This
glossary contains specialist words in alphabetical order whose meanings are
important in the planned constitutional Amendment and the discussions
surrounding it.
|
|
This link is to a glossary of
The Constitutional Dictionary at The United States Constitution Online.
It contains words, phrases, and concepts used in the United States
Constitution:
 |
|
Absolute Majority
| NOUN: |
Absolute majority is a
supermajoritarian
voting requirement which is stricter
than a
simple majority. It means that more than
half of all the members of a group,
including those absent and those present but
not voting, must
vote in favor of a proposition in order
for that proposition to be passed.
Absolute
majority voting is most
often used to pass changes
to constitutions or to
bylaws in order to
ensure that there is
affirmative support for a
proposal. Most voting
decisions require a
simple majority or even
just a
plurality.
|
(Wikipedia: The
Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Apolitical
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Article V Convention
Article V's second method states
"the Congress, on the application of the
legislatures of two thirds of the
several states, shall call a convention
for proposing amendments..."
This is an "Article V Convention", which
can be used synonymously with the
"second method".
However, it is inaccurate and misleading to use
the term "Constitutional Convention" as
an alternate to "Article V Convention".
The
language in
Article V of the Constitution limits a
Convention of the States to "proposing amendments...as
part of
this Constitution..." Therefore,
the only power of an Article V
Convention is to propose constitutional amendments.
Note that three-fourths of the States
must still ratify any proposed amendment.
In contrast, the
Philadelphia Convention in 1787, which
many
call a the "Philadelphia Convention" or
the "Constitutional Convention",
rewrote the entire Constitution [while
functioning
under the auspices of
the
Articles of Confederation].
However,
the current U.S. Constitution nowhere
mentions "Constitutional" Convention
and it permits Amendments but is silent
on rewrites.
A serious problem arises when
opponents of an "Article V Convention"
give it the name "Constitutional Convention",
thereby wrongly imputing the Philadelphia Convention's scope
and trying to associate fear of a
runaway convention to an Article V Convention.
Fortunately, the
Plan provides a
second assurance
by calling for a
Limited
Article V Convention, removing doubt that it might become a
Philadelphia style Constitutional
Convention or otherwise permit an
increase in the scope of the Convention.
This semantic distinction
is important. This Plan uses "Article V
Convention" not "Constitutional
Convention", except when quoting other
sources.
(Friends
of the Article V Convention) |
|
Assembly
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.)
|
Athenian Meaning of Assembly |
| NOUN: |
The ecclesia or ekklesia (Greek eκκλησία) was
the principal assembly of the democracy of ancient Athens
during its Golden Age (480–404 BCE). It was the popular
assembly, opened to all male citizens over the age of 18 by
Solon in 594 BC meaning that all classes of citizens in
Athens were able to participate, even the thetes.…In
the 5th century BC their numbers amounted to about 43,000
people. However, only those wealthy enough to spend much of
their time away from home would have been able to
participate until Pericles' reforms in early 451-2 BCE
allowing payment for jurors. The assembly was responsible
for declaring war, military strategy, and electing strategoi
and other officials. |
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia) |
|
Asymptote
|
NOUN: |
Asymptote: a straight line that is the
limiting value of a curve; can be considered as tangent at
infinity; "the asymptote of the curve" |
|
ADJECTIVE: |
Asymptotic:
relating to or of the nature of an asymptote; "an asymptotic
function" |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Bicameral
|
ADJECTIVE: |
1: composed of two legislative bodies [ant: unicameral]
2: consisting of two chambers; "the bicameral heart of a
fish" [syn: two-chambered] |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Bipartisan
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Borda Preferendum or Count
The
Borda count
is a
voting system used for
elections. Each voter is given a
preferential ballot where they rank
order the candidates. The Borda count can be
used as a system for finding a rank-order
for every candidate, allowing it to be used
as both a simple single-winner election
method by selecting the highest ranked
candidate and as a multiple-winner method by
selecting a larger number of top-ranked
candidates.
|
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Boule (Pronounced "bool"
in this plan's American English, "boo-lee" or "boo-ley" in Europe and
elsewhere)
boule · Lit. “ council.”
