USA, Afghanistan, GWB's latest speech

[mrph]

"Americans are asking, ``Why do they hate us?''

They hate what they see right here in this chamber: a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms: our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other"

-GWB's speech to Congress, 20/9/2001

I don't know if he really believes it's that simple, or if he's just decided it's easier to pretend it's that simple... whichever, this kind of simplistic "we're good, they're bad, it's all envy" speech achieves nothing good.

Looks like he's treating the nastier symptoms, and steadfastly refusing to mention any cause. I imagine the less right-wing British press (and, hopefully, politicians...) will be uncomfortable with this sort of rhetoric. I know I am.

(from here)

Comments

Actually...

[mina-laury.livejournal.com]

It's possible that if your main experience of democracy is the aftermath of colonialism, you might not be entirely dewy-eyed about its manifest benefits. If you're convinced that God is the supreme authority and lawmaker, democracy can look suspiciously like the exaltation of the 'people' going hand in hand with the dethroning of God; freedom of speech and freedom of religion start sounding like 'freedom for their religion to oppress ours; freedom to blaspheme, freedom to paint our values as evil and backward'.

But I suspect that's not what George W. Bush meant.

I really do need to lend you some Karen Armstrong, y'know.