Sunday, June 12, 2005
Our Friends in the Fight for.....
Bush has often said that the fight against terror is really the fight for democracy and freedom. Today the BBC reports this little bit from Pakistan; Mukhtar Mai "a victim of a notorious gang rape is on a special list of people who are not allowed to travel abroad." We can be proud that one of our key allies in this fight to bring democracy and freedom is preventing a rape victim from leaving the country that has done little to bring to justice the men who raped her. Recently, "a court ordered that 12 men imprisoned in connection with the case must be released by Monday." The courts in Pakistan have repeatedly voided rulings that hold the men (or even some of the men) responsible for a revenge rape. And now "[i]mmigration officers in Karachi say they have received instructions to stop her if she tries to travel abroad."
Someone remind me what it is we're fighting for? I mean this morning I had to hear Brit Hume argue that the rule of law doesn't apply in the War on Terror just because it's different. Just because he says so. When called out to explain why, Brit had no response. Just like Bush and Cheney have no answer as to why we should violate the very principles our country was built upon. It's become increasingly clear that the War on Terror is debasing every noble idea that America was supposed to represent. Freedom, respect for individuals, presumption of innocence, democracy, freedom of expression, etc. Take your pick and the War on Terror is killing them. We're supporting regimes that kill protestors, we support governments that prevent rape victims from traveling abroad, we support governments that engage in torture, we run secret camps where people disappear, we suppress the freedom of expression at home and abroad, etc. The list just goes on and on. These kinds of activities are what give strength to our "enemies." Every time we torture, disappear a suspect, give support to a government that tortures or suppresses the freedom of speech, or runs fixed elections we make it harder to "win." We need to stop fighting the symptoms of terrorism. We need to start fighting the root causes: the lack of fair economic opportunity, the lack of freedom of expression, the repression of ethnic, political, and religious minorities, the use of torture against critics of the powerful, fraud and corruption, and the concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a few. These are things that make the message of terrorists appealing. George Bush likes to say these are things he and his administration are working towards. Yet the actions he pursues makes it clear that he couldn't care less about political or economic freedom and equality.
Bush has often said that the fight against terror is really the fight for democracy and freedom. Today the BBC reports this little bit from Pakistan; Mukhtar Mai "a victim of a notorious gang rape is on a special list of people who are not allowed to travel abroad." We can be proud that one of our key allies in this fight to bring democracy and freedom is preventing a rape victim from leaving the country that has done little to bring to justice the men who raped her. Recently, "a court ordered that 12 men imprisoned in connection with the case must be released by Monday." The courts in Pakistan have repeatedly voided rulings that hold the men (or even some of the men) responsible for a revenge rape. And now "[i]mmigration officers in Karachi say they have received instructions to stop her if she tries to travel abroad."
Someone remind me what it is we're fighting for? I mean this morning I had to hear Brit Hume argue that the rule of law doesn't apply in the War on Terror just because it's different. Just because he says so. When called out to explain why, Brit had no response. Just like Bush and Cheney have no answer as to why we should violate the very principles our country was built upon. It's become increasingly clear that the War on Terror is debasing every noble idea that America was supposed to represent. Freedom, respect for individuals, presumption of innocence, democracy, freedom of expression, etc. Take your pick and the War on Terror is killing them. We're supporting regimes that kill protestors, we support governments that prevent rape victims from traveling abroad, we support governments that engage in torture, we run secret camps where people disappear, we suppress the freedom of expression at home and abroad, etc. The list just goes on and on. These kinds of activities are what give strength to our "enemies." Every time we torture, disappear a suspect, give support to a government that tortures or suppresses the freedom of speech, or runs fixed elections we make it harder to "win." We need to stop fighting the symptoms of terrorism. We need to start fighting the root causes: the lack of fair economic opportunity, the lack of freedom of expression, the repression of ethnic, political, and religious minorities, the use of torture against critics of the powerful, fraud and corruption, and the concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a few. These are things that make the message of terrorists appealing. George Bush likes to say these are things he and his administration are working towards. Yet the actions he pursues makes it clear that he couldn't care less about political or economic freedom and equality.