From Democracy to Omniocracy

Clint Eastwood recently plunged into the murky political pond with his statement, "Extremism is so easy. You've got your position, and that's it. It doesn't take much thought. And when you go far enough to the right, you meet the same idiots coming around from the left."

Is it easy to be an extremist, and is the political scale truly circular, so that the "far right" clasps hands with the "far left"? Does the left-right continuum serve as a constructive paradigm upon which society can be structured?

Today's "extremists" are in good company: Jesus, Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Baruch Spinoza all bore this label at one time. Jan De Witt and his brother Cornelius-17th Century Dutch politicians-were hacked to death by the populace, largely due to their "radical" and "unsavory" political perspective. Their crime? They were proponents of democracy. Their body parts were displayed in storefronts all over town.

Who shall we call extreme? The vigilantes who did the lynching? The shopkeepers who showcased the body parts? Or the De Witts with their pro-democracy stance?

Do "extreme" beliefs emanate from a mechanical thought process, as Eastwood suggests, rather than an intense philosophical journey? It arguably requires reflection and hypercritical analysis to defend ones theories against the cloned, echoed and mass produced opinion of the common folk; it requires conviction to risk social ostracism and other forms of retaliation.

The "approved" or popular view is more likely to be perfunctory. Why think when one can plagiarize? Why go out on a limb when one can cling onto the tree or never climb in the first place?

Eastwood may view those on the "far right" and "far left" as moralistically shrill, as manifesting a tone level of fear and anger. Perhaps this is how the "right" and "left" overlap or come full circle in his mind. But this is a gross generalization, since the "extremes" are subjective and the political continuum fallacious.

Suppose we accept the commonly accepted paradigm of a left to right political continuum, as Eastwood offers. If we define the "left" as the group that protects the voiceless, the powerless, and the forgotten, then the natural progression would be to protect the truly voiceless ? animals and nature.

Nonhumans are excluded from our political system, without representation. They have no standing in court; yet corporations do. In fact, nonhumans are virtually omitted from the conversation in our anthropocentric and speciesist society.

A move "left" arguably means to move away from Democracy-?which is really just a rule by the elite (humans)-?to an Omniocracy (which I describe as a government of, by and for all living beings). The European Union has added nonhumans to their Constitution, as have Switzerland and Germany. New Zealand, India and Reggio Emilio, Italy have outlawed using animals in ways we normally think acceptable in the U.S. (boiling lobsters alive, keeping fish in small bowls, vivisection, etc.).

We are trailing behind other nations, but it would be difficult to sell a Constitutional amendment to our "What's the Matter With Kansas?" country at this time. It would be easier to convince certain states. You may be thinking what would stuffing a few extra words in a state Constitution really do. Well, words are a powerful tool and an important start.

Lastly, does this move to the left spit us out on right? Probably. One could argue that traditional "right" politics prompts a gap between the rich and poor, thus culminates in the rule by a few, such as corporations. To implement policies that foster the idea that nonhuman species have value "in and of themselves," a "top down" government or rule by a few (although not corporations) again seems required.

People are self-interested (as are all species) thus cannot be expected to vote against their desires. Legislators, however, are different (or should be) because they attain self-worth from helping others, being fair and inclusive, and consulting the "big picture." There will naturally be conflicts of interest between species and individuals; but government's job-in an omniocracy as in our current system-- will be to mediate and arbitrate these "disputes."

We are taught democracy is the most inclusive, just and beneficent political system in the world. It is time to re-evaluate. Successful ideas advance through three stages: first ridicule, then discussion, finally adoption. I say we begin the discussion to which Eastwood's words have provided a starting point.

The Clint Eastwood quote is posted on Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown's blog and is taken from Feb 28, 2005 issue of Time Magazine. Charlotte Laws explores this topic in greater depth on the blog.

Charlotte Laws, Ph.D. is a member of the Greater Valley Glen Council and the President of the League for Earth and Animal Protection (LEAP). Her website is http://www.CharlotteLaws.org

---

The Macedonian Lottery

Every conflict has its economic moments and dimensions. The current... Read More

Where have all the Heroes gone

America is filled with standouts and perserverance; our nation has... Read More

National Archives Needs to Embed RFID Tags in Ink

Perhaps we should have printers with ink which has metallic... Read More

Whats Right About Nebraska: How the Democrats Lost the Heart of American Populism

(Note: This article was written slightly before the 2004 election;... Read More

Road Map Wont Work Cause PA Are Liars

The US-backed Road Map peace plan had no real chance... Read More

Social Security Rant

As the Baby Boomer Generation continue to get older, one... Read More

Bringing Back Mining Jobs to the United States

With new environmental technologies and modern efficiency methods in mining... Read More

Anglo-Israelism and the Flesh

Recently a friend insisted that I read a book by... Read More

The New Goo Review is Coming Right At You

Non-lethal Goo Concepts have been tossed around by many war... Read More

Nurturing Global Disequilibrium

This brings to our consciousness, issues concerning the ever rising... Read More

Socialist Public Schools In America

Many parents might think it a bit farfetched to compare... Read More

NASA and the Crisis Aboard MIR

Some people say that we cannot put a colony on... Read More

Dismal Performance of the NSA

The NSA failed the American people and allowed the attack... Read More

Workers

We have read about the unemployment rate being high. Really... Read More

Screening Trucks and Containers Coming Into Our Country

We presently have adequate sniffer devices in this country to... Read More

Technology and International Terrorism

Airlines do not allow cell phones on board, but they... Read More

UAV Decoy Stategies, Theories and The Modern Art of War

Well having studying the need for decreasing America's dependence on... Read More

Let me throw out a random thought on Homeland Security Leadership Structure

Streamlining Homeland Security with a Free market flair? An idea... Read More

Environmentalism and Roads in Our Forests

Many environmentalists are against roads through the forest because it... Read More

The Reconstruction of Europe

The Second World War was the continuation of World War... Read More

US Social Security - Is President Bush A Robin Hood After All?

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development issued a report... Read More

Russian State Administration Gives New Facelift to Oil and Energy Resources

With the world's largest oil and natural gas reserves, second... Read More

Defending Middle Eastern Oil Refineries and Assets

An idea to defend oil infrastructure in the Middle East... Read More

Public Schools Are Un-American

Compulsory-attendance laws force parents to send their children to public... Read More

Netanyahu: Too Late For A Fight-back?

The resignation from cabinet yesterday, Sunday, by the Israeli minister... Read More

The Morality of Using Stem Cells

One third of all fertilized eggs spontaneously abort and are... Read More

Tax Attorney? You Might Need One; The City of Portland is Going After Small Businesses

The City of Portland is going after any small business,... Read More

Global/Israeli Corruption!

What depth of blind insanity has inflicted itself upon Israel's... Read More

FTC Hurts Franchising Consumers

Last Summer the Federal Trade Commission came out with a... Read More

Fair Trade and Pearls in the U.S.

Guides for RetailersThe regulations about marketing pearls are listed in... Read More

Trains and the Flow of Fuel

Fuel costs seem to rank high in surveys of US... Read More

The Halakah and Neo Cons

These leaders like the Rothschilds who backed Crowley's Hermetic Order... Read More

California Power and Commodity Markets

Excess capacity occurs in many industries, such as power, electricity,... Read More