Replace the constitution :rolleyes:

[Imran Siddiqui]

Since when does a rejection of "democracy" = an "enlightened dictatorship"? And skywalker, grow up. Your behavior toward David is immature...

Um... since David himself SAID this exactly when I asked him a few months ago!

[Berzerker]

Then your just delaying the inevitable because as your merchant ships become the target of Nazi ships, you will be dragged into the war.

Then so be it.

Um... since David himself SAID this exactly when I asked him a few months ago!

Doesn't sound logical since the premise of a dictatorship is that one person (and their supporters) have the moral authority to make everyone else's decisions. Are you sure he didn't say he'd prefer an "enlightened dictatorship" that left people alone to live their lives as they see fit over a "democracy" that allowed the majority to rule the lives of the minority?

[Imran Siddiqui]

No, I asked him, point blank, if there was a dictatorship which guarenteed all these 'rights' and 'liberties' you wish for (of course excluding a right to vote) would you have any problems with it.

He said no. As long as it guarenteed the rights that he held dear (property, privacy, etc.) he said he didn't care what government it was running things.

[Berzerker]

As opposed to what? A Democracy where these rights were left up to a vote? Was there a context or did he simply state this as his ideal system?

[Imran Siddiqui]

Well we were discussing whether he really wanted democracy. He said he just wanted his rights protected. Didn't matter what type of government (because a real democracy would impose on his rights).

[David Floyd]

Um... since David himself SAID this exactly when I asked him a few months ago!

Let's clear this up right now. What I said, and what I believe, is that the type of government is irrelevant. All that concerns me is whether or not individual rights are being protected. If this is being done in a democratic state, then so be it, and if this is being done in a dictatorship, so be it.

There are valid arguments, of course, that a democracy and a dictatorship can both cease to protect individual rights at any time, as neither is, on its own, prevented from doing so.

That is why I support a very specific, very strong Constitution that is extremely difficult to change, that prevents individual rights from being infringed by the government (or anyone else).

This is the only important factor, in my opinion - I don't necessarily consider the right to vote a natural right in the same way I consider liberty a natural right. Voting is nice, but voting should also be largely irrelevant. because in a perfect system, no matter how many votes there are, the voters still cannot infringe upon individual liberty.

Boris,

I strongly agree with the first half of your post, dealing with Japanese and German designs on the US. You said it better than I did

One minor correction, Japan DID indeed have a small atomic program, but it never really made any progress and it got started pretty late in the game.

[David Floyd]

Berzerker, regarding trade with belligerants, I don't believe that the US government should have stopped trade with either Great Britain or Germany, or anyone else. Private companies should be able to trade with whomever they please. If Great Britain stops US merchants from trading with Germany, that is aggression against the US, as is Germany stopping US merchants from trading with Great Britain.

Now, I would say that trading in war material with either side is extremely inadvisable, and can easily be construed as a hostile act, so I can't say that I think we should have sold war material to Britain.

[Berzerker]

David, nevertheless, the USA would have favored Germany's opponents because they were the aggressors. I sure would have when buying products...

[David Floyd]

Sure, me too, and hopefully US businesses and corporations would have felt the same way. Some wouldn't, though, such as Henry Ford.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by David Floyd
Sure, me too, and hopefully US businesses and corporations would have felt the same way. Some wouldn't, though, such as Henry Ford.

*Cough* IBM *Cough*

[David Floyd]

Yes, IBM as well.