The democratic
council of 500 men, appointed annually
by lot from among citizens aged at least
thirty, and with severe restrictions on
repeated membership.
Its
chief function was
to prepare the agenda [i.e., qualify
initiatives] for meetings [i.e., vote] of the
ekklesia
[i.e., electorate], and to undertake
certain routine administrative duties, in
particular that of co-coordinating the
activities of numerous boards of minor
officials; but it had also certain
independent judicial powers, mainly but not
only in cases of limited importance: in some
cases of
eisangelia, the
boule could decide whether to refer the
trial to the
ekklesia or to a
dikasterion.
|
(stoa.org
A Glossary of Athenian Legal Terms)
An Athenian
Boule
was a randomly-selected 500-citizen council
[i.e., grand jury or citizens' assembly].
Ho boulomenos [i.e., any citizens
who wish] could exert their right to propose
probouleumata
[i.e., initiatives]. The Boule decided which issues were important enough to be
on the agenda [i.e., qualify] and determined by majority vote of the
ecclesia
[i.e., the entire electorate]. Citizen initiators
could be called to account for their actions [i.e.,
abuse].
This is origin of the
Athenian initiatives system, which they considered the incorruptible
cornerstone of their democracy. Archeologists did not discover critical Greek texts
describing this until
100 years after the Founding Fathers
wrote the Constitution.
|
(Special)
In the cities of
ancient Greece, the " boule"
was a council of citizens (called
bouletai) appointed to run daily affairs
of the city. Originally a council of nobles
advising a king, boules evolved
according to the constitution of the city;
in
oligarchies boule positions might
be hereditary, while in
democracies members were typically
chosen by lot, and served for one year.
Little is known about the workings of many
boulai, except in the case of
Athens, for which extensive material has
survived.
|
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.)
…the
Athenian Boule was elected by lot
every year…The
most important task of the Athenian Boule
was to draft the deliberations (probouleumata)
[i.e., initiatives] for discussion and
approval in the Ecclesia [i.e.,
Electorate].…
|
(Encyclopedia
Britannica.)
The main task of the boule was to
manage the agenda of the assembly
[by which the Greeks meant the ecclesia
or assembly of
the entire Electorate], elect
certain officials, and question candidates
to determine whether they were fit for
office. They may have had some power to
imprison Athenians before trial. The
boule was involved in public finances.
They may also have been responsible for
inspecting the cavalry and horses. They also
met foreign officials.
|
(About.com
Ancient History)
|
|
Comity
|
NOUN: |
1.
An association of nations (or other forces) for their mutual
benefit; comity of nations
2.
(law) The informal and voluntary recognition by a court of
the laws and decisions of another |
(The
Wiktionary on-line
dictionary) |
|
Complex
|
NOUN: |
A
complex is a whole that comprehends a number of parts,
especially one with interconnected or mutually related
parts. |
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
CUSDI
|
ACRONYM: |
Citizens for United States Direct
Initiatives, a nonprofit corporation in Washington State,
whose purpose is to promote enabling Initiatives by means of a
planned U.S.
Constitutional Amendment. |
(Special) |
|
Deliberate
|
VERB: |
To weigh in the mind; to consider the
reasons for and against; to consider maturely; to reflect
upon; to ponder; as, to deliberate a question. |
|
ADJECTIVE: |
Weighing facts and arguments with a
view to a choice or decision; carefully considering the
probable consequences of a step; circumspect; slow in
determining; -- applied to persons; as, a deliberate judge
or counselor. "These deliberate fools." --Shak. |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Deliberative
|
ADJECTIVE: |
Pertaining to deliberation; proceeding
or acting by deliberation, or by discussion and examination;
deliberating; as, a deliberative body. |
(The DICT
Development Group)
|
|
Deliberative Blog™*
A deliberative
blog is an Internet or Intranet blog
comprising randomly selected members who
agree to abide by a generally-accepted
set of blogging rules, procedures and
behavior. The bloggers discover and
exchange relevant information and
discuss an issue or issues posed by the
organizers and moderator of the blog. It
can provide a mechanism to generate
public input to a Boule.
