Coups are dumb
Julie Beth is half of Friday Chick Blogging. You can read more of her at It's an Outrage.
Allow me to repeat: Coups are dumb.
Let's examine the logic here. Or rather, not here, but in Thailand. Some People (not Everyone, not even close to Everyone) think their democratically-elected leader is bogus, a fraud, a bad man, a lying, cheating son of a bitch. It certainly sounds like he might be. I'll give that to Some People, if they'll grant me that George W. Bush is a lying, cheating ... well, you get it.
So Some People say, "This isn't democracy. This isn't the way it's supposed to work. We want democracy!"
Some People happen to have access to very large guns and tanks and plenty of yellow ribbon.
And in rabid pursuit of democracy, they use their weapons and pretty bows to surround the houses of government in the middle of the night while the Bad Man is out of town. Then, these self-proclaimed democracy lovers instantly rip up the constitution and warn the press that they will be arrested for saying or printing anything that interferes with Some People's ability to assemble a new, democratic government. Which might take a year or so. But in the meantime, no more than five people are allowed to assemble for political purposes, because that's what democracies call "a redress of grievances" and Some People can't have that. After all, they just redressed the grievances of Everyone for them.
How nice of Some People to take the initiative. Isn't it great how that works out for you, Some People?
Coups are dumb.
Allow me to repeat: Coups are dumb.
Let's examine the logic here. Or rather, not here, but in Thailand. Some People (not Everyone, not even close to Everyone) think their democratically-elected leader is bogus, a fraud, a bad man, a lying, cheating son of a bitch. It certainly sounds like he might be. I'll give that to Some People, if they'll grant me that George W. Bush is a lying, cheating ... well, you get it.
So Some People say, "This isn't democracy. This isn't the way it's supposed to work. We want democracy!"
Some People happen to have access to very large guns and tanks and plenty of yellow ribbon.
And in rabid pursuit of democracy, they use their weapons and pretty bows to surround the houses of government in the middle of the night while the Bad Man is out of town. Then, these self-proclaimed democracy lovers instantly rip up the constitution and warn the press that they will be arrested for saying or printing anything that interferes with Some People's ability to assemble a new, democratic government. Which might take a year or so. But in the meantime, no more than five people are allowed to assemble for political purposes, because that's what democracies call "a redress of grievances" and Some People can't have that. After all, they just redressed the grievances of Everyone for them.
How nice of Some People to take the initiative. Isn't it great how that works out for you, Some People?
Coups are dumb.
Well, I could use various words to describe coups. I could call them counterproductive, brutal, ugly, calluous, even criminal. But "dumb" is not the word that comes to mind. In what way they're dumb?
An action may be called dumb if it doesn't serves the interests of the perpetrators. But in the case of a coup their interests are being served. They get access to power and to the keys of the treasury. Not a bad deal. Granted, the interests of the people at large are not being served. But they're not the ones who perpetrated the coup. So, what exactly is "dumb" here?