[Politics] Hamas, Israel, the US and a clown
The clown is Bush, of course (and is used just for effect).
I don't get it, well I do, but it still doesn't seem right. We pressure Palestine to have elections, they do, the people elect freely (according the UN inspectors) the gov't they want. This gov't is not what Israel wants, because the party elected into power wants the destruction of Israel. The US cries foul (because they elected a group we didn't want, terrorists as Bush says) and now will not recognize them.
WTF people. We called for free elections, they elected the gov't they want, cope. Yes Hamas has in its charter the destruction of Israel, but they have shown a willingness to come to the table and be a responsible gov't, its too early to condemn them.
In our global crusade on the 'War on Terror' we (and by we I really mean the Bush Administration) has called for the spread of freedom and democracy (which is a good thing, but needs to be done properly). Democracy is starting to spread, we can't immediately turn around and then condemn people when they hold elections and elect a gov't or leader we don't like, it is sending a conflicting and bad message. If the UN inspectors deem the election fair, then it should stand, we must re-learn how to work with other countries.
Condemning free elections (which in recent cases have been more open and cleaner than America's last two Presidential elections) is as bad as supporting vicious dictators (speaking of which I still can't get over that Saddam Hussein's defense lawyer is a former Secretary of State).
1 comment:
Politicians haven't the faintest interest in representative democracy spreading through the world (or in this country, frankly). Our actions of the last hundred years or so have indicated that we want syncophants and yes men, basically benevolent dictators with a thin veneer of democracy, to do whatever Wall Street and the CIA want them to do. We've put down more real democracy than we have created. Look at how our country's leaders react to Hugo Chavez.
Whenever you hear politicians calling for democracy in places that have not historically had democracy, calling for elections for their own sake, because it is the right thing to do: THEY ARE LYING. They want yes men. They want to fix the election and get whatever Agency Tool is currently en vogue to take charge.
Having truly representative democracy is a lot like the compelling argument against being able to read minds: "No, you really don't want to know what people really think."
However, one of my coworkers is Lebanese, and has indicated that a lot of folks in that part of the world actually are moderate and want moderate people in charge, if it were not for the gangs of militants that might just shoot them if they find out you voted for the moderates instead of the hardliners.
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