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A Detective Megastory: The Corrupt Poirot Syndrome

Detective novels are perhaps the most widely read type of literature. Everybody knows Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Inspector Frost, Morse, and many others - those champions of honesty whose brilliant minds are able to find a criminal where least expected. Millions of people are thrilled at minute inquiries into the death of one single individual, or a few individuals at most. But consider this situation: Hercule Poirot comes to a big city. Lots of murders are taking place there every day. Some are evidently perpetrated by one isolated scoundrel, but most are serial killings on a massive scale, caused by shady gangster syndicates who hold the city in an iron grip. What is Poirot's reaction? Will he focus on the disclosure of top level gangsters or will he go on investigating a few petty murders without any bearing on the society in question? Maybe he hesitates, but eventually finds that he really doesn't have a choice. So he lets the big scoundrels alone and goes on chasing the petty ones. He becomes corrupt.

And, please, consider this situation: A bomb falling from the sky kills a whole family except a twelve years boy who remains mutilated for life. This tragedy is even much more terrible than the murder of Roger Acroyd or any other isolated individual. And it´s repeated over and over again, the deaths amount to thousands and hundreds of thousands, but, in the eyes of the public, they remain mere statistics: Wednesday twenty people, Thursday thirty, Friday only ten .... Each one of these deaths is the same or worse tragedy than the killing of one person described and unraveled in a whole book dedicated to this single case, a book thrilling millions of readers. The disclosure of the murderers of the multiple anonymous killings the reports of which reach us only as cold statistics, does not interest very much the blunted, brainwashed minds of the general public. Who are these murderers? The official mythology makes us believe that they are The Enemy, or sometimes perhaps our own soldiers who became guilty of deplorable, but understandable inadvertence. But - like in detective novels - the most obvious culprit is not necessarily the real one. Obviously, killing in wars is a much more complex phenomenon than killing of one or two individuals in otherwise peaceful settings. It is not so relevant and interesting to know who was the murderer in one of the innumerable tragedies each war consists of. We must ask - and cannot all the time avoid asking: Who is responsible for a system which makes wars possible? Who are the scoundrels whose behavior results in wars? The ability to answer these questions is way beyond the competence of all fictional or real detectives put together. These questions can only be answered by science, and there is only one discipline able and obliged to do that, namely politology, or political science. But (mainstream, not all!) political scientists suffer from what might be called the Corrupt Poirot Syndrome. In the next issue, I'll try to explain why and how.

(to be continued)

How Democratic ?

11 March, quotations from a letter sent round by Triaka Smith: ".... it's worth noting that while civilized people have voluntarily agreed to make illegal the initiation of Physical Force by one human upon another, as in murder, rape, and robbery, no government on earth has yet been held to the same Moral Standard. Much like organized crime, all earthly governments, "democracies" included, have forever used Intimidation on and Coercion backed by physical force, even employing nuclear devastation and threats of annihilation. ... All forms of government in the world practice Initiatory Physical Force under their claimed inheritance of those who created such power structures that today subjugate, to one degree or another and by various means, the entire global population of over six-billion Human Beings. They exercise Control with threats, intimidation, trained killers with deadly weapons, by claiming some "superior" status such as royalty or, in the case of the founding of the United States of America, by land ownership and material wealth. .... For Americans, some of this is evidenced in "56 Grievances" (against the U.S. Constitution).
http://www.globalvisions.org/cl/swn/grievances/index.html .....
Contrary to popular belief, the U.S. Constitution did not "establish justice" and "secure the Blessings of Liberty" as the Founders claimed in their opening lines of the document which was imposed on all residents of the original 13 colonies and carried forward into the 21st century. Using Initiatory Physical Force is neither Justice nor Liberty. ... (they) in fact stripped the Natural Inherent Power of each person and handed it over to a privileged "few", a system best described as an oligarchy. The result for all Americans, along with people in all other nation-states, is plenty of Servitude and denial of the cosmic reality of Natural Rights. .... "

15 March, information from Mr.Elliott Jacobson: "Washington, D.C. March 17, 2007 CNN, the Manchester Union Leader and the Hearst-owned WMUR-TV have formally decided to exclude Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Mike Gravel from the debates they will be sponsoring in New Hampshire.

This decision calls into question media censorship and goes against a fundamental American belief in "Fairness", which is especially critical in the political process." ......

20 March, information from Mr.Elliott Jacobson: "Presidential candidate and former United States Senator Mike Gravel rejected a statement CNN, Hearst owned WMUR-TV and the Union Leader issued Friday, March 16th in justifying its censorship of Senator Gravel by excluding him from a planned debate of Presidential candidates. The Senator said, "This statement is woefully ignorant, void of sound judgment and Kafkaesque in its conclusion." ...

