The absurdity and mockery that Israel's "leaders" make of democracy would be laughable were it happening in a banana republic. The fact that it happens in the Jewish State, the fact that many of us are living in the midst of this mockery makes it sad beyond absurdity.

Questions: Who is Mishael (Michel) Cheshin, who elected him and what gives him the right to decide for whom I am going to vote?

Answers: No one!

As amazing as it seems, this man whom no one elected, who is accountable to no one, who is a part of a one-sided, closed-minded, illogical, undemocratic, power hungry, totalitarian judicial system, is the man who is telling me, and all Israelis, whom to vote for and how to vote.

He does this in the name of a false ideal he calls the rule of law. In truth, it is not the rule of law, as there are no popular laws produced by the people?s representatives. In fact, in Israel there are no duly elected representatives of the people, only appointed party hacks. No, it is most definitely not the rule of law he is upholding. What then is it?

It is the rule of men lusting for power. You see Israel is not really a democratic country as Americans and to a large extent - Europeans - would understand the meaning of the word. Democracy is the rule of the people. You remember, as Lincoln said, "A government of the people, for the people and by the people." In a democracy, the people elect a constituent body that, to the man, is answerable to the people. The people elect an executive branch that is - you guessed it - answerable to the people. The people even elect certain members of the judiciary, who are answerable to the people. Other members of the judiciary are appointed by the executive, reviewed and approved by the duly elected members of the people?s constituent body. This is how it works in the USA. In Israel, the president of the Supreme Court decides who is appointed to the committee who appoints the judges. He also sits on the committee and, in fact, the make-up of the committee is such that it is over-weighted by judges choosing judges.

So what did this Cheshin fellow do to me that is causing this rant? Well simply put, Mishael Cheshin is a Justice on the Supreme Court of Israel. In baseball parlance - Strike one!

He was appointed to head the Israel Central Elections Committee. Again, an appointed body not answerable to anyone in the electorate. In fact, the appointments are filled by those who have been appointed. Strike two!

He sits in judgement on parties and individuals and determines whether they can run for elected office. His criteria is based on his own preferences. Strike three!

Now this is the funniest part of the whole story. You see, I, in my own naivete, would have thought that the people themselves would decide whom to vote for or not vote for - by the simple process of casting their votes. Silly me, after spending a lifetime in the ideals of democracy (for good or ill) in America - the bastion of democracy - I made a grievous error. I and all other voters in Israel cannot be trusted to vote as we please. No sir, I might have - *gasp* - cast a vote for someone that Mishael Cheshin and his fellow travelers disapproved of. Why, I might have voted for someone who would demand that judges either be elected by the people or at least chosen by the people?s duly elected representatives, and not appointed by a farcical political machine.

So, Mishael Cheshin, Mr. Justice of the Supreme Court, aided and abetted by his lackey, the Attorney General - another political appointee who is not held accountable to anyone in government, let alone to the people - decided that Moshe Feiglin was not fit to sit for election to the Knesset. He ruled that law- breakers like Shimon Peres, Yossi Beilin, Yossi Sarid, and the Arab parties were all worthy of being in the Knesset, but Mr. Feiglin was not. I use the term law-breakers in describing these individuals, even though the enormity of their actions goes far beyond breaking the law. But break it they did, to no ill effect to themselves. At a time when it was against the law for anyone in Israel to be in contact with the PLO, these black-guards negotiated and foisted the disastrous Oslo Process on the Jewish People and the State of Israel. Not only that, but they profited and continue to do so, from these nefarious actions. They are not held accountable to anyone, certainly not the electorate, nor to Mr. Mishael Cheshin and his comrades. When the complete and full tale of their duplicity and the full magnitude of their crimes is revealed, the payment will be long and dear, but this is a topic for another time.

What was Mr. Feiglin's crime that prevents him from serving?

Funny you should ask that question. You see, when the aforementioned law-breakers were first breaking the law with Yasser Arafat and endangering Jewish lives in the State of Israel and abroad, about eight years ago, six years before the current Intifada began in earnest, Mr. Moshe Feiglin protested. At a time when the government was ferociously cracking down on any and all forms of democratic protest against the governments actions, Moshe Feiglin organized civil disobedience throughout Israel. Yes, he got people angry. Yes, he inconvenienced many people - temporarily - myself included. But he also expressed one of the legitimate forms of protest against government - civil disobedience. He organized hundreds, maybe thousands of people throughout Israel and blocked traffic at major intersections as a protest against the government?s policies. Certainly seems like civil disobedience to me.

Mahatma Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others expressed their disapproval of governmental activity through civil disobedience. These are the heros of the Left throughout the world. In Israel, the Left vilifies such actions, unless of course they are the ones doing the disobeying. In Israel, it is called sedition. In Israel, it is a tyranny of the power hungry. It is a dictatorship. Mr Cheshin has denied me my democratic right of choosing whomever I will in a free and democratic election.

Now you know. Mr. Mishael Cheshin is a dangerous demagogic member of a totalitarian elite. He is most definitely not a Justice espousing and guarding democratic ideals so dear to us all. Mr. Cheshin and his boss, Mr. Aaron Barak (the President of the Supreme Court of Israel), believe that only their way of thinking is correct. They believe it so much and so deeply that they will deny any chance at discourse, they will deny any debate, they will deny my right to choose and to show them differently. By the way, according to the so called rule of law in Israel, I can be arrested for writing this. It is against the law to insult a public figure (except on the third Tuesday of the month, or unless you are a member of the ruling elite, in which case you can insult whomever you wish whenever you wish). Isn't modern democracy wonderful?

Who is Mishael Cheshin? I don't know. I do know that I certainly didn't vote for him. Did you?
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Eric Mahr is a writer living in Nvei Yaakov, Jerusalem. He can be reached at ericmahr@netvision.net.il or through his website, The Cholent Pot.