Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site fisher.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!astrovax!fisher!david From: david@fisher.UUCP (David Rubin) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Don't restrict MY access to handguns just because Message-ID: <464@fisher.UUCP> Date: Fri, 4-Jan-85 09:14:20 EST Article-I.D.: fisher.464 Posted: Fri Jan 4 09:14:20 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 5-Jan-85 03:19:21 EST References:<1305@dciem.UUCP> <6788@brl-tgr.ARPA> <2130@nsc.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: Princeton Univ. Statistics Lines: 25 We still seem to be confused by what "democracy" and "republic" mean. Democracy means, simply, rule of the people. Any society which conducts polling in order to fill its offices, make its laws, etc., is a democracy. Some may be direct (i.e. having the people vote policy issues up or down) or indirect (i.e. representative, with elected officials determining policy). The ballot box is the distinguishing characteristic of democracy. A republic is any government which is ruled by law, rather than the whim of any group of people, except when that whim is unopposed by law. A judicial system is the hallmark of a republic. Most modern democracies are actually representative democratic republics, where policy decisions are made by elected officials restricted by a code of law. Ancient Athens (if we conveniently ignore its slaves) was a direct democratic republic. Ancient Israel was an undemocratic republic, where policy was made without requiring popular support, but demanding respect for law. The rise to power of the Nazis in Weimar Germany produced (for a short period) an unrepublican democracy (representative), where elected officials made policy without regard for law. Finally, there are many states which are neither democratic nor republican. David Rubin