27 March, Information from Mr. Elliott Jacobson: Presidential Candidate and former United States Senator Mike Gravel will appear on the following television news show: MSNBC with Allison Stewart, Wednesday, March 28, 2007, 12 Noon EST - Eastern Standard Time

2 April, information from Mr.Alex Colvin: Former United States Senator and Democratic Presidential Candidate Mike Gravel will appear on the Fox Network´s "Your World" with Neil Cavuto, today, Monday April 2nd between 4:00 Pm and 5:00 Pm EST.

19 April, information from Mr.Elliott Jacobson: Former U.S. Senator and current Democratic Presidential candidate Mike Gravel will be addressing the National Action Network Convention in New York City on Friday April 20, 2007 at 11:30 AM. Reverend Al Sharpton, President of NAN, will introduce the Senator.

29 April: http://www.wakeupfromyourslumber.com/node/1387
Meet the Next President of the United States of America - Now we just have to make sure that he wins .... "Tell me, Barack, who do you want to nuke?"
"Until the first Democratic presidential debate here on Thursday night, former senator Mike Gravel campaigned in almost total obscurity since becoming the first Democrat to declare more than a year ago, in April 2006. But all that changed with a few provocative remarks from the stage of South Carolina State University with his seven better-known rivals looking on. He said the early leading Democratic candidates "frighten" him because they had taken nothing off the table, including nuclear weapons, for possible military action .... "

6 May: Quotations from a letter sent round by Mr. Evan Daniel Ravitz: "Dear dreamers of real democracy, former Senator Mike Gravel´s performance at the first Democratic debate has received some good coverage, including this from the Boston Globe:
www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/28/835/ and CNN has just relented, re-inviting him to the NH debates. .... I'm asking you to help a bit to promote Mike's most cherished project, the National Initiative for Democracy because the debate format didn't allow him to even mention it. .... It's important to understand that Mike has found a way to get the amendment into the Constitution WITHOUT begging Congress, which has proved fruitless for a century. For brevity, I refer you to the second paragraph of www.Vote.org for an explanation. ...."

Warning voices are being raised claiming that the USA (and the World) is approaching a social and economic crisis. Example: "Politicians are no longer politicians. They work for the world's elite and represent no common man or country. They are highly paid brainwashers, visioning facilitators, deceivers, liars, and thieves. We are forced to pay their salaries. We are forced to fund all global governance initiatives which literally stole the wealth, property, savings and security of every commoner on the planet. The wealth that was amassed in the last three decades by these criminals truly is beyond comprehension - literally beyond the comprehension of common people. We live in unfathomable states of ignorance. We have been robbed blind, yet still can't acknowledge the theft of our money, livelihoods, children, potential, nation, and future." (Nancy Levant, www.whatreallyhappened.com 5th May)

Threat of economic collapse? http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/ARTICLE2/doodoo.html

11 April: Ron Paul: The Federal Reserve Monopoly Over Money
http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul380.html

The State of Vermont Considering Secession?
Information about this sensational development has been brought by Prof Ted Becker in his Journal of Public Deliberation ( www.auburn.edu/jpd ) On 6th April, we received the following letter from Dr.Doug Everingham (excerpt): "Will Vermont Secede from the Union? By Ian Baldwin and Frank Bryan, The Washington Post on April 3, 2007. The winds of secession are blowing in the Green Mountain State. Vermont was once an independent republic, and it can be one again. We think the time to make it happen is now. Over the past 50 years, the U.S. Government has grown too big, too corrupt and too aggressive toward the world, toward its own citizens and toward local democratic institutions. It has abandoned the democratic vision of its founders and eroded Americans´ fundamental freedoms.
Vermont did not join the Union to become part of an empire." ........
(Who will be the next? California? JP)

21 April: Vermont Senate: Impeach Bush

"Vermont senators voted Friday to call for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, saying their action have raised ´serious questions of constitutionality´.

The non-binding resolution was approved 16-9 without debate - all six Republicans in the chamber at the time and three Democrats voted against it." ....

13 March, Information sent to the CICDD channel by Mr.Miroslav Kolar:
"Presidential candidate Rick Williams will work to organize a Constitutional Convention to legalize direct democracy in America and establish a legal route for spreading direct democracy worldwide."

