[Fwd: Iraq Dispatches: Inside Abu Hanifa mosque during attack]

[Neil Schneider]

Tracy R Reed said:
> On Fri, Nov 26, 2004 at 05:32:33PM -0800, Neil Schneider spake thusly:
>> > Is "freedom fighters" your wording or theirs?
>>
>> Yes. One man's freedom fighter is another man's insurgent/terrorist.
>
> So they are your words AND theirs. If the US just pulled out, would
> they
> have freedom? Did they have freedom under Saddam? Exactly what end
> could
> any freedom fighters be working for? One man's freedom fighter is
> another
> man's insurgent/terrorist, sure,  but it's all to easy to call
> yourself a
> freedom fighter or let other people happily call you that thinking you
> are
> the lessor of two evils because you share the same religion or
> ethnicity
> only to become yet another strongman who abuses the people and the
> country
> never gets any real freedom. The history of freedom fighters in the
> middle
> east is not favorable to them.

<quote>
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That
whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it
is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute
new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and
organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely
to effect their Safety and Happiness.
</quote>

That quote is from the founding document of this country, the
Declaration of Independance. Notice the wording. "organizing its
powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their
Safety and Happiness". It doesn't say democracy, republic or
theorcracy. In fact it doesn't say anything specific about the form
that government should take. It is hegemonic to assume that because we
choose a democratic republic form that everyone else should also. Even
if you believe the latest stated reason for invading, it is the height
of arrogance to presume to be able to force our form of government on
people in the Middle East.

What are we fighting for? Is it to establish a government "of, by and
for" the people of Iraq, or is it to establish a government that we
can control?

Try putting yourself in their shoes for a while. The most powerful
government in the world has invaded your country, killed your
neighbors, friends and relatives. Would you support that super power
or would you resist? I'm not talking about an intelectual excercise
here. I'm talking about a very gut-level emotional reaction. Would you
welcome the invaders or would you resist the occupation?

One man's freedom is another man's prison.

-- 
Neil Schneider                              pacneil_at_linuxgeek_dot_net
                                           http://www.paccomp.com
Key fingerprint = 67F0 E493 FCC0 0A8C 769B  8209 32D7 1DB1 8460 C47D

"All political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies."
                 -- Dr. John Arbuthnot (1667-1735)