Thought for the day

In 9 days Barack Obama will swear before an audience of 6 billion people, his commitment to the Constitution of the United States. In this, the US is unique, the constitution is where the Presidents loyalty lies, not the people, not their security or wealth (a distinction Bush never understood).

But, as the example of Bush, in his election and abuse of the constitution shows, the mere document itself is not our protector. Indeed, the reverence and stale nature of the piece (every 5 year old can tell you they have free speech, whilst few 50 yr olds ever use it), puts the United States, and indeed all western democracies at risk.

It is not the document, but the public spirit which motivates people to defend, debate and be involved in the civic realm which maintains a democracy and its rights. In codifying it, we have inherited the wisdom of our elders to aid us, and somehow taken this as liberty to reduce our own responsibility for involvement.

This is the great falling of democracy in the modern west. Its not apathy, its comfort and lack of respect for the most crucial role in our entire society: Citizen.