4th April, Information from Mr.Lee Gottlieb: Mr.Gottlieb has published a disk containing his principal writings dedicated to the idea of a better democracy. Mr. Gottlieb is one of the most prominent and valued personalities of the global and American DD Movement, well known to all readers of this newsletter. In the introduction he writes, "Hopefully these writings will prove an effective guide to a safer, saner, and more equitable planet Earth, and bring humanity one giant step closer to the elusive dream of peaceful coexistence."
Copies of the disc can be ordered at http://www.voicesfordd.com

3rd April, Information from Mr.Miroslav Kolar:
"Victoria´s Wisdom Council is no longer just an idea. It was held on the last weekend of March 2007. In the second half of February, a group of volunteers sent letters to approximately 500 Victoria residents, inviting them to make themselves eligible for the draw to become members of the first Wisdom Council. Names were chosen from the phone book, using a random number generator to select page numbers, column numbers, and location within the column. ...."
Read more at http://democracy.mkolar.org/wisedemocracy/

3rd April, information from Mr.Miroslav Kolar:
"Consensus building in the New Canada attempt - an episode in the effort to organize a broader coalition/movement for Direct Democracy (using colour card voting system)."
Read more at: http://democracy.mkolar.org/newcanada/

31st May, information from Mr.Miroslav Kolar: "The CBC radio has just this week started ´The Great Canadian Wish List´, http://www.cbc.ca/wish/ - experiment soliciting wishes of Canadians for the future of the country. It seems to me that it could serve as some sort of citizens´ database of positions on various issues, if it will be allowed to develop unhindered."

2nd June, information sent round by Dr.Doug Everingham: "The Vancouver 9/11 Truth Society will host an international conference to expose the realities, myths, omissions and distortions of the official narrative of the events of September 11th, 2001 .... Presenters will detail the numerous reasons why a new, full, and impartial investigation into 9/11 is required." ....

31st May, information from Dr.Michael Macpherson: Preliminary proposals for the introduction of Elements of Direct Democracy in Great Britain and Northerm Ireland, see link http://www.iniref.org/gb-debate-dd.html

31st May, information from Dr.Miroslav Kolar: LINK: http://www.myverdict.net - "An exercise in direct democracy. Users may ask questions, put forward arguments, vote and change their vote from international to local level. All MPs are asked for their opinions."

EUD NEWSLETTER - Number 5, April 3, 2007

Contents: Berlin Conference: "Europe - Not Without the People" ..... "Our ´Alternative Berlin Declaration´, summarises our demands and is now available in several languages!"
http://eudemocrats.org/23/article/56/
In the Press Last Month ... Quotes on the Constitution ... Country Focus .... Citizen´s Agenda Exhibition; Please, see the website

Articles: Hamburg: erfolgreiches Volksbegehren; Berlin: Auftakt zur EU-Kampagne; Europa: nicht ohne uns! Contact: info@mehr-demokratie.de

18th April, information sent by Mr.Nicolas Durand to the WDDM channel: (excerpt)

"Enitiatives.ch revolutionizes direct democracy. A new internet tool aiming to promote and facilitate popular initiatives is born. Behind this project unifying ideas is Nicolas Durand, who wants to accelerate the process of direct democracy globally and to spread the Swiss political model to other countries. This April 19 marks the double anniversary of the introduction of the right of referendum in Switzerland (the first in the World) and the official launch of www.enitiatives.ch and www.enitiatives.ca

A new International DD Conference, presented as The First World Conference on Direct Democracy, will be held in Lucerne in May 2008. See http://www.worldconference2008.info

Organizers: Mr.Adrian Schmid, former president of the Lucerne city parliament, and Dr.Bruno Kaufmann, president of the IRI - Europe Institute, probably the most prominent European expert on Direct Democracy.

Prof.Ted Becker, a leading DD expert worldwide, was invited to participate in the preparatory discussions held at the Swiss Embassy in Washington in May 2007.

Note: The very first International DD Conference/Congress in history was held in September 1998 in Pribram, Czech Republic. (see www.auburn.edu/tann ) Participants came from all continents, except Africa. That conference had no sponsor. About two thirds of the cost were paid by participation fees (60 $ per participant), the rest from the Czech organizer's own pocket. Despite the shaky premises, it was a big success. Afterwards, the moderator - Prof.Ted Becker - set up the CICDD discussion channel - still working. It was the beginning of regular contacts between American and European DD activists. Obviously, the coming Swiss conference has all chances to bring DD discussions and activities to a higher level and become a milestone in the development towards genuine democracy.

18th April, information from Prof. Ted Becker: On July 4th, the Basque Parliament and Mondragon University are organizing a conference concerning the unresolved situation of that region. Prof.Becker has been invited to be the "historian" of "E-democracy" during that event. He writes, "I intend to tell them about the Vermont method. It sure beats the ETA method. ... Very interesting way to secede ... no terrorists ... no firing on American military bases ... just a series of New England Town Meetings to create a critical mass and force the state legislature to put it on the ballot for a referendum. Then they become the "Republic of Vermont". Is the US Army going to invade?"

(Note: This is exactly the method the Czech Democracy activists want to use to enforce a deliberation and referendum on the draft of the Citizens´ Constitution. See below.)

