They don't hate our freedom. They hate our hypocrisy.
There are an estimated 14,000 detainees throughout the Bush prison system, world wide. Let's take one example:
Baghdad shopkeeper Amjad Qassim al-Aliyawi was released uncharged last month from an unnamed Bush prison (presumably Abu Ghraib). He had been held for nearly two years. Without charge. Without trial. Without explanation.
Bush keeps telling us that "they hate our freedom." What freedom? The freedom to imprison and torture at will and without recourse and for as long as we like??? That's not a "freedom" that can be found anywhere in American jurisprudence. It most certainly is starkly at odds with the inalienable rights which underpin American notions of "freedom" and "justice." Our ancestors rebelled against British rule for far, far less egregious injustices!
In responding to a question about General Colin Powell's questioning the moral basis of his pathological obsession with torture, President Bush tried to sweep the issue aside by retorting:
BUSH: If there's any comparison between the compassion and decency of the American people and the terrorist tactics of extremists, it's flawed logic
Really?
So the actions of the UnaBomber, Jeffrey Dahmer or Timothy McVeigh were compassionate and decent enough to warrant their being granted fundamental, inalienable rights that those terrible Islamofacists need to be denied? Even those innocent Muslims who eventually get released without charge, explanation or apology?
Can there be any doubt that President Bush is the kind of demagogue that H.L. Mencken was thinking of when he said, "the demagogue is one who preaches doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots"?
But then again... this is the same George W. Bush who smirkingly mocked Karla Faye Tucker's plea for clemency. So perhaps he's not a demagogue. Maybe he's just lacking any personal moral compass. How else do we reconcile the mocking of the condemned with this fixation with torturing the innocent and guilty alike?
While you are pondering that, take a minute to peruse this fascinating post: The Pentagon on why they hate us. It seems that Rumsfeld's civilian ideological minders let some honesty slip through.
5 Comments:
good post
So holding 14,000 prisoners justifies their hate?
The thing is they have been hating us since long before we took those prisoners. (They would also hate us even if we were to let the prisoners go.).
Most of the people who hate us (Al Qeda specifically), come from countries which already have secret prisons, death squads, honor killings, religious police, executions, maiming as punishment, laws against congregating with more than 2 other people at a time, etc.
Why does the addition of the US to the list make them angry?
(The perceived failure of US justice may make us angry, but to them it is barely a blip on the radar. Now if you were to draw a cartoon and label it Mohammed, or mistreat a Koran (which their own government does all of the time), then they will become angry).
In 2004 Mohammed Bouyeri, murdered Theo Van Gogh. He specifically targeted him, it happened near where a friend of mine lives.
Theo VG used his freedom to make a film Mohammed didn't like. The police did not find any detainees in Theo's basement.
Mohammed left a note pinned to Theo (actually it was impaled into his chest), it threatening the life of several Dutch politicians.
Also I must ask, how many detainees are been held in the Vatican? They don't seem to like the pope either, so I guess there must be a bunch underneath Rome.
Canada recently broke up a group, one of its members wanted to "cut off the head of the prime minister". Canada has consistently opposed US policy in Iraq and probably does not have any detainees either.
The film which Theo made was called "Submission"
anonymous said: "The thing is they have been hating us since long before we took those prisoners."
anomymous said: "Why does the addition of the US to the list make them angry?"
After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, support for the US was extremely high in nearly every country on earth, including those Middle Eastern countries that "hate our freedoms".
That support dwindled steadily as the US geared up, invaded Iraq, and created a murderous disaster of violence, brutal oppression, and abundant war crimes.
Hatred of the United States is directly and materially tied to US aggression, invasion and occupation of other countries, and ongoing support for dictatorships.
People in the Middle East are not happy about living in countries "which already have secret prisons, death squads, honor killings, religious police, executions" and so on. They're extremely pissed off that the US has positioned itself as a protector of freedom and democracy but a) supports many of those oppressive dictatorships on a strategic basis, and b) engages in many of the activities associated with oppressive dictatorships.
The Pentagon report on why they hate us makes this abundantly clear, and last time I checked, the Pentagon isn't run by left-wing moonbats.
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