(Special) |
|
Deputy
| NOUN: |
Pl.
deputies
One appointed as the substitute of another, and
empowered to act for him, in his name or his behalf; a
substitute in office; a lieutenant; a representative; a
delegate; a vicegerent; as, the deputy of a prince, of a
sheriff, of a township, etc. |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Direct Democracy
Direct democracy
comprises a form of
democracy and
theory of
civics wherein all
citizens can directly participate in
the
political decision-making process.
Some proposed systems would give people
both
judicial and
legislative powers, but most extant
systems allow input into the legislative
process only....
Another distinctive
example comes from the
United States, where, despite being
a
federal republic where no direct
democracy exists at the federal level,
over half the
states (and many localities) provide
for citizen-sponsored ballot initiatives
(also called "ballot measures" or
"ballot questions") and the vast
majority of the states have either
initiatives and/or referendums. (See
Direct democracy in the United States
below.)
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Double Majority
A double majority is the
name given to a vote which requires a
majority of votes according to two separate
criteria. The mechanism
is usually
used to require strong
support for any measure considered to be of great
importance.
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.)
|
|
E-democracy
E-democracy, a
neologism and
contraction of
electronic
democracy, is the utilization of electronic
communications
technologies, such as the
Internet, in enhancing democratic
processes within a democratic
republic or
representative democracy. It is a political
development still in its infancy, as well as the subject
of much debate and activity within government,
civic-oriented groups and societies around the world.
The term is both descriptive and
prescriptive. Typically, the kinds of enhancements
sought by proponents of e-democracy are framed in terms
of making processes more
accessible; making
citizen
participation in
public policy
decision-making more expansive and direct so as to
enable broader influence in policy outcomes (i.e., more
heads involved could yield smarter policies); increasing
transparency and accountability; and so on. E-democracy
includes within its scope
electronic voting, but has a much wider span than
this single aspect of the democratic process.
E-democracy is also sometimes referred to
as cyberdemocracy, digital democracy or
techno-democracy. Prior to
1994, when the term e-democracy was coined in the
midst of online civic efforts in
Minnesota, the term teledemocracy was
prevalent.
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Effective Efficiency
Efficiency is generally a desirable objective. However,
efficiency directed to an unworthy objective is useless—sweeping the
sand on the seashore in a more efficient manner is worthless. The
missing qualification is that the efficiency must be directed
effectively to a worthwhile objective. In combination, the desirable
result of doing the right things well for the right objective can be
achieved.
(Special) |
|
Electorate
|
NOUN: |
Collectively, the
people of a country, state, etc, who are
entitled to
vote. The votes have been
counted and the "electorate" has spoken.
|
(The Wiktionary on-line dictionary) |
|
Emulate
|
VERB: |
To copy or imitate, especially a person |
(The Wiktionary on-line dictionary) |
|
Federal
The word federal in a general sense refers
to the nature of an agreement between or among two or more
states,
nations, or other groups to merge into a union in which control of
common affairs is held by a central authority created by and with the
consent of the members. Each member of a
federation or
confederation thus formed retains jurisdiction over its own
internal affairs. The word federal also characterizes the
group formed by such an agreement. It may also refer to the form
of any government following the principle of
federalism.
The word is used in a peculiar manner by some citizens of
the
European Union who use the term in their desire to enact certain
laws over the national parliaments, (a "federal EU" would have such
powers) even though certain other laws (the
acquis communautaire) are readily enacted over such parliaments
already.
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Federal Function
A “Federal function” occurs when the U.S. Constitution is the source of
authority to perform the function. A person performing the Federal
function need not be a federal officer. A person acting in a Federal
function owes allegiance to the U.S. Constitution over all other laws.
Some examples are:
-
Voters in federal elections are not federal officers,
but they perform a Federal function.
-
Presidential Electors exercise a Federal function in
balloting for President and Vice-President. They act by authority of
the state, which in turn receives its authority from the U.S.
Constitution.
-
Persons ratifying a proposed amendment to the federal
Constitution perform a Federal function.
-
Though there has been no Supreme Court ruling on this issue, it
appears that persons proposing an Amendment at an Article V
Convention will perform a Federal function.
(Special) |
|
Filibuster
(The
Wiktionary on-line dictionary) |
|
Freedom of
the Press
|
Freedom of the press (or press freedom) is
the guarantee by a
government of
free public speech for its
citizens and
their associations, extended to members of
news gathering
organizations, and their published reporting. It also
extends to news gathering, and processes involved in
obtaining information for public distribution.
