The American satirist, Henry Louis Mencken once wrote that “democracy is only a dream” and that it should be put in the same category as “Santa Claus.”
Of course Mr. Mencken was one of those people "who had been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age." He did not believe except what he could actually see. But nevertheless, Mr. Mencken may have inadvertently stumbled onto something with his comparison of the “dream of democracy” and “Santa Claus.”
As an admirer of Martin Luther King Jr., I believe in dreams. They are very real.
And American writer, Francis Church, assured us all that Santa Claus really does exist too. In his famous 1897 newspaper editorial, Mr. Church wrote that Santa “exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus?”
The answer to Mr. Church’s question could very well be that “It would be as dreary as if there were no democracy - much like Vejjajiva and his ilk have turned Thailand into.”
No Santa Claus! No dream of democracy! Thank God! They both live, and they’ll live forever. A thousand years from now, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, they both will remain in the hearts of the people.
Vejjajiva has proven that he can shoot Thailand’s citizens, but Thailand’s citizens have proven that this dream of democracy for Thailand is bulletproof. Vejjajiva has also proven that he can repress Thailand’s citizens, unfairly lock them away, deprive them of free speech and justice, but Thailand’s citizens have proven that this dream of democracy can’t be locked up and can’t be silenced.
By the way, Santa Claus KNOWS WHO has been naughty or nice and he has something for Vejjajiva and the rest of the murderers involved in the 2010 Bangkok massacre.
HO HO HO
MERRY CHRISTMAS VEJJAJIVA
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