Text 12164, 133 rader
Skriven 2014-01-26 20:09:53 av Lee Lofaso (2:203/2)
  Kommentar till text 12160 av Ward Dossche (2:292/854)
Ärende: Crosspost
=================
Hello Ward,

 LL>> So there you have it.  For the first (and only) time in history, a
 LL>> successful coup d'etat by the people.

WD>Is that so?

In the Philippines it was a peaceful coup d'etat, made possible
only because of the good nature of Philippine President Ferdinand
Marcos (who accepted US President Ronald Reagan's invitation to
an unlimited stay in Hawaii).

WD>There is:

WD> * The French revolution

Very bloody, with many losing their heads in a most literal sense.
That little republic came to an abrupt end when Napoleon Bonaparte
decided to rule by crowning himself as Emperor.

WD> * The (yes) Belgian Revolution

Violence begets more violence ...

WD> * The Carnation revolution

More violence begets more violence ...

WD> * The Iranian Revolution

One reign of terror ended as another began ...

WD> * The Long March

Chairman Mao was leading the Japanese into a trap ...

WD>More recently:

WD> * The Velvet Revolution

Hatched by the losing candidate claiming to have been poisoned
by his opponent, with no credible evidence to support that claim.

WD> * The downing of the Berlin wall

"Mr. Gorbachov, tear down this wall!" - US President Ronald Reagan

The Russian complied with his master's wishes ... even though
no part of Germany was under his own jurisdiction.

WD> * Solidarnosc and the 1989 anti-communist uprisings

Okay.  You got me on that one.  The revolution was sparked
by Chuck Mangione when he performed in Poland before a large
audience, one of his songs ("Children of Sanchez") being the
theme for Solidarity.  He didn't realize what he had done
until he was told later, given the crowd's reaction.

 WD> * ...

WD> There are thousands throughout world history...

Sure.  But how many have been peaceful?  And how many were
true revolutions?  For example, the American Revolution was
not really a revolution at all, but rather an effort to keep
the status quo.  But that not so subtle difference is way
above your head ...

 LL>> I'll shut the fuck up (for now). :)

WD>We can only hope...

What is going on today in the Ukraine seems very similar
to what went on in the Philippines in 1986.  It's actually
an old game, nothing new.

We had our own version here in Louisiana in an election for
governor.  The incumbent (Edwin Edwards) was term-limited,
but had clear intentions to run for a third term after sitting
out four years.  So he set it all up for his return by changing
the rules of play -

All candidates, regardless of political party, would run in an
open primary.  The two candidates who received the most votes,
if no candidate received a majority, would advance to a second
primary.  The winner of the second primary wins the election.

Seems fair?  Think again.

This was Governor Edwin Edwards idea.  Not anybody elses.  In
this state, what the governor wants the governor gets.  That is
the way it is, as it has always been, and is as it always will
be.  IOW, the governor of Louisiana is God.  With a capital G.

The Republican Party put up one candidate - Dave Treen.
No other Republican was allowed to run for governor.
The Democratic Party put up six major candidates, plus
a few walk-ons.  You can guess what happened in the first
primary.  The weakest candidate - Dave Treen - came in
first.  The second weakest candidate - Jimmy Fitzmorris -
was in second place.  The other candidates had fractured
the rest of the vote amongst themselves.

The only candidate Dave Treen could beat was Jimmy Fitzmorris.
But when the final tally was counted, Louis Lambert came in
second, with Fitzmorris third.  That really screwed up Edwards'
plans for a return to power.  You can guess what happened next.
Allegations of voter fraud were targeted against Louis Lambert.
Republicans accused Lambert of stealing the election, even
though there was no credible evidence to support their mad
claim.  Governor Edwards did nothing to defend the Democratic
candidate, even though Edwards himself was a Democrat.

In the last week of campaigning, Lambert got the governor's
endorsement.  Edwards really had no choice, as he had to show
the party faithful that he himself was a loyal Democrat.  But
it was not enough, Lambert losing to Treen in a squeaker.

Four years later, Edwin Edwards ran for a third term, easily
defeating Dave Treen in a landslide.

As you can see, allegations of voter fraud are often nothing
more than a bunch of lies.  Whether in Louisiana, the Philippines,
or the Ukraine, it is all the same.

Belgium has its own share of politicians.  Some of them honest,
some of them crooks.  But there is absolutely no doubt in my mind
that Louisiana has the finest politicians that money can buy.

--Lee

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