With respect to governmental information, a
government distinguishes which materials are public or
protected from disclosure to the public based on
classification of information as sensitive, classified or
secret and being otherwise protected from disclosure due to
relevance of the information to protecting the
national interest. Many governments are also subject to
sunshine laws or
freedom of information legislation that are used to
define the ambit of national interest. In the U.S. this
right is granted by the 1st amendment to the constitution. |
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
Gag Order
| NOUN: |
A gag order is an order,
sometimes a legal order by a court or government, other
times a private order by an employer or other institution,
restricting information or comment from being made public.
Gag orders are often used against participants involved in a
lawsuit or criminal trial. They are also a tool to prevent
media from publishing unwanted information on a particular
topic. This has caused a lot of controversy, as it is said
this is a breach of the bill of rights, as this restricts
speech, and this is not free speech. |
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Gateway
| NOUN: |
A passage through a fence or
wall; a gate; also, a frame, arch, etc., in which a gate in
hung, or a structure at an entrance or gate designed for
ornament or defense. |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Gerrymander,
Gerrymandering
INTRANSITIVE
VERB: |
To divide a geographic area
into voting districts in such a way as to give an unfair
advantage to one party in an election. |
|
NOUN: |
1. The act of
gerrymandering.
2. A voting district skewed by gerrymandering |
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Initiative
In
political science, the initiative (also known as popular or
citizen's initiative) provides a means by which a
petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can
force a public vote on a proposed
statute,
constitutional amendment,
charter amendment or
ordinance. It is a form of
direct democracy.
The
initiative may take the form of either the direct or indirect
initiative. Under the direct initiative, a measure is put directly to a
vote after being submitted by a petition. Under the indirect initiative,
a measure is first referred to the
legislature, and then only put to a popular vote if not enacted by
the legislature. In
United States usage, a popular vote on a specific measure is
referred to as a
referendum only when originating with the
legislature. Such a vote is known, when originating in the
initiative process, as an "initiative," "ballot measure" or
"proposition."
The
initiative is only available in a certain minority of jurisdictions. It
has long been widely used in
Switzerland, both at federal and cantonal level.
Also, see
Referendum.
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Intractable
|
ADJECTIVE: |
Not tractable; not easily
governed, managed, or directed; indisposed to be taught,
disciplined, or tamed; violent; stubborn; obstinate;
refractory; as, an intractable child. |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Laches
Laches is an
equitable
defense, or doctrine, in an action at
law. The person invoking laches is asserting that an opposing party
has "slept on its rights", and that, as a result of this delay, that
other party is no longer entitled to its original claim. Put another
way, failure to assert one’s rights in a timely manner can result in
claims being barred by laches.
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Lobbying
|
Lobbying is the practice of private advocacy
with the goal of influencing a governing body, in order to
ensure that an individual's or organization's point of view
is represented in the
government. A lobbyist is a person who is paid to
influence legislation as well as
public opinion. A more tactful description might be said
to be someone who is engaged in
public affairs.
Most major
corporations and political
interest groups hire professional lobbyists to promote
their interests as intermediaries; others maintain in-house
government or public relations departments.
Think tanks aim to lobby through regular releases of
detailed reports and supporting
research to the
media for dissemination .
A separate form of lobbying, called "outside"
lobbying or
grassroots lobbying, seeks to affect the legislature or
other bodies indirectly, through changing public opinion (or
purporting to — fake grassroots campaigns are known as
astroturfing). A modification of the same, aimed to
leaders and influential persons in the community, is known
as grasstops.
Lobbying is in many countries a regulated
activity, with limits placed on how it is conducted, in an
attempt to prevent
political corruption. In the United States for example,
lobbyists must be registered unless they represent an
elected official, or an organization of elected
officials, such as the
National Governors Association. |
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Microtargeting —See also
Narrowcasting
The
process of aggregating micro-groups of voters according to information
about them that is stored in databases and on the Internet and targeting
them with tailor-made messages. This is similar to the
narrowcasting technology used in commercial
marketing. [It has the political benefit that the message is not seen by
the general electorate to whom the message might be less appealing.]
