Since the people of these United States have become engaged in the opposition of the blatant attempted takeover by the federal government, I have heard many declare “we are a Democracy!“ This could not be farther from the truth. We are a Republic; always have been, and I pray always will be.

In my reading, I have come across a statement made by the US War Department, which I believe every American citizen should read and understand. It is as follows:

“Democracy: A government of the masses. Authority derived through mass meeting or any other form of ‘direct’ expression. Results in mobocracy [mob rule]. Attitude toward property is communistic — negating property rights. Attitude toward law is that the will of the majority shall regulate, whether it be based upon deliberation or governed passion, prejudice, and impulse, without restraint or regard to consequences. Results in demagogism [trying to stir up the people by appeals to emotion, prejudice, etc., in order to establish a new leader], license, agitation, discontent, anarchy.”

“Republic: Authority is derived through the election by the people of public officials best fitted to represent them. Attitude toward property is respect for laws and individual rights, and a sensible economic procedure. Attitude toward law is the administration of justice in accord with fixed principles and established evidences, with a strict regard to consequences. A greater number of citizens and extent of territory may be brought within its compass. Avoids the dangerous extreme of either tyranny or mobocracy. Results in statesmanship, liberty, reason, justice, contentment, and progress . . . . Our Constitutional fathers, familiar with the strength and weakness of both autocracy and democracy, with fixed principles definitely in mind, defined a representative republican form of government. They ‘made a very marked distinction between a republic and a democracy and said repeatedly and emphatically that they had founded a republic’ ” (U.S. War Department, Training Manual No. 2000-25, November 30, 1928).