Last night I spoke to two friends, in both conversations we talked about the crazy cold weather and multitudes of snowstorms in the Northeast so far this year. Both of them made the comment that ‘they should really call it Climate Change rather than Global Warming. By calling it Global Warming when you mean Climate Change you are probably not being precise enough. Since words influence the way we think about things – it’s really important to be precise and not to miss out important details – even when they seem obvious.

It struck me that western societies place a lot of emphasis on the importance of democracy. In the west it’s clear that democracy – the ability of the people to choose their leaders and to have a say in how their country is ruled – is something that all countries need and deserve. But democracy alone is not a value. In recent years we have seen Gaza’s citizens vote in a terrorist government, the Hamas, while Lebanon has chosen the Hezbollah to make up part of it’s government.

Democracy makes sense only when utilized by peace-loving people who want their own welfare. Democratically elected terrorists are still terrorists.

Now Egypt looks like it is headed on the same path. Assuming President Mubarak is removed, (this week?) we may well see new elections where the Muslim Brotherhood takes a major role.

So, to be precise, I am in favor of democracy by a peace-loving non-terrorist society that is educated enough to choose good leaders.
Perhaps easier said than done….