messages to WDDM that I've missed.
It seems to me that WDDM has made but a little progress
since I was last active in the organization.

I'm not surprised, however, as the one important lesson
that I have learned in my own attempts to promote Direct
Democracy here in the U.S. is that although many people
recognize  a problem in the way we humans organize our
governments, there are too damn many proposed solutions.
Sadly, few originators of a potential solution have been
willing to compromise with any other originator. I,
unfortunately, have been one of these stubborn people.

WDDM was born with great hopes of becoming a major force
in the creation of Earth democracies. I see no reason why
these hopes should die on the vine.

I recommend the WDDm Board of Directors study and consider
each and every possible suggestion ever offered as a solution
to the problems created by utilization of hierarchical
government. They should select the proposal most Board members
believe has the greatest potential for success in creating a
working DD, open the discussion on this particular proposal
to the general membership, and then advocate this DD system
to all people seeking a comparatively fair and peaceable system
of government. In this way, and only in this way, can WDDM
becomes a leader in the DD movement

                         ----------

I've proposed a a solution to the American problem some of whose
benefits are described in the books "The Democracy That Never Was"
and "The Malfunctioning Animal." It's a fictional DD called
"America"that I would like both the Board of Directors of WDDM and
the general membership to consider as a possibility for a DD
prototype. But I am now prepared to compromise, if compromise
produces logically positive  results.

The most serious objections (three) ever received about this
particular solution are:

First objection - that civic participation of every citizen in
fictional America is conceived as a duty and not a right, an
obligation and not a privilege. This also means voting every time
such a vote is relevant to an individual's life whether neighborhood,
city, regional, or national vote. Not voting because of laziness or
other priorities will deprive an American citizen one or more of
the automatic benefits bestowed upon participating citizens. This
slight social pressure guarantees that American citizens pay more
attention to the election process than do most U.S. citizens.

Second objection - is that some individuals believe the unbiased
and unplanned short term selection of participants in government
by a general lottery system is wrong as participants should be the
most talented and skilled in the needs of government. The problem
with this suggestion is that if adopted, it will eventually lead
to an oligarchy of talent, as opposed to an oligarchy of wealth
--with the eventual and identical abuse of the majority by the
minority.

Third objection - is that a government of the majority will abuse
minority rights. This viewpoint is based upon the behavior of French
commoners during the short, violent reign of the common majority
during the French Revolution. This has been repeatedly expressed by
members of the U.S. minority elite based upon the fear that once a
majority of commoners should gain control of government it will do
to the minority wealthy what minorities of wealthy citizens have been
doing to the majority of common citizen--everywhere and at all times--
for thousands of years.

Maybe so? But who among us is qualified to say that revenge of the
majority would be unjust and shouldn't be allowed to happen?

However, a properly structured Direct Democracy, such as fictional
America would make revengeful behavior unlikely.

My objection to all three of the above objections is that inclusion of
any in a political system would create just another hierarchical,
top-to-bottom social structure. Imitating--and refining--my lead,
however, would create a true, bottom-to-top democracy, a self government
in which all citizens participate in a fair, unbiased, unprejudiced
political system for the first time ever; a system designed to give all
citizens a proper education; a system designed to spotlight lies and
false propaganda that would corrupt the intellectual and physical behavior
of citizens; a system designed to help all citizens develop to the higher
level--as all humans were born to develop.


Sincerely,

Lee Gottlieb


P.S. I'm sending copies of this proposal to George Kokkis and Jiri Polak,
as I also want their thoughts on the matter.



----------------------------------
THE FUTURE SHALL BE WHATEVER
CURRENT GENERATIONS WILL IT TO BE!

American Institute of Direct Democracy
http://www.americaninstituteofdd.com



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