Democracy Is Not Chaos

I saw the movie Lincoln http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/ today. I rarely go to movies, but I had heard so much about this one, I knew I needed to view it.  I have been a Lincoln fan since before I can remember.  Sometime, in the early 1980s I read Gore Vidal's Lincoln http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8716.Lincoln.  That book really impacted me.  It ensconced me as a Lincoln fan, but I already was a Lincoln fan.

There were so many emotions that the movie evoked within me today.  The sorrow of the loss of life and limb, Union and Rebel soldiers. The impact on Lincoln's family. The fear and sadness that the Union was at risk. This was so predominate:  Lincoln could not negotiate with the confederate states, because they were not a separate nation.

But, when Lincoln talked about the fact that Democracy is not Chaos, I had so many flashes of thought:  The first was the national response to the 9-11-2001 terrorist attacks on our country. We were in confusion, we had to endure some very strict and stringent changes on our otherwise accepted freedoms. But we did not crumble, we did not fail, we did not fall, we did not disintegrate as a nation.  I think our enemies did not understand that their assault would actually unite and coalesce us as a nation. Although some things were chaotic, we were not in chaos.

From 9-11, as we abbreviate the tragedy, so much has occurred, good and bad.  I do not agree with the government's presumption that it can invade my privacy in the name of national security. 

But, from 9-11, we have added respect and homage to the recognition of first responders: Firefighters, EMTs and police.  Since 9-11, we have added respect to the men and women who serve our country.  Before 9-11, we would not have publicly thanked military personnel for their efforts on behalf of our country.  Now, we do that publicly and frequently.  Individually as well as ceremonially.

Since the 1960s, because of the civil rights movement and the anti-Vietnam War movement, the police in this country were really considered as "pigs" and "the enemy." 9-11 changed that. Now our officials are seen and honored as heroes. As it should be.

Democracy is not chaos:  The assassination of John F. Kennedy is a perfect example of that. Surely, we were confused.  But the orderly succession of Lyndon B. Johnson http://americanhistory.about.com/od/lyndonbjohnson/p/plbjohnson.htm as president quelled the fears of chaos. 

Nixon's resignation could have lead to chaos. But the appointment of Gerald Ford http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/geraldford also quelled the fears of chaos.

Since then, whomever has been president has reigned supreme. Even during the Bush vs. Gore http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_v._Gore presidential election of 2000, and the  confusion afterwards about the popular vote vs. the electoral vote, there was no chaos. 

And, of course, since 9-11-2001, there has been no chaos due to financial undoing, although our country has had some financial crises. 

This is not to say that there have not been riots and chaos in our country:  of course there have been.  Riots due to problems on Wall Street, unemployment,and poverty http://libcom.org/history/1930-1939-unemployed-workers-movement.

Riots due to civil rights movements: http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/timelines/a/timelinelate60s.htm.

Riots protesting the Vietnam War: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protests_against_the_Vietnam_War 

But there has never been overwhelming governmental chaos. 

So, all of this is to say that Democracy is Not Chaos.