fund your own charities without our tax dollars On Jan 27, 3:16 pm, MJ <[email protected]> wrote: > Thursday, January 27, 2010How to Help Those Suffering Under Dictatorshipby > Jacob G. Hornberger > With big anti-dictator demonstrations in Egypt and Yemen in the wake of the > Tunisian revolution that ousted the U.S.-supported dictator Zine al-Abidine > Ben Ali, U.S. officials are in a tight spot. On the one hand, they clearly > want to continue supporting the dictatorial regimes in Egypt and Yemen, just > as they did in Tunisia. They call it supporting stability and order in their > war on terrorism. > On the other hand, they want the American people to continue perceiving the > U.S. Empire as a democracy-spreader. After all, don t forget that one of the > alternative rationales that the Empire used to justify its invasion of Iraq > was to spread democracy, well, after supporting Saddam Hussein (a dictator) > anddelivering to him those infamous WMDsthat were also used to justify the > invasion. > So, how should U.S. officials walk this fine line? If they continue > supporting the dictators, including through the funneling of U.S. > taxpayer-funded foreign aid into the coffers of the dictators, then if the > citizenry prevail in the revolution, as they have in Tunisia, there s a good > chance that the new regime will resent the U.S. Empire. > On the other hand, if U.S. officials support an anti-dictator revolution, if > the revolution fails the dictator won t forget how the Empire abandoned him > in his hour of need. > Oh, the trials and tribulations of the U.S. Empire. It s almost enough to > make you feel sorry for it. > I ve got an idea. How about dismantling the Empire and having U.S. officials > totally butt out of the internal affairs of other nations? That would mean > the closure of all foreign U.S. bases (some 700-1000 in more than 100 > countries), the termination of all foreign aid to every country, and the end > of U.S. governmental interference with the internal politics of other nations. > What about foreign dictators? Leave them alone. That s a matter for the > people of those countries to deal with. Some will choose revolution, as in > Tunisia. Others will choose to wait them out, as the Eastern European > countries did during the Cold War. That s their call, not the call of the > U.S. government. > What about human rights in foreign countries? The U.S. government should lead > the world by example, not impose its will on others, especially through force > of arms. That means the closure of Guantanamo Bay and the end of torture, > abuse, indefinite detention, kangaroo tribunals, denial of due process, > assassination, executions, kidnapping, the war on terrorism, and the war on > drugs. > At the same time, the U.S. government should lift all restrictions on the > American people to travel and trade with people abroad. A good place to start > would be the complete lifting of the cruel and inhumane embargo on the Cuban > people, which also constitutes a grave assault on the economic liberty of the > American people. Foreigners love Americans. They hate U.S. government > officials. Rein in the government and free up the American people. What > better way to spread diplomacy and ideas on democracy and liberty than that? > Is that all that can be done to help people suffering under dictatorship? No. > Our American ancestors came up with another way: Open immigration. They let > the word go forth to the people of the world: If you are suffering tyranny, > oppression, or starvation, our government will not come to save you, > especially with bombs, troops, or money. But if you have the desire and > ability to escape your plight, know that there will always be at least one > nation that will not repatriate you after you arrive: The United States of > America. Isn t that a much better and more moral way to help people than > through death and destruction? > Today, the world is crying out for leadership in the area of freedom. Who > better to lead the world out of its statist morass than the American people, > whose heritage is based on individual liberty, free markets, civil liberties, > and a constitutional republic? As people who yearn for freedom around the > world begin to stir, let s hope that the American people do > too.http://www.fff.org/blog/jghblog2011-01-27.asp
-- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
