The democratic process was described as “horizontal” by Tom Friedman this morning in the NY Times OP.ED section.  Horizontal describes a level playing field according to my interpretation of his remarks.  This was on a day  Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, was dissected, analyzed and proclaimed the true successor of two thousand years of chosen top officials of the Roman Catholic Church.  This was never done on a horizontal playing field. Pope (Simon) Peter was appointed, not elected, by Jesus. The Cardinals who do the choosing were themselves chosen or appointed to their positions.  The ordinary Catholic layman was never involved but has always had a pious interest in who the next PAPA would be.

The “election” of the new POPE may be contrasted with the elections recently held here in America and in the lands now overseen by the United States military forces, its political appointees and with some help, when allowed, by the UN. In most of the world, the ordinary voter, you, I and those somewhere near 18 to 21 and of sound mind are ALLOWED to vote under certain conditions and restrictions.  It used to be that ordinary Black people in the US would have to prove they could not only read but correctly interpret a difficult passage presented to them as they tried to register and get the right to vote.  In some places today a purple thumb proved that you voted despite all the fuss over registration and rejection of those who had criminal records or had NOT registered “properly” or on time. At this time I will omit “buying” an election by the super rich

Actually, most elections are vertical.  By this I mean they are from the top down, not from the bottom up.  In top down elections we are given the choice made by the actual rulers of our country.  We could call this process the “by permission democracy”. This clearly means that our rulers, those already in power and who “rigged” the elections and or their bosses, the oligarchy or plutocratic power brokers did so before or after most of the votes were in. You and I may properly be called “consumers” of a lot of propaganda (not news) and a market or a pool of potential payers for the programs that will be shoved through Congress and approved by a court (appointed) much like it is done in all parts of the world and including the recent “election” of a POPE.

I am a bit frustrated and disappointed that our vaunted FREE PRESS is so frightened by the ferocity coming out of Tom Delay and Dr. Frist that it accepts the “news” as given us by this Administration without too much added commentary.

Our elections are not horizontal.  They are from the Top Down.  Bottom up elections are usually of the revolutionary kind. They usually shake things up.