A friend recently forwarded me a YouTube video, which may be the best explanation I have ever seen of just what kind of government we have.

It runs about 10 minutes and is well worth the time. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=YGL8CiUtXF0. Watching it gives us a clear picture of the perils of today’s times as more and more radical groups seek to undermine what we stand for.

The dangerous forms of ­government are there for all to see and avoid. The argument of some is that we have outlived our Constitution. Their ­contention is that our country has changed so dramatically (since the Founding Fathers gathered around their table) that change must be the keynote to our future.

This is true up to a point; we must adapt to a much greater population and technology. But this does not mean upending the republic and allowing an oligarchy to take over. Look around and you can clearly see many attempts to do just that.

The favorite trick is to shoot the messenger rather than propose alternative thoughts. That isn’t even clever any more. As Huck Finn once put it, “Throwin’ mud ain’t arguin’, Tom.” Then, in the “anything goes” mode, some dissenters simply go over the top — leapfrogging reason and common sense. For example, one recently called the Second Amendment antiquarian, ­suggesting that repealing it would suddenly eliminate all those guns in our nation.

How naïve. Sorry, but wishing will not make it so. Passing a law does not automatically solve a problem. If it did, we would not have murders or drug problems or most of the evils of today. No, sometimes we have to defend ourselves, whether it takes bullets or ballots. Of course, if the dangers are internal, ballots are preferred.

I have recently been reading “Democracy in America” by Alexis de Tocqueville. This isn’t easy, for I find him extremely long-winded, but he does offer some revealing explanations about government. He points out the ­differences between a democracy (run by a majority) and an aristocracy (run by a ­minority). Both have flaws, which is why our Founding Fathers chose a republic.

There is a strong tendency among many in government to think of themselves as an ­aristocracy, superior to “we the people” in all aspects. They are determined to rule us, to take away the freedom that is the true essence of America. Pin any label on it you wish: ­socialism, communism, oligarchy, and it still comes down to a veering away from our ­Constitution.

These are the people we must be wary of, and they’re not all Democrats. A henhouse full of Republicans think they are politically born to the purple, as well.

Another forward worth watching is this one with Dennis Prager at the University of Denver. He, too, hits a lot of nails on the head, especially when he warns against blaming everything on Obama. That’s as asinine as blaming everything on Bush.

Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=XNUc8nuo7HI&feature=player_embedded.

It may seem that I’m trying to get YouTube to write this column but, as I said earlier, some forwards are spot on. Unfortunately, some are not. We all get daily doses of e-mails that are just plain not true.

For example, did Thomas Jefferson ever ­really say: “The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are ­willing to work and give to those who would not”? or “It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes”? An e-mail bouncing about says those are his words, but some ­knowledgeable people I know contend they are not. My take is that some Founding Father at least thought them. They were true then and just as true today.

If you study the Constitution and the history of the founding of our country, you will ­discover that the old boys of the 18th century did a pretty good job of it.

Let’s be thankful as we count down: 72 days till Election Day.

Allan Jefferys, a former New York theater critic and newsman, lives in Pinehurst. Contact him at oldjeff@nc.rr.com.