Beacon of Freedom and Democracy

Here are the characteristics of a country that claims to be a beacon of freedom and democracy to the world:

• Presidential candidate who came in second in the polling is appointed President by the Supreme Court, some of whose members were appointed by the candidate's father.
  

• Invades country without provocation in order to remove leader of that country.
  

• Unilaterally abandons strategic arms treaty obligations.
  

• Unilaterally ignores Geneva Conventions.
  

• Imprisons hundreds of persons without right of hearing or trial.
  

• Kidnaps innocent civilians and tortures them or hands them over to other countries to torture them.
  

• President is empowered to do anything he chooses to do, regardless of the law, so long as it is to protect the country.
  

• President, in his sole discretion, chooses what actions are needed to “protect the country.”
  

• Government spys secretly on its own citizens contravening laws preventing such spying.
  

• Government pays news organizations to report false news and commentary.
  

• Government claims anyone who disagrees with it is unpatriotic, perhaps traitorous.
  

• Ruling party attempts to insure re-election by excluding voters from opposition party.
  

• Ruling party attempts to insure re-election by acquiring voting machines that can be fixed by the ruling party to record extra votes for members of the ruling party.
  

• Members of the ruling party threaten members of the judiciary who disagree with them.
  

• Government ignores Constitutional provisions for separation of Church and State by funding religious organizations and religions favored by the government.
  

• Government investigates and sanctions religious organizations that object to government policies.
  

• Government surveils peace groups, like the Quakers, and maintains secret dossiers on them.

• Legislature, controlled by the ruling party, refuses to investigate alleged crimes of its members.
  

• Legislature, controlled by ruling party, refuses to investigate alleged crimes of executive branch, also controlled by ruling party.
  

• Chief executive uses his power to appoint incompetent cronies throughout government.