Enduring Freedom in the "Just" War

Sorry for the lack of postings,

I've been pouring all of my free time into creating a new experimental blog.
Hopefully, I'll get back to regular postings soon, but in the mean time let me know what you think of it.

Posted by Aaron A. at 9:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

As president Bush "hailed members of the armed services for their dedication and bravery and said American troops have helped the oppressed around the world," it was common to recall the recent service member and civilian deaths in Iraq or Afghanistan, the struggle for "normalcy" in both places, or even the MI5 Chief Eliza Manningham-Buller's speech in which she emphasized that ongoing attacks, with plots increasing, are not going to subside:

"That threat is serious, is growing and will, I believe, be with us for a
generation. It is a sustained campaign, not a series of isolated incidents."

So along with an increase in unrest we also have two wars that presumably are"helping the oppressed," but as Inayat Bunglawala for the Muslim council of Great Britain points out:

"Many in the Muslim community do believe that some of our actions overseas have
certainly exacerbated the terror threat and made it worse and
have helped extremists gain recruits in this country."

As this was happening, the US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning an Israeli attack in Gaza that killed 18 civilians, including women and children. It was our second veto for Israeli military attacks against civilians. Happy Veterans Day.

An advertisement for The Israel Project, undoubtedly Washington's most effective lobbying firm. And hey, donations are tax deductible(sarcasm intended).

Posted by Aaron A. at 2:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

After September 11th when the fear campaign was in full swing, we found ourselves looking warily overseas coining a new enemy, the "Islamic Fascists." We were left searching, not for evidence (which we still haven't seen) but for blame, and asking why do they hate us?

"Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see right here in this chamber -- a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms -- our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other."Pres. Bush

Right away, it is clear that they don't hate us for our "freedoms" or our "democracy." As Noam Chomsky and other critics point out, it is because of our "total apathy toward history," our backing of authoritarian regimes and thwarting of democracy, our blocking economic development, and our support for Israel in the ongoing, increasingly bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflict that this cycle of violence is perpetuated, leaving the world hating US.

Yet as was common at the time and is still recurring, the media reports a parade of pro-war patriotism. For example, George Will at the Washington Post wrote that "Americans are slow to anger but mighty when angry, and their proper anger now should be alloyed with pride. They are targets because of their virtues--principally democracy, and loyalty to those nations which, like Israel, are embattled salients of our virtues in a still-dangerous world."

Retired Air Force Gen. Charles G. Boyd continued on in the same issue writing "This nation symbolizes freedom, strength, tolerance, and democratic principles dedicated to both liberty and peace. To the tyrants, the despots, the closed societies, there are no alterations to the policies, no gestures we can make, no words we can say that will convince those determined to continue their hate."Amongst these and many other misguided presidential regurgitations, we are left with a feel-good about America mentality that, as Chomsky points out, is "completely at variance with everything we know."

(An Egyptian music video illustrating a popular sentiment)

Posted by Aaron A. at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

"What do I think of Western civilization? I think it would be a very good
idea."--Mahatma Gandhi

Posted by Aaron A. at 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)