I suppose everyone has heard about all the new lingo being used by Bush in his quest to make a case for Terror and Iraq and why the United States needs to stay in place. It is interesting to see the war of words progress over the last few years. I mean to begin with we had Saadam as part of an Axis of Evil which then turned into a war on criminals, thugs, and such. It changed again to a war on Facism akin to that of WWII vintage and now is a war against Islamic Extremists.
Problem with all this double talk is that it tends to cloud the real issues. It is one thing to attack Terrorists like say Hezbollah or Hamas but another when the true aim is to attack Islam. Frankly I do not believe that those in Iraq are so evil and clueless, yet while some are attempting to play politics on the dead bodies of innocents, the truth seems to be that George Bush is on a crusade similar to that of the Middle Ages.
This isn’t really a war against Terrorists, because that would be a lot easier to contain and perhaps even win, and winning right now is not looking possible, never mind coming soon. Least not from this viewpoint. Insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq continue to spill innocent blood while George Bush wrings his hands and attempts to make political capital out of the Republican platform given how the Democrats are appearing to be in disarray. The ‘cut and run’ party seems lost without any direction as they attempt to try and gain from a President and Party that are as inept as the Keystone Cops were in the early movies.
If this is a war on terror, why is the United States still an open invitation to attack from its very own borders? I mean remember WWII when the fear of attack, of sabotage forced the Americans and Canada to inter Japanese descent citizens? If we were so quick to deal then with possible attack from within, how come the USA-Mexican border is still wide open?
This supposed war on Terror began nearly five long years ago. Bombs go off in India, Airliners stop carry on luggage in possible threat, and all the time the main enemy to the Terrorists has a wide open border? GIVE ME A BREAK !
What this is, simply put, is a war on Religion by those who think they can control the world and its thoughts. Yes, the Religious Right who clearly control George Bush and his supporters like Stephen Harper. They enslave their own people as evident by the shrinking ability of the Middle Class to secure even health care for when they get sick. Even conservative figures estimate nearly 48 million USA citizens have no health insurance, neither private nor medicade. And this is a nation that calls itself a Super Power?
Look around at the assault going on within. Wire Tapping that has no judicial review process. Illegal seizure and detention of citizens without any Miranda benefits, let alone a lawyer. We aren’t talking about a few days either, but years. Foreign nationals are held in secret prisons devoid of any legal advice and this from a nation that struts around proclaiming itself to be the Greatest Democracy Ever. Something just doesn’t ring right.
Democracy is about protecting EVERY CITIZEN’s RIGHTS, not just a select group which is the case today. Bills are being rushed into Law without even debate of the issues. Just look at the recent US Senate Bill regarding Immigration. Or how about those who simply wish to have the same marital benefits that others have but who don’t necessarily buy into the same religious double talk? The Pope even rushes around chastising those nations that attempt to do what is right, while all the time taking pedophile priests and HIDING THEM. This is GOD’s Justice?
Seems to me not much is really different than it was in the Middle Ages. You have the religious groups protesting human rights, you have faked threats that demonize the Muslim nations, and you have Good Christians heading off into battle, while leaving their country’s in the hands of crooks and thieves. Sound Familiar?
The problem is too that we don’t see how this meddling by George Bush has pushed people to extremism. Poverty, as Jean Chretien pointed out, is a great motivator and in the hands of fanatics, is a dangerous tool to use against those who have, or have a different viewpoint. Problem for the Muslim nations is that while many moderates are willing to try peace, neither the Fanatics of their own religion or those in America are willing to let them have a chance. WIth Bush proclaiming his mission to bring Democracy to nations like Jordan and Saudia Arabia or Kuwait, he is forcing moderates to take sides. And perhaps that is his plan, well, maybe those of his Masters.
I really think that the new Terrorist threat is from within, but not as the catch phrase is, Home Grown Terrorists, but the resurgence of blind hpocritical Religious Zealots who have in power, their slaves. Look at how Bush panders to them, with his flag burning amendment, his anti gay marraige amendment, and on it goes. This is the real threat to Democracy. Look at how Bush handled Katrina.
Notice that Texas didn’t suffer from lack of aid, but poor black New Orleans sure did. Makes you think that the early comments of Racism might be actually right. Here we are a year later and they may have the Super Dome ready for NFL Football, but do they have a plan yet to evacuate if another Katrina comes? NO. THey are even bull dozing houses without consent to clean up, but are those house belonging to middle class citizens or the poor minorities?
Don’t get me wrong, there are just as many religious zealots struting around in the Middle East, but I am wondering, would they have so much power over people if the so called free world had attacked the poverty these people face rather than invading Iraq under false pretenses? I mean it seems that since Bush invaded Iraq, we have a real threat of Nucleur confrontation but not with Saadam, but with religious fanatics in charge of Iran. How does that make us safer?
Is that really any less distastful than Christian Zealots being in charge of the White House?