America tries to make other nations into its image--democratic republics. We are fond of pejoratively saying, This or that is not a democratic nation, as if a democratic nation is God-inspired or God-sanctioned as the right and fair system of government.

This parochialism has been so ingrained in Americans that they do not even question it but assume a democratic government is the only fair governmental system there is. But Robert E. Ornstein, The Psychology of Consciousness, writes that assumptions limit the scope of one's investigation. That is what happens to most Americans. The media and our institutions frown on other forms of governments as being inherently unfair so the people frown as well.

During this Black History Month, this nation has an opportunity to reexamine its history and its present state to see how fair it has been and is to all its citizens. The implication is always put forth that such a democratic society signifies that there is fairness applied to all its citizens. The parochial-trained masses believe freedom and justice apply to all, but those who are willing to see things as they are recognize that this nation, which advances its form of government as a model of fairness, needs much housecleaning before it can talk about itself as a model of human rights and fairness.

Last month we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday, but he said some 40-years ago the words that another Nobel Peace Prize winner said less than 40-days ago. Nelson Mandela said the USA is the greatest purveyor of violence in this world today. These are the identical words of King. But this nation cites itself as a model government to be emulated by other nations because of its fairness.

There are millions of Americans who are not as sure as the great majority that this form of government is God-inspired and God-sanctioned as the fairest of ten-thousand. It is ironical that we hold God's name up for everything we do, whether good or bad. Our leaders pray in the White House then plan war to kill many people, even when there are other options available to them. I am often fearful of those who quickly invoke God as they kill other human beings for causes only they and God know about.

We have wrapped ourselves in the flag to do some of the most dastardly deeds, and we have wrapped God around us wrapped in that flag. But if we vaunt our democratic government as the model for the world, we first need to do much house cleaning before we tell anyone that we represent a model for emulation.

If we are so arrogant as to think our form of government as somehow God-sanctioned and all others less God-sanctioned, we need to look at the Bible again and see what God has said about governments and forms of government. There is much there to slow our boasting.

There are no democracies there, saved the Roman Empire of sorts, and God loathed that empire for its unrighteousness. There are monarchies and kingdoms that God approved of. More than that, if we are saying that democratic governments are the only type of governments that are fair and transparent, look at this government to see the fallacy of that claim.

Finally, if this nation or its people condemn other governments that are not modeled as America's government, we certainly will condemn the future form of government Christ will have. The Bible says that Christ will rule this world with a rode of iron. That is an absolute dictatorship. Will we say that His rule is unfair? I think not!

What we have in this government is a system that could be fair, but many have worked into it a system where they are more fair than others. This is Orwell's Animal Farm that we applied to the communists. The communists are not too numerous among world governments today, and that Orwellian analogy seems quite applicable to this nation.

Maybe the form of government is not that important if those who administer it are fair and demand that fairness be done to all. This present American government is ostensibly fair in its stated laws, but in reality, systems of aggression have been set up in this government that make it unfair to some 80-100 million of its own citizens. No nation of 290 million people can boast itself as a fair nation when staunch systems of unfairness are erected, maintained, and supported by institutions and police systems, while the other 200 million citizens turn their heads as if unfairness does not exist.

Black citizens of this society pause, especially during this Black History Month, as America heaves up the words to condemn others about their form of government's unfairness and their lack of human rights. When Dr. King and Nelson Mandela speak the same words 40-years apart about the same nation and people, one can see that this apple has not fallen far from its tree. []

Simond Griote