(Special and
Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Moderator
| NOUN: |
1.
someone who presides over a forum or debate
2. someone who mediates disputes and attempts
to avoid violence |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Narrowcasting—See also
Microtargeting
Narrowcasting involves aiming media messages at specific
segments of the public defined by values, preferences, or demographic
attributes. Also called
niche marketing or
target marketing.
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
National
| ADJECTIVE: |
Of or pertaining to a
nation; common to a whole people or race; public; general;
as, a national government, language, dress, custom,
calamity, etc. |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Nationwide
| ADJECTIVE: |
occurring or extending
throughout a country or nation; "the event aroused
nationwide interest"; "a countrywide fund-raising campaign"
|
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Oligarchy
|
NOUN: |
A
form of government in which the supreme power is placed in
the hands of a few persons; also, those who form the ruling
few. |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Petition
|
NOUN: |
A petition is a request to an authority, most
commonly a government official or public entity. In the
colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some
official and signed by numerous individuals. A petition may
be oral rather than written, and in this era may be
transmitted via the Internet. The term also has a specific
meaning in the legal profession as a request, directed to a
court or administrative tribunal, seeking some sort of
relief such as a
court order.
The Petition Clause of the
First Amendment to the
U.S. Constitution guarantees the right of the people "to
petition the Government for a redress of grievances." The
right to petition has been held to include the right to file
lawsuits against the government.
Petitions are commonly used in the U.S. to
qualify candidates for public office to appear on a ballot;
while anyone can be a
write-in candidate, a candidate desiring that his or her
name appear on printed
ballots and other official election materials must
gather a certain number of valid signatures from registered
voters. In jurisdictions whose laws allow for ballot
initiatives, the gathering of a sufficient number of
voter signatures qualifies a proposed initiative to be
placed on the ballot. |
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Plebiscite see
Referendum
|
|
Plenary
|
ADJECTIVE: |
Full; entire; complete; absolute; as, a plenary license;
plenary authority. |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Plutocracy
|
NOUN: |
A
form of government in which the supreme power is lodged in
the hands of the wealthy classes; government by the rich;
also, a controlling or influential class of rich men. |
(The DICT
Development Group)
|
Also: |
Surrogate
Plutocracy
A
form of government in which the supreme power is lodged in
the hands of wealthy special interests that arrange the
continual reelection of representatives who govern as their
surrogates. |
(Special) |
|
Political Action Committee
(PAC)
|
NOUN: |
In
the
United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is
the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of
size, organized to elect or defeat government officials in
order to promote legislation, often supporting the group's
special interests |
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Popular
|
ADJECTIVE: |
1. Of or pertaining to the common people, or
to the whole body of the people, as distinguished from a
select portion; as, the popular voice; popular
elections.
2. Suitable to common people; easy to be
comprehended; not abstruse; familiar; plain.
3. Adapted to the means of the common
people; possessed or obtainable by the many; hence,
cheap; common; ordinary; inferior; as, popular prices;
popular amusements.
4. Beloved or approved by the people;
pleasing to people in general, or to many people; as, a
popular preacher; a popular law; a popular
administration.
|
(The Wiktionary on-line dictionary) |
|
Private Communication (PC)
A private communication that has not been released for
public dissemination by one of the parties.
(Special) |
|
Public-Interest Group
|
PHRASE |
Public-Interests groups can be viewed as a
subset or relation of special
interest groups—and of course, there is some overlap.
