[atypicaluser]

> I think the author, like many today who try to disparage democracy...

Democracy as has been used over the past decade or so (as in, such-and-such is a threat to our democracy) does a fine enough job disparaging itself.

> ... gets too caught up in the founders as scripture and old word usages.

And yet you also write—

> Democracy is superior... because of its moral and rational foundation, that all are created equal, all have universal, inalienable rights...

—which is based on scripture straight out of the founders.

Thing is, many of the founders (and the most important among them) were familiar not just with (then) present-day monarchy, taxation and war, but with ancient Athens, ancient Rome and enlightenment thinkers like John Locke. They had examples of both good and bad democracies to draw lessons from, and they realized early-on that without some binding agreement to rein in the worst tendencies of democracy, the nation wouldn't regularly self-evaluate, correct itself and prevent an implosion by majority rule.

We needn't look back as far as Jim Crow or American Prohibition or McCarthyism to see where 'majorities' can lead us. If you want, think California and its democratic super-majorities over the past decade. Or, if progressive, think of Florida and its anti-lgbt laws. You sure you want majority rule?

> The solution is human rights, as implemented in the Bill of Rights.

Which, again, is scripture out of the founders.

But let's say this solution didn't come out of the founders: who decides what human rights are? The majority? University professors? The self-selected intelligentsia? The current governors of California and Florida?

And who decides how these rights are enforced?

[mmooss]

> which is based on scripture straight out of the founders.

No, it's based on the arguments that I presented today - the arguments are good today. That the founders also said it doesn't make it less true.

> If you want, think California and its democratic super-majorities over the past decade.

What is wrong with California? You may not agree with policies, but it's not undemocratic oppression and cruelty like the right-wing examples you list.