Saturday, January 21, 2006

It's the double-standard stupid!

In the Cheney-Bush lexicon, individuals who blow themselves up and kill innocent civilians are "cowards" while those who use drones or airplanes to drop their deadly cargo are "heroes."

When American lives are lost, a "crime" has been committed. When Iraqi lives are lost, it's collateral damage, in what is clearly an UNprovoked war.

The problem with that double standard is that it leads to ever-growing resentment and hatred not only in the Arab/Muslim world but, all across the globe.

It was reported a few days ago that a drone dropped missiles on a Pakistani village where allegedly members of al Qaeda were hidding. While there may have been some in the house at the time of the attack, there was also heavy "collateral damage" that led to anti-U.S. demonstrations all across the nation.

Given that Pakistan is a nuclear power and Musharaf is hanging in there by a thread, one would think that our "fearless leaders" would not engage in such reckless behavior.

Since there are roughly a billion and a half Muslim around the globe, I would suggest that Bushites have a very long way to go to kill 'em all...given that most of them sympathize with Osama.

Reason: It's our double standards stupid! as Mr. Carville would say.

By the way, how would we like it if a foreign power established military bases in the U.S.?

I, for one, would be outraged.

And how would we like it if you were kicked out of your home to make room for immigrants who decide to relocate in your city?

I, for one, would be outraged.

And how would we like it if foreigners came to the U.S. and told us how to live our lives since their way would be "in our best interests?"

I, for one, would be outraged.

And how would you like it if a foreign power used us as proxies to achieve their objectives? (Reagan-Poppy used Saddam and the Afghanistan mujahedeen for just that purpose)

I, for one, would be outraged.

And how would we like it if a foreign power dumped tens of thousands of bombs and missiles on our heads in the dark of night and occupied our nation because their leaders disliked ours and decided to effect "regime change"?

I, for one, would be outraged.

You see, resentment and hatred do not grow in a vacuum. From time to time we should look in the mirror and realize that, if the roles were reversed, we too would feel resentment and hatred.

Only then will we adopt a course of action that will eventually lead to peaceful coexistence as we "win the hearts and minds" of Arabs/Muslims and the rest of the world for that matter.

Meantime, back at the ranch...as long as Cheney, Bush and their cohorts continue threatening those who do not cave to their demands, nothing will change.

While these individuals seem convinced that Arabs/Muslims"respect force," they are sadly mistaken since their reaction is precisely the opposite.

Therefore, the never-ending struggle they proclaimed as "the war of all wars" will continue unabated until Bushites are OUT and, hopefully, replaced by intelligent, insightful Americans who, sadly, have been sidelined.