Do citizens of a democracy have the privilege or responsibility to keep their government in check?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, IT IS THEIR RIGHT, THEIR DUTY, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

As Jefferson said, “When the govt fears the people, you have liberty. When the people fear the government, you have tyranny.”

Who’s we, kimosabe? All you can say for sure is they do not do what you want. If that is the case, work for change.

@marina: oops. typo. dang i should have caught that. now its too late to edit it =(

Americans (especially white ones) are mostly lazy and dumb, and just do what their leaders say- Hell, even the mexicans that aren’t even citizens take to the streets and protest! when was the last time you saw white people protest? They lay down, take it in the ass with oil Baron president, false wars, lies upon lies- and of course, the spineless democrats do nothing about it. I wish I could be a republican, but my moral compass doesn’t steer that far south- We ARE responsible for our GOVT, I just don’t have a clue what to do about it- oh well, back to my golf game…

@loki I take exception to your blanket generalizations. I am white, and I am neither lazy nor dumb. I see white people protesting often.

I also don’t think your language and sexually explicit imagery is adding anything useful to the discussion.

With all due respect to my beautiful and brilliant friend Marina, I think loki has a
point. He’s angry and we all need that anger.
Our system of governance is being disassembled and replaced with a system in which the president can lock up
citizens without evidence. Citizens of any country. Ugly
language aside, isn’t this a cause for concern? What
kind of language would be appropriate???

Change, change, change.
Blah, blah, blah

loki- white people? and then you say “back to my golf game?” Why are white people supposeed to do it? I saw white people in the streets today, in fact, about Gay Marriage, before that it was about the election.

But, to answer the question (sheeeesh!) YES! We are responsible, it is our duty, but the fact is that the gov’t has gone it’s own way, and they don’t provide user-friendly ways for “the people” to tell them what we want them to do. So, we have to either change that, or not. We should change it, before we lose it.