Egypt and Democracy (or lack thereof)

Merriam-Webster online dictionary provides the following definitions for democracy:
1 a : government by the people; especially : rule of the majority b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections
2 : a political unit that has a democratic government
3 capitalized : the principles and policies of the Democratic party in the United States
4 : the common people especially when constituting the source of political authority
5 : the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges

We often hear about George W's spread of democracy in Iraq, and I don't buy into it. After all, democracy doesn't work everywhere. The ideas of a democracy don't necessarily reflect the values of a society. I always look to the tribal background of the Arabian Gulf as an example of that. But take Egypt, America's greatest ally in the Arab world. Technically, it is a democracy. People vote in free elections. Yet that seems to be where the democracy ends. These final paragraphs from Sandmonkey's recent post titled Endgame really hit home, maybe because as an American I feel some of the same frustrations with my own countrymen and women.

The real reason [he hates his countrymen right now] is simple: Where does the government, the corrupt ministers, the ruthless SS officers and their soldiers come from? Aren't they egyptians? Don't they come from egyptian families and households? Aren't they born and raised here like the rest of us? Well, what does that exactly say about us? Whether we like it or not, the government is a reflection of the people. So if the government is ruthless, corrupt and dictatorial, what does that say about the people? What does it say about the parents of the police officers that order their soldiers to beat up and sexually assault women? What does it say about the families of those corrupt government officials who sign away our future and that of our children for a bunch of dirty money? What does it say about a nation that produces such a government, and accepts it, even as it plunders the country and enslaves its people? Maybe the government is right: Maybe we don't deserve democracy. Maybe we don't deserve our rights. Maybe we deserve everything that happens to us. We, as people, seem to lack the sense of self-respect and dignity that makes the human being demand his/her right, so how do we expect the government to respect us or give us those rights? We clearly don't deserve them. We clearly deserve to have our rights stolen, our friends imprisoned, and our women assaulted. Cause, otherwise, how would you explain how accepting we are of those things? Maybe we don't deserve any better. For the first time ever, I will go to sleep feeling utter hatred and disdain for my countrymen, while my heart weeps silently for my country! I hope that none of you, ever, gets to experience that feeling!

Rather than ramble on, I ask you to visit Sandmonkey's recent blog titled Endgame. It details Sunday's demonstration. If you support the voices of Egyptians seeking the freedom from political corruption, and the right to criticise their government and anything else without penalty, the right to a truly democratic constitution, please post his recent comments on your own blogs. Also check out Hossam for more details of the recent protest. There are a slew of Egyptian bloggers out there trying to make a difference in their own futures. http://baheyya.blogspot.com/ is one I'd recommend. If you have others you read, please add them to the comment, and I'll create a new post listing the website.