Mr. Bridgeworthy, you are mistaken; The United States is a Republic, not a Democracy. Democracy is a failure; the Greeks were unable to stop even a despot, in Phillip of Macedon, due to their division and inefficiencies. They struggled in wars and conflicts, and why? The whim of the masses, the heat of the moment. That is the great fallacy of Democracy: glorified mob rule,the tyranny of the majority. Our Republic, however, is based on the Romans; nay, it was an improvement of the Roman system. Our system is formatted in such a way to ensure that a tyranny, a oligarchy, a monarchy, or a democracy would not arise. That is the purpose of the electoral college! That is why state legislature vote for Senators! That is why we have three branches of government, each built to oversee the other two.
I agree with your values of civic duty, though I support it voluntarily, whilst your seems more... legislated, and our shared devotion to popular sovereignty and delegation to the states: however, your support for mob rule will lead only to stagnation, to bureaucracy, and, eventually, tyranny.
I do find it refreshing to see someone with the same desire, the same fire, as me to protect the freedom of the press, of religion, association, and all other of the Bill of Rights, as well as your love of the equality under the law. However, this 'direct democracy' is a pleasant phrase for the tyranny of the majority, for irrationalism, and gridlock. This idea of a 'cooperative commonwealth' also smacks of something... less than republican.