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Zel

@benisch.bsky.social

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Zel

@benisch.bsky.social

Pot roast #Goodlunch

May 8, 2025 at 8:51 PM

Zel

@benisch.bsky.social

This comment in particular really exposes how fragile our democracy is when you realize that bad actors can simply destroy everything if they're willing to disregard the rules

Simply put, this is why democratic norms and traditions are so important. The reason this wouldn't happen is because the folks in government (and the voters) are committed to acting in good faith. Congress wouldn't let the President run wild because they are committed to doing their job in government. The Supreme Court wouldn't rubber stamp everything the President does specifically because they value democracy. And voters wouldn't roll over and let it happen without protest because they are committed to democracy more than their party.

Essentially, this is the difference between a legitimate, stable democracy and one that...isn't that. If you took the US constitution and government structure and just copy and pasted it into Somalia, for example, maybe a lot of this would happen because the commitment to democratic rule isn't there. This is why folks in government have become so alarmist about things like rhetoric or Mitch McConnell's blatant back-and-forth hypocrisy regarding the Supreme Court.

Democracy depends on folks TRYING to make it work. If folks stop trying to make it work, it cannot survive. That may sound like a bad thing, and I guess it is, but every government system is the same problem. Monarchy is great if your king is an immortal Aragorn Elessar...but eventually Aragorn dies and is replaced by Caligula or Nero or Charles II or some one else. Democracy, for all its flaws and weaknesses, certainly is less subject to purposefully bad actors than monarchy because there have to be so many more bad actors all working together.

This is why political scientists sometimes do that weird thing where they get all teary eyed when talking about something incredibly dull like voting rules or constitutional clauses. Civic duty is essential for any government system. There isn't one that can completely prevent bad actors dedicated enough to overthrowing the system from overthrowing the system. At the end of the day, for any government to work, it requires the folk…

February 5, 2025 at 6:52 AM

Zel

@benisch.bsky.social

January 3, 2025 at 3:49 AM

Zel

@benisch.bsky.social

Made pasta sauce from scratch! While it is a little thin, for my first time I think it turned out great! It honestly tastes amazing, the cherry tomatoes I used really gave it a unique flavor
#goodlunch #gooddinner #pastasauce