Public-Interests groups have the
common attribute of concern about improving the common
well-being and conditions of the people, whereas
special-interests serve the well-being of small groups of
citizens and foreign interests, and often have little
concern for the general well-being of the people. There are
many types of public-interests groups, for example:
-
Activities and hobbies
-
Consumer interests and protection
-
Dissemination of truthful facts and information
-
Emergency
help groups
-
Environmentalists and ecologists
-
Good government advocacy
-
Public health
-
Non-partisan voting assistance
-
Protection of constitutional and civil rights
-
Research
-
Self-help and support groups
-
Watchdog groups
Public interest groups
wield power through the pertinence of their issues, the
amount of their funding, the competence of their staff, the
passion of their members, and the size of their membership. |
|
(Special) |
|
Quorum
|
NOUN: |
Such a number of the officers or members of any body as is
competent by law or constitution to transact business; as, a
quorum of the House of Representatives; a constitutional
quorum was not present. |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Referendum
| NOUN: |
U.S. Definition: In
United States usage, a popular vote on a
specific measure is referred to as a
referendum only when originating
with the
legislature. (Wikipedia on-line encyclopedia)
General Definition: A referendum (plural:
referendums or referenda) or
plebiscite is a direct
vote in which an entire
electorate is asked to either accept or
reject a particular proposal. This may be
the adoption of a new
constitution, a
constitutional amendment, a
law, the
recall of an elected official or simply
a specific government policy. Certain kinds
of referendums held in some states of the
United States are referred to as ballot
measures or propositions. The referendum or
plebiscite is a form of
direct democracy.
The terms referendum
and plebiscite are often used
interchangeably but the term plebiscite
is usually preferred in circumstance in
which a decision is being made on
fundamental issues of sovereignty, such as
in determining national borders or adopting
a new constitution. Plebiscite is
also often the term used to describe a
direct vote held by a dictator or an
undemocratic regime, in circumstances in
which a free and fair vote is impossible.
Also, see
Initiative.
|
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Robert’s Rules of Order
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Self-Interest
| NOUN: |
1: taking advantage of opportunities without
regard for the consequences for others
2: attempting to get personal recognition for
yourself (especially by unacceptable means) |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Sergeant at Arms
|
NOUN: |
An
officer (as of a legislature or court) who maintains order
and executes commands.
|
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Sequester
| VERB: |
To
separate from all external influence.
The
jury was sequestered from the
press by the judge's order.
|
(The Wiktionary on-line dictionary) |
|
SI
|
ACRONYM |
Special Interest. Note that
a large number of special interest groups (SIGs) exist for
technical and other purposes that have no political
activities, and are not included here as an SI. |
(Special) |
|
Sortition
|
NOUN: |
Sortition is the method of
random selection, particularly in
relation to the selection of
decision makers also known as
allotment.
Today, sortition is fairly
commonly used in small
groups (e.g., picking a school class
monitor), but only rarely in relation to
public decision making positions, where
methods based on
election are much more common. The only
widespread example of public decision making
positions filled in this way are court
juries.
However, there are
historical examples (for example classical
Athens and
Venice) where sortition was used to
select the holders of key political and
administrative offices, sometimes combined
with an element of qualification or
election. Moreover, some contemporary
thinkers advocate greater use of the method
in today’s
political systems.
|
(The Wiktionary on-line dictionary) |
|
Special Interest Group
|
Abbr. and alt: Interest
group, special interests, wealthy interest group, WIG |
|
PHRASE |
Wealthy special interests groups have the
common attribute of sufficient wealth to spend
enough funds and wield enough power to influence
significantly election campaign results and to influence elected
officials, staffers and bureaucrats to act in their favor. There are
many types, for example:
-
business associations, corporate trade groups,
marketing associations
-
domestic corporations, domestic limited
partnerships
-
foreign private corporations, foreign
government-owned corporations
-
foreign and domestic criminal organizations
-
guilds, labor unions, professional associations
-
multi-national corporations
-
political actions committees (PACs), political
parties
-
private organizations, informally-collaborative
wealthy persons, individual super-rich families
-
social issue associations, common interest
organizations, nonprofit corporations
-
sovereign foreign nations, covert foreign
government organizations
-
temporary special-project coalitions
They may act directly, through lobbyists,
through known surrogates or secret surrogates.
They may range from acting in the
public
interest to being purely self-seeking and sometimes contrary
to vital national interests. |
|
(Special) |
|
Spin Doctor
| NOUN: |
A public relations person
who tries to forestall negative publicity by publicizing a
favorable interpretation of the words or actions of a
company or political party or famous person; "his title is
Director of Communications but he is just a spin doctor" |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Spinoff or Spin-off
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Sting
| NOUN: |
A police operation in which
the police pretend to be criminals in order
to catch a criminal.
|
(The Wiktionary on-line dictionary) |
|
Supermajority
A supermajority or a
qualified majority is a requirement for
a proposal to gain a specified level or
type of support which exceeds a
simple majority in order to have
effect. For example: in some
jurisdictions,
parliamentary procedure requires
that any action that may alter the
rights of the
minority has a supermajority
requirement (such as a two-thirds
majority). Changes to
constitutions, especially those with
entrenched clauses, commonly require
supermajority support in a
legislature....The
United States Constitution requires
a supermajority of two-thirds of both
houses of
Congress to propose a
Congress-driven constitutional
amendment...
