Once upon a time, the US Army taught its new officers and enlisted troops that (1) the United States of America, under the Constitution of 1787, was a republic. A federal republic in which the federal government was the agent of, and served, the States: Congress, the Executive Branch, and of course, the Judiciary. And that (2) democracy was nothing more than one step down in the decay of a republic into a mobocracy and finally a tyranny.

Even at the time I was taught that (as an Army cadet, junior officer, and a minarchist in the 1970s), that first point was no longer true. The federal union had already deteriorated into a democracy which was growing more and more corrupt. The United States was (at least as we saw it then) already well along the path (the gutter) that was carrying the people of the States from lives of liberty and mutual understanding, respect, and restraint. Into the great excesses of democracy. And beyond.

Most of us did not understand, at that time, how corrupt the government had become. How democracy – and demagogues – had retained much of the form of the old republic but not the substance. At least for most of us, our hindsight was very near-sided indeed. FDR and LBJ were villainous men who tore away much liberty. We understood that. But we did not understand and were not taught that they were just building on the paleo-tyranny of Honest Abe, Teddy (Roosevelt), and Woody Wilson.

It was not as obvious in the 1970s and 1980s that such measures as the direct election of senators, the creation of the Federal Reserve, and similar actions had actually destroyed the true substance of a federal republic and paved the way for ever more centralization of governmental power in DC. Today we better understand that process.

Democracy is valued by most people, sadly, thinking that our votes can control and prevent the evils of mandatory human government. We quote Honest Abe’s “of the people, by the people, and for the people” as we look into the wishing well and tell ourselves we are free people. (And that is a powerful tool of tyrants and totalitarian government worshippers: the WordPress app used to type out and post this commentary wants me to capitalize the words “People” in that quote!)

Democracy considers all people to be not just equal but interchangeable and always replaceable. And always in groups – never as individuals. I wonder if even L. Neil Smith’s idea of unanimous consent can truly work in controlling a government that is so powerful,, and which is able to brainwash the entire population (to at least some degree). Reduce its impact? Yes, at least some. But enough? Perhaps for minarchists – and for a while. But not for those who see correctly that human mandatory government is rebellion against the fundamental nature of the universe, of creation, and of the Creator.

The propaganda is always very powerful – and the victors (at least those seen as victors now) write the history. We here at TPOL often quote the South Dakota State Motto” “Under God the People Rule” and its related motto “Vox Populi, Vox Dei” as examples of misunderstanding that supports the evil concept of democracy whenever anything of significance is decided. The South Dakota motto leads directly to the idea that some humans can speak for God – and exercise the power and authority of the Creator over other humans. Whatever name you give the variants of such a concept (democracy, monarchy, oligarchy, technocracy, etc.), it is evil at the root.

Democracy, including those regimes called democratic but almost always corrupted into a facade for some version of tyranny, is as much rebellion against God as people demanding a king or a mob “voting” to loot a store. When combined with more and more power – initiating or threatening force against those who resist it in any way – it is a destroyer. As 6,000+ years of human history has demonstrated time and time again.

Until we can teach our children, our neighbors, our friends, our co-religionists, and above all our enemies that democracy is democrazy and demonic, we will not do all we can to proclaim liberty.