Friday, January 21, 2005
Listening to the Speeches
Hey, I'm all for spreading liberty....but
Mr. Bush's speech/sermon yesterday was pretty good, measured against his usual fare. But all this talk of spreading liberty and human dignity really got me thinking. Oh, I don't doubt Mr. Bush's sincerity, but would I really buy into his speech if, for example, I was...
1) The mother or father of a slain U.S. soldier in Iraq?
2) A same-sex couple, vilified in the last election and barred from having even basic legal protections of their relationship?
3) A woman living in Saudi Arabia?
4) A Christian refugee in Darfur (that oiless enclave of Sudan)?
5) A detainee in Gitmo, or the widow or children of a dead torture victim in Iraq?
6) A citizen of Vietnam, the Philippines, Iran, Pakistan or one of the many other countries where we supported right wing dictators simply because they were anti-communist?
The principles Mr. Bush spoke of were noble and true. But its in the uniform application of these goals where we seem to get things all mixed up.
Mr. Bush's speech/sermon yesterday was pretty good, measured against his usual fare. But all this talk of spreading liberty and human dignity really got me thinking. Oh, I don't doubt Mr. Bush's sincerity, but would I really buy into his speech if, for example, I was...
1) The mother or father of a slain U.S. soldier in Iraq?
2) A same-sex couple, vilified in the last election and barred from having even basic legal protections of their relationship?
3) A woman living in Saudi Arabia?
4) A Christian refugee in Darfur (that oiless enclave of Sudan)?
5) A detainee in Gitmo, or the widow or children of a dead torture victim in Iraq?
6) A citizen of Vietnam, the Philippines, Iran, Pakistan or one of the many other countries where we supported right wing dictators simply because they were anti-communist?
The principles Mr. Bush spoke of were noble and true. But its in the uniform application of these goals where we seem to get things all mixed up.
