Portney’s Complaint

Portneys Complaint

Portney’s Complaint

Devon Portney

And a regular moron. That’s something we already knew. Yet Bush’s continuous contradictions of both himself and democracy (which he claims he stands for) are so blatant. So why do most people fail to notice?

When his other lies regarding the need for war in Iraq failed, the Bush administration decided to play the ‘democracy card.’ Iraq was under the oppressive rule of a cruel dictator who tortured and killed at will. It was necessary to liberate these people from such oppression and deliver them from the evil of Saddam Hussein.

Why was this noble crusade not outlined in the first place? Only after the rationales based on finding weapons of mass destruction or materials to build a nuclear program were both found to be wrong did the image of “Operation Iraqi Freedom” take their place.

Iraqi freedom is an oxymoron. A country languishing in a holy civil war, especially once its secular dictator is removed, can never be free. People will continue to engage in battles over religious ideals that will never be resolved until one party compromises or surrenders its iron-clad, centuries-old beliefs.

Yeah, right.

The apparent trend is that American politicians can’t or don’t learn from history. Do they even study it? World powers (Britain, France, and Russia) have ventured before into the Middle East in hopes of gaining control and have enjoyed only brief success. While they maintained control for a short time, revolutions were being formed, and eventually the Western stronghold on the Middle East was relinquished. All of these empires fell, in the bloodiest of fashions. People will only take occupation for so long before they revolt. The Russians, French, and our settling forefathers all rose up in revolt. Why should Middle Easterners of the present not do the same?

Forcing another country to adopt a “democratic” government more to the liking of Western culture and politics is an utter contradiction of democracy. The definition of democracy is: 1. Government in which people hold the ruling power either directly or through elected representatives. 2. A country, state, etc. with such government. 3. Majority rule. 4. The principle equality of rights, opportunity and treatment… 5. The common people as the wielders of political power…

Does any of this sound like the country in which we live today? Does it sound like the manner in which we are maneuvering the new democratic government in Iraq? The U.S. disapproved of the first democratically-elected leader in Iraq and implemented “pre-approved” candidates to be “democratically elected.” Democracy, indeed.