Of, By, For and Amidst the People

George W. Bush recently spoke about freedom and liberty and the commitment of the United States to those principles.

Some recent observations by Larry Lessig about his trip to Brazil for the World Social Forum demonstrate that such commitment is brewing in other places, too, and in ways that make formal speeches by distant politicians seem cold and disingenuous:

[Lessig/different worlds]: But more striking still was just the dynamic of this democracy. ..l. Here's a Minister of the government, face to face with supporters, and opponents. He speaks, people protest, and he engages their protest. Passionately and directly, he stands at their level. There is no distance. There is no "free speech zone." Or rather, Brazil is the free speech zone.

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