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
Symptom
| NOUN: Symptom |
A sign or token; that which
indicates the existence of something else; as, corruption in
elections is a symptom of the decay of public virtue. |
|
ADJECTIVE:
Symptomatic |
characteristic or indicative
of e.g. a disease; "a diagnostic sign of yellow fever";
"diagnostic information"; "a rash symptomatic of scarlet
fever"; "symptomatic of insanity"; "a rise in crime
symptomatic of social breakdown" |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Synergy
| NOUN: |
An effect of the interaction
of the actions of two agents such that the result of the
combined action is greater than expected as a simple
additive combination of the two agents acting separately; --
also called synergism. |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Subpoena
A writ issued
by court authority to compel the attendance of a witness at a judicial
proceeding; disobedience may be punishable as a contempt of court
(The DICT
Development Group) |
Totalitarianism
|
NOUN: |
The principle of complete and unrestricted power in
government. |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
|
Transcript
| NOUN: |
1.
That which has been transcribed; a writing or composition
consisting of the same words as the original; a written
copy.
2.
A copy of any
kind; an imitation. |
(The DICT
Development Group—1913 Webster) |
|
Tyranny
| NOUN: |
The government or authority
of a tyrant; a country governed by an absolute ruler; hence,
arbitrary or despotic exercise of power; exercise of power
over subjects and others with a rigor not authorized by law
or justice, or not requisite for the purposes of government. |
(The DICT
Development Group—1913 Webster) |
|
Tyranny by the
Majority
Traditionally, a foundation of American political
philosophy has been that the majority should be limited in their power
and control of government in order to protect individual and minority
rights. Since democracy is founded on majority rule, democracy itself
becomes a potential threat of tyranny by the majority. In earlier times,
a fear of
tyranny by the majority was common in many nations—a
poor majority would surely violate the fundamental rights of wealthy
minorities and seize their property.
|
|
Tyranny by a
Minority
Historically, political theory has warned that a tyrant
should not be permitted to gain
power or control of government in order to protect the majority from
exploitation. Since the dawn of history, chiefs, lords, kings and
emperors have wielded absolute power over their subjects, often holding
them in abject misery. In more recent times, even elected governments
have occasionally gained so much power and control that they became
oligarchies or
plutocracies imposing tyranny by a minority
and causing huge suffering by the majority.
|
|
USCIA
|
ACRONYM |
United States Citizens'
Initiatives Assembly |
(Special) |
|
Weasel Word
|
NOUN: |
A weasel word is a
word that is intended to, or has the
effect of, softening the force of a
potentially controversial statement,
or avoids forming a clear position
on a particular issue. Weasel words
can be readily identified in a large
amount of corporate correspondence,
and are frequently used by
politicians. A weasel word can
be compared with, but is distinct
from, a
euphemism.
Weasel words are
almost always
intended to
deceive or draw
attention from
something the
speaker doesn't want
emphasized, rather
than being the
inadvertent result
of the speaker's or
writer's poor but
honest attempt at
description.
|
|
(Wikipedia:
The Free Encyclopedia.) |
|
(The Wiktionary on-line dictionary) |
Wikinitia™*
or Wikinitiative™*
"A wiki is
software that allows users to create, edit, and link web pages easily.
Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power
community websites. They are being installed by businesses to provide
affordable and effective Intranets and for Knowledge Management."
Wikipedia
Wikinitia or Wikinitiative refer to Wikis that focus on Citizens'
Initiatives.
(Special) |
Winnow
|
TRANSITIVE VERB: |
1. To separate, and drive off, the chaff
from by means of wind; to fan; as, to winnow grain.
2. To sift, as for the purpose of separating
falsehood from truth; to separate, as bad from good. |
(The DICT
Development Group) |
