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We don't live in a totalitarian society. We live in a society which is governed on the idea of the Rule of Law. Big difference.

by cubano 11y ago

Lawtonfogle 11y ago
totalitarian >of or relating to a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state. When the rule of law says obey or else, then it is totalitarian. You can't just point at some other government and say "But they are worse."
madaxe_again 11y ago
Soviet Russia was "governed on the idea of the Rule of Law". North Korea is "governed on the idea of the Rule of Law". Germany and Italy were "governed on the idea of the Rule of Law" in the 30's. Franco's Spain was "governed on the idea of the Rule of Law". Shall I go on?
- cubano 11y ago
  No they were not...none of the examples you gave were democratic Republics that were based on the Rule of Law, so I'm not sure what's to discuss here. Comparing the US today with Soviet Russia under Stalin or NK under Kim is so ill-informed its impossible to process.
  - madaxe_again 11y ago
    North Korea is known as "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea". All of the others listed self-identified as democratic nations in the respective periods I refer to. In the USSR, the Communist party was "elected" time and time again, in "democratic" elections. They had a "mandate from the people". To completely disregard any comparison because "they're bad and we're good" is so dogmatic and jingoistic it's impossible to process. Edit: And I see in a parallel comment you say re: the US justice system "They (the courts and prosecutors) Do What They Want" Would you really quantify that as the rule of law, or as arbitrary rule?
    - cubano 11y ago
      > Would you really quantify that as the rule of law, or as arbitrary rule? It's somewhat arbitrary within a pretty solid framework, if you want my opinion. My OP and this thread was about macro-level rule of law, my other comment was micro-level obviously. No one is talking about "bad and good" here, I'm just saying you cannot compare them as you have attempted to do, as the fundamental differences defy equivalence.
    - st3v3r 11y ago
      And to try and stretch a comparison simply because they have the word "Democratic" in their name is so ignorant of reality that it's impossible to process.

We don't live in a totalitarian society. We live in a society which is governed on the idea of the Rule of Law. Big difference.

by cubano 11y ago

We don't live in a totalitarian society. We live in a society which is governed on the idea of the Rule of Law. Big difference.

Lawtonfogle 11y ago

totalitarian >of or relating to a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state. When the rule of law says obey or else, then it is totalitarian. You can't just point at some other government and say "But they are worse."

madaxe_again 11y ago

Soviet Russia was "governed on the idea of the Rule of Law". North Korea is "governed on the idea of the Rule of Law". Germany and Italy were "governed on the idea of the Rule of Law" in the 30's. Franco's Spain was "governed on the idea of the Rule of Law". Shall I go on?

cubano 11y ago
No they were not...none of the examples you gave were democratic Republics that were based on the Rule of Law, so I'm not sure what's to discuss here. Comparing the US today with Soviet Russia under Stalin or NK under Kim is so ill-informed its impossible to process.
- madaxe_again 11y ago
  North Korea is known as "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea". All of the others listed self-identified as democratic nations in the respective periods I refer to. In the USSR, the Communist party was "elected" time and time again, in "democratic" elections. They had a "mandate from the people". To completely disregard any comparison because "they're bad and we're good" is so dogmatic and jingoistic it's impossible to process. Edit: And I see in a parallel comment you say re: the US justice system "They (the courts and prosecutors) Do What They Want" Would you really quantify that as the rule of law, or as arbitrary rule?
  - cubano 11y ago
    > Would you really quantify that as the rule of law, or as arbitrary rule? It's somewhat arbitrary within a pretty solid framework, if you want my opinion. My OP and this thread was about macro-level rule of law, my other comment was micro-level obviously. No one is talking about "bad and good" here, I'm just saying you cannot compare them as you have attempted to do, as the fundamental differences defy equivalence.
  - st3v3r 11y ago
    And to try and stretch a comparison simply because they have the word "Democratic" in their name is so ignorant of reality that it's impossible to process.