"Democracy can be messy "

[peacebird]

Joe Scarborough has a piece up on msnbc -
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6330851/

"Last week I connected the dots between the breathtaking democratic uprising in Kiev and the fight for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Few can remember how grim the realities were for the Afghan people — especially women — before U.S. bombs chased Taliban thugs out of town wearing women's clothes. Though it is taking much longer, I suspect the only thing the terrorists in Iraq will be wearing when they leave the country will be a shroud."
snip
"To what extent the Ukrainian revolution has been influenced by American evangelizing about the power of freedom and democracy is something we won't know for a while. But we can be sure it played some kind of role — and that's an unintended consequence of which we can all be deeply, deeply proud. And another reason to give thanks for the sacrifice of those who are fighting for freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan."

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Disturbing reference to "American evangelizing" but anyhow he ended up by asking for comments. This is what i sent him:

Actually I must beg to differ. What has transpired in Afghanistan is not "democracy on the move" - it is a return to drug lords and the Taliban leadership. Only in the capital city is there any semblence of freedom. On the "brighter" side - their economy should be booming with a 239% increase in the poppy crop over the past year!

We invaded Iraq under false pretenses, and have murdered tens of thousands of innocent people. Accute malnutrition has doubled for Iraqi children in the past year. This means that hundreds of thousands of children are today suffering the severe effects of diarrhoea and nutrient deficiencies. You are aware that in Fallujah we warned the population to flee in advance of bombing the city to dust - but we forbade males from 14 to 40 years of age to depart the city? This is not "democracy" as a "messy business", it is closer to genocide.

Had our government been serious about freeing the Iraqi population they would have planned for the occupation, they would have immediately rebuilt critical infrastructure and hired Iraqi's for the work. Instead we protected the oil ministry and the oil fields, and fired all government workers and military men. No work, no paycheck, no way to feed tha family. Not a very good plan for building a democracy. Only now are we mouthing sentiments about rebuilding, and our current plan for the "model city" in Fallujah is horrifying in it's resemblence to the Warsaw ghetto.

The military has announced the plans it is considering to use for allowing Fallujans back into their city. They will set up "processing centers" on the outskirts of the city and compile a database of peoples' identities by using DNA testing and retina scans. Residents will then receive a badge which identifies them with their home address, which they must wear at all times. (Hey - at least it's not a yellow star.) Cars will be banned since the military fears the use of them by suicide bombers. Men will be assigned to work for pay in military-style battalions.

Sounds like a police-state not democracy to me.
But then, democracy is so last-century.

[louis-t]

1. Good letter

I can just see Scarborough's eyes glazing over as he reads through your letter. That is, if it ever makes it past his screeners.