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Article: A democracy or a republic?(LETTERS)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- September 2, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 The Washington Times LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: THE WASHINGTON TIMES
I have been pondering the proposed new Iraqi constitution ("Iraq's Sunnis at a fork in the road," Op-Ed, Aug. 30), and a key point leaves me hesitant: The difference between a republic and a democracy is not a difference of semantics. There is a profound difference between the two. Consider the following definitions from the U.S. War Department Training Manual No. 2000-25, dated Nov. 30 1928:
"Democracy: A government of the masses. Authority derived through mass meetings or any other form of direct expression. Results in mobocracy. Attitude toward property is communistic - negative property rights. Attitude toward the law is ...