Oakland Post

The Hypocrisy of “American Democracy”

This is the hypocrisy of “American democracy”: America the settler-colonial power that wrote oppression and enslavement into its founding documents; America, lecturer to the world about respecting elections and the peaceful transfer of power only when it suits its “interests.”

Published

4 years ago

April 15, 2021

Mia Lane

“In a democracy, force should never seek to overrule the will of the people or attempt to erase the outcome of a credible election.” President Joe Biden – Feb 1, 2021

In response to the military coup in Myanmar, President Biden said, “For almost a decade, the people of Burma have been steadily working to establish elections, civilian governance, and the peaceful transfer of power. That progress should be respected.”

Why, in 2021 is an American president still using the imperialist reference of Burma when discussing Myanmar? If Biden is so supportive of democracy in Myanmar, why is the move towards democracy in Venezuela, Haiti, Bolivia, and recently in Ukraine being undermined?

It is admirable rhetoric that rings empty and hollow.

In Haiti, thousands are protesting in the streets in response to the U.S.-backed dictator President Jovenel Moïse governing beyond his term limit. He is trying to rewrite the Haitian constitution to grant himself greater power and immunity for any actions that he takes in office. Moïse’s draft of the constitution was released to the people only in French. The vast majority of Haitians read Creole, not French. Why would the US support such undemocratic actions?

On March 31, Ms. Julie Chung, Assistant to U.S. Secretary of State for Hemispheric Affairs, tweeted, “The United States…is helping the Haitian people prepare for elections by providing technical support …strengthening political parties and NGOs, and increasing women’s participation in Haitian politics.”

History tells us that this “help” only benefits the elite and the interests of the U.S.

The Biden administration continues to foment American foreign policy that backs murderous and repressive dictators. It falsely claims to be the bastion of democracy or Reagan’s fictional “shining city on a hill.”

The U.S. occupied Haiti from 1915-34. It backed the notorious dictators Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier and his son Jean Claude “Baby Doc” from 1957 -1986. In 2004, the US overthrew and kidnapped the democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Why is the US backing Moïse? For over 100 years, the US has backed rigged elections and coups in Haiti. President Biden and members of his administration continue to try and claim the moral high ground and position the US as the international arbiter of democracy and human rights.

Biden’s administration, like those before his, is trying to bludgeon friend and foe alike into submission with enhanced sanction regimes and military intervention.

Contrary to Biden’s claims, true democracy; the organic development of policies and parties, one person one vote, national sovereignty, and the peaceful transfer of power are not values that are encouraged and protected by the US.

The world sees it as empty rhetoric.

As the United States claims to campaign for the protection of human rights around the world by calling out China’s alleged repression of Uighurs and Russia’s alleged and unproven targeting of political dissidents, among other abuses; former President Mandela’s statement that the US is “the greatest threat to world peace” could never be closer to the truth. World leaders recognize that President Biden’s lofty rhetoric is no more than the hypocrisy of “American democracy”.

Mia Lane

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Activism

Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

2 days ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.