The recent issue of the Journal of Public Deliberation ( www.auburn.edu/jpd ) brings an article by David Litvak headlined Ségolène Royal Argues For Randomly Selected Citizens to Advise on New French Constitution

Quotation: "The socialist candidate in the French presidential election, Ségolène Royal, proposed to use randomly selected citizens, along with elected officials, as members of consultative Constitutional Commission. The mandate of this body would be no less than advise the Presidency on a referendum question ushering in a new Sixth Republic of France."

Note: We now know that Mrs.Royal has not quite made it. Nevertheless, she obtained 47% of the votes. Not bad at all for such a radical program! (JP)

One of the most controversial issues of the day is the project to place an American Radar Station on the Czech territory. Mr. Jan Neoral, the mayor of the village in the vicinity of which the intended location is situated happens to be a radar expert. He warns that the waves generated by radar could endanger the health of people living so near the station. He has appeared in the media. Thousands of grassroots are participating in demonstrations demanding that the project be discarded. Local referendums have been held in the region affected, showing that more than 90 % of the people are opposed to it. The government declare they don´t care a damn. Maul halten und weiter dienen! - that´s "democracy" a la Czech post-communism.

Even Prof.Noam Chomsky has raised his voice on this issue. On 3rd June, the Sin permiso newsletter has brought his article headlined El escudo en Europa es como una declaración de guerra ....

Quotation: "Defense using missiles does not serve as a protection of Northern America. It is an instrument of global domination."

A representative of the regime published an article pretending that referenda concerning taxes are unrealistic because if the citizens were given this opportunity, they would vote for zero taxes. A small extra-parliamentary party organized a poll. Outcome: Among 200 randomly selected people, only 7 individuals said they would vote for zero taxes. Grassroot citizens are not stupid!

26 May, Eng.Josef Hromádko, CSc. addressed a very well underpinned letter to the Constitutional Committee of the Senate of Czech Republic, proving that certain laws are being passed in contradiction with the Constitution. So far, there is no reply.

Bringing politicians to bay

By the end of June, all MPs (200 persons) and all Senators (60 persons) will receive a letter and a leaflet sent by ordinary post.

The letter: "Sir/Madame, we take the liberty to ask you, as an elected representative: Are you willing to support the demand that the draft of a Citizens´ Constitution, presented to the public by a group of democratically-minded citizens (see enclosure), be submitted to a debate both in the Chamber of Representatives and the Senate and then to a nation-wide referendum? ..... "

Signed by: Petr Czasch, entrepreneur and political activist; Eng.Josef Hromadko, CSc., political activist; Tomas Franke, IT expert; PhD.Jiri Polak, political scientist

The basic principles of the Citizens´ Constitution, summed up on the enclosed leaflet:

* Separation of the legislative and non-partisan executive power. Legislative power exerted by Parliament and referenda
* Right to I&R on all levels
* Direct personal election of a non-partisan President by all citizens
* Inclusion of citizen deliberation (Planning Cells/Citizen Juries) in the political system
* Possibility of recall of elected representatives at any moment if so decided by the voters
* Compilation and possible changes of the Constitution directly by the citizens through a formalized process
* Salaries and other emoluments of elected representatives to be determined each year by randomly selected Citizen Commissions

UKRAINE

4th June, information from Miss Maria Ivanova, Academy of Direct Democracy, concerning an important video: "The video will take your 10 minutes and for those concerned with the problem it's a must-see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JChPyzRBnTY

We're facing it every day but we don't try to prevent it. Think every community should make such a video and promote it to the authorities. And I think tv-channels must broadcast these videos to mobilize public opinion."

20th May, information from Mr.Bruce Eggum sent to the CICDD and other channels: "For a UN Parliament .... Between 21 April and 12 May 2007 the Campaign for the Establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) was launched at press conferences and public events in ten countries. 30 members of Parliament and various representatives of civil society have participated to present the UNPA proposal and the Campaign's appeal.
http://tinyurl.com/21o724 and http://tinyurl.com/21qy82

9th May, information from Dr.Miroslav Kolar: "A WDDM Charter has been approved recently: http://www.world-wide-democracy.net/charter.html

At present WDDM Executive elections are going on:
http://www.world-wide-democracy.net/vote

All the time, lively discussion among activists are in progress. Contributions are coming from the USA, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Greece ....

Press Release: 2nd April 2007

The Simultaneous Policy (SP) campaign, aimed at addressing global problems such as climate change, unfair trade, global poverty and unsustainability, gained further support in Parliament today with two MPs joining the campaign. Tom Brake, Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton & Wallington, and Martin Linton, Labour MP for Battersea, joined twenty-one other MPs from all the main UK political parties who have signed a pledge to implement SP alongside other governments. (See website for full list.) ........

(Note: Information concerning various types of DD activities round the world is becoming increasingly voluminous. The selection presented in this newsletter cannot avoid subjectivity.)