I know this person who refers to himself as a social liberal (he's also pretty good gardener in his own right) and this person loves the opportunity to inform his interlocutors that America is a Constitutional Republic and NOT a participatory Democracy. Usually, this throws his interlocutor into a fit and, for his troubles, he suffers a barrage of insults from the resident liberal moralists who don't appreciate having their senses violated by "revolting" comments.

A Constitutional Republic he informs us is

a deliberate attempt to diminish the threat of mobocracy thereby protecting dissenting individuals and minority groups from the tyranny of the majority by placing checks on the power of the majority of the population.

I don't like to get caught in the middle of an argument, but America is a Constitutional Republic and it was a deliberate attempt to place checks on the Majority. I believe our social liberal is correct. And when the RPP argues that The American People want this War to end and there is only one way to end the War, someone - somewhere - in Washington is muttering under his breathe, "So what?" You see, the RPP's (God love him, because really the only way for America to resemble a participatory Democracy is to use sloganeering and propaganda to make people believe it actually is a Participatory Democracy, but, I digress) argument is simple, yet disturbingly naive.

If a Constitutional republic was set up as a deliberate attempt to place checks on the majority of the population, then who is it we are protecting from the Majority. Ah-hah, certainly we are not protecting the majority from itself. Someone else, besides the majority must need this protection. Who could it be? The Cabal.

I have linked to the L-Curve before here at TL (check out the movie), but it is worth refreshing our memories over who owns the power in America and how much of a minority in terms of numbers they really are.  Here is a description of the curve from the link.

The US population is represented along the length of the football field, arranged in order of income.

Median US family income (the family at the 50 yard line) is ~$40,000 (a stack of $100 bills 1.6 inches high.)

--The family on the 95 yard line earns about $100,000 per year, a stack of $100 bills about 4 inches high.

--At the 99 yard line the income is about $300,000, a stack of $100 bills about a foot high.

--The curve reaches $1 million (a 40 inch high stack of $100 bills) one foot from the goal line.

--From there it keeps going up...it goes up 50 km (~30 miles) on this scale!

The L-Curve's founder David Chandler concludes from this:

There are two classes in this country.  One class derives concentrated power from its concentrated wealth.  The other class has power only in numbers.  That power is effective only to the extent that it can be mobilized through organization.

What is being protected from the Majority in our Constitutional republic is this concentration of Wealth. There are vast concentrations of Wealth and investment that is directed toward Iraq and our presence there. These investments have to be protected through funding by the Federal Government. Washington and our constituents there will continue to protect these investments for as long as concentration of wealth holds the balance of power in our Constitutional Republic.

I believe, eventually, troops will come home from Iraq in large numbers, but our presence will be felt there as long as there are large investments in Iraq that need to be protected and as long as Washington is run by the first of the two classes Chandler refers too. In other words, as long as we are a constitutional republic.

I have great respect for the system our founders set up, but this does not mean I will ignore that these founders were also holders of large concentrated wealth and they wished to protect this wealth just as anyone will do with the wealth he or she holds in his or her hands. An idealistic bunch they were for their time, but they were also practical and cautious over the potential risk in their investments.

So, when I suggest that there is a cabal that uses its concentrated power to manipulate our Constitutional Republic in their favor so this wealth remains in a minority's hands, I don't think I am suggesting anything along the same lines as alien abductions (no reference to the TL Moniker intended). Likewise when I suggest that our Public Education system is under influence of the cabal as well.

Fixing problems currently facing us such as American imperialism, infringements upon our freedoms, Global warming, the growing military expenditures and arms trades, hunger, population, Peak oil, soil depletion, fisheries depletion, etc. is not going to happen by inventing large programs to run through Washington for approval. That is a fools errand. These problems can only be addressed through radical change and radical change only happens when it is forced upon us. I am not indifferent to these problems. I merely feel it is prudent to prepare for them while basking in the glory of the moment. Today, my radishes and spinach are ready to be eaten and my soil is slowly being built up as violence continues to reign in Iraq. Tomorrow my children will be able to feed themselves and many neighbors without reliance upon the food grid, if it is forced upon them and Farmers in Iraq prepare for the same inevitability (God Help them). Democracy is inherent in ours and their minds and souls. Someday, someone will be ready to step into the void. As for today, the lilacs are blooming again.