George Bush Thinks Poverty, Death and Abuse are Blessings of Freedom

Sorted under Iraq war on March 4, 2008

child bride Many people in the United States believe that the war we are currently fighting is for just cause. Many people are also under the false assumption that because of this war, we have given the people of Iraq and Afghanistan the freedom of democracy; that we have bettered their lives. The reason that so many people in the United States believe this is because the citizens of this country are being told that we have a reason to be at war and that we are bettering the lives of millions–And every word that comes from the mouth of our president is a lie.

Of course there are also many people who know all of this and are aware that our troops are dying in vain for nothing more than a pissing contest.

When falling into the topic of the current war when speaking with people, because it does happen quite a bit especially when I am asked “So what do you do?” and I can’t help but mention this website and what it’s about, the first thing that people grab onto it “Oh well we have helped so many people over there and you just don’t understand. They needed help over there and we are helping them redefine their government and they have a democracy now!” But these are the same people who believe each and every word our president says, which should be good enough. We should be able to believe what our commander in chief is telling us and believe that they are doing what is in our best interests as well as in the best interests of other countries that we invade. However, that is simply not the case, especially when George Bush has done nothing but lie to us, especially about how the women in Afghanistan are now living their lives.

George Bush and his administration have made Afghanistan one of the most dangerous places in the world to be female.

On March 12, 2004, during the White House Celebration of International Women’s Day, George Bush said:

“In the last two-and-a-half years, we have seen remarkable and hopeful development in world history. Just think about it: More than 50 million men, women and children have been liberated from two of the most brutal tyrannies on earth—50 million people are free. All these people are now learning the blessings of freedom.”

Now, I have no idea what his term “blessings of freedom” means, but how Afghani women and children are now being forced to live is about the furthest thing from freedom that I can imagine.

The picture in this post is perhaps the most heartbreaking pictures I have seen in quite some time. It is a picture taken by US photographer, Stephanie Sinclair and has won the UNICEF prize. It is of a 40 year old man with his new, 11 year old Afghani wife. This picture captures what young girls in Afghanistan are being put through.

Women in Afghanistan are now able to participate in these “blessings of freedom”:

What George Bush has said in the past years regarding the quality of life of the people we have “helped” has been a lie and what he will say in the coming year as well as after his presidency regarding the war will also be a lie. We have not helped these people, we have not given them freedom or democracy; what we have given them, however, is fear for their lives and fear for their children’s lives. Not to mention, while making these places the worst that they have ever been, we have been outright lied to several times by our president and that is something that more people need to acknowledge and refuse to stand for. The people of America who truly believe that we are fighting this war for a reason are sadly mistaken and the troops that we have lost in the past six years fighting a bullshit war has been for nothing and those lives have been lost in vain.

Thanks, President Bush.



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  • The situation of women in Afghanistan or in other middle eastern countries has actually nothing to do with Islam. The religion is used just as a curtain or as a tool to cover all their primitiveness.

    Actually true Islam brings freedom and modernity both to the society and to women. Unfortunately this is still a world of men who don't want to see that truth.
  • What about the current crisis in US economics? Isn't it the obvious result of the war US has had in Iraq and Afghanistan for years? Increasing the the prices of oil is not a solution apparently.
  • Thank you so much for raising awareness with us through THE BLOG CARNIVAL AGAINST CHILD ABUSE.

    marj aka thriver's last blog post..A Spring Blog Carnival
  • this war is a pissing contest. the first thing he did when he sat in that chair was say "OK! My daddy thought they're gonna plan something so I'm gonna go kill them and if we lost men then whoopdedoo!" he's an ass. and whatever is happening over there (i stopped paying attention) is, in my opinion, his fault.
  • It is deplorable that many here have bought the big lie, that the war we are fighting is bringing anything but harm to all involved. It makes me sick to imagine what those girls and women face throughout their lives.

    Thank you for your informative and provocative post.
  • Matt
    The only economic and political system that promotes good will towards all regardless of race, sex, religion etc. is a free market system run by a Republic. Unfortunately, our country has gone astray from what the writers of the Constitution intended... which was a republic - not a democracy. An economic system that has competition which allows buyers and sellers to exchange goods at a price that is mutually beneficial.

    Getting rid of a dictator is a step in the right direction, even though I think that it was none of America's business. Change does not occur over night. Most of these problems are the result of tyranny and a culture that let them take hold. Freedom did not cause these problems nor did America. Did America help them? I doubt it.
  • Great post. Well said. The sheeple will never get it. "Our country is great so therefore it must do great things and anybody who thinks differently is a traitor" is pretty much how they think.
  • Tgeo888
    If you think things have gotten worse since the U.S. invasion, you seriously need an adjustment of your current world view.

    Back when the Taliban was the ruling government, you would be publicly beaten by the Taliban's "religious police" for things like wearing too "revealing" clothes (which included things like the chador). Some women didn't even go to primary school because of the policy of not allowing co-ed schools. Also, women were not allowed to work (besides the medical field to examine other females).

    Another thing you should consider is the fact that the average life expectancy in Afghanistan is a little over 40 years old. Compared to our life spans, they only live half as long. It may seem wrong to us, but to them, they are doing it to ensure their family line. Also, in countries in the middle east, sexual attraction is not a factor when choosing a partner. It all depends on your financial, religious, and family background (you get married to be taken care of financially and not be subjected to horrible things like working in the heroin fields or becoming a prostitute).

    By the way, unless I missed something, I'm not seeing how our toppling of the Taliban government has caused any of the things you mentioned in the bullets to happen =/.

    Having said that, I do believe that 11 years old is entirely too young to be married, but different countries have different traditions. And finally, (just for a little bit of perspective), these views are coming from a 16 year old male who lives in the U.S. (who is not sexist as much as you may want to think I am =x).
  • What people need to realise is that war is bad and not good. A bad peace is better than a good war. When the warmongers are no longer in power things should get better and we can build the world we really want.
  • well if thats what george bush thinks then its what at least half of america thinks since we voted him in office and chose him to represent us.
  • That is simply not the case, especially when George Bush has done nothing but lie to us, especially about how the women in Afghanistan are now living their lives.
  • You can't give people freedom anymore than you can give them equality. These are things people have to take it upon themselves to get for themselves. Sure you can help them in various ways, but it truly has to be something they want for themselves and their own reasons.

    I said it before we were attacked on 9/11 and it hold just as true now, we will always be hated in the middle east because we tell them how to run their lives. We are so blinded my logocentricism that we can't even understand that toppling some dictators isn't in our best interest as a nation. Oops we're sorry we got rid of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein for you, now there is chaos in your country. Oops we gave you freedom, but we really didn't want you to pick a leader who likes even less than the one that we just got rid of for you. Can you say WTF were we thinking?

    If we want to give these people freedom and the American dream we throw open our borders and help anyone who wants to leave their old country do so. If you want to shake up the way Arab countries to do things. We usurp their women and provide them an all American education, to include rock music, skimpy clothes, public displays of affection, and sports more exciting than soccer. While we are at it give them a healthy dose of sex ed classes that stress it is okay to say no, and the use of birth control and condoms when you want to say yes.
  • This is a nice post about the true situation of the current world. Afghanistan has many serious problems in terms of culture. Bringing freedom to them would be only via infrastructure of education for both men and women. Women without financial freedom can never be free enough. Families see them as a candidate of bride even in the early ages. This is for thousand years so and is not easy to change. But what Bush