The essential failure of Democracy

... as practiced; is that politicians and public servants no longer have to climb up on stumps and defend their public service.

APS Supt Winston Brooks ordered his publicly funded private police force to forcefully eject people from an open meeting, for holding up posters. The posters, ironically, had to do with the wrongheadedness of the denial of basic due process.

As an APS administrator, Brooks doesn't have to stand up on a stump and defend his public service. He cannot be compelled to defend his used of force to silence peaceful decent.

As an elected School Board Member, Marty Esquivel doesn't have to stand up on a stump and defend his public service. He cannot be compelled to defend his unlawful "banning letter" denying me the opportunity to exercise Constitutionally protected human rights to speak freely and to petition my government.

That there are no longer stumps where they have to defend their records, is an essential failure, not on the parts of politicians and public servants, rather, it is the failure on the part of the people, to demand honest accountability for the spending of power and resources that belong fundamentally to the people.

Corruption and incompetence are made possible only by the sanction we provide.

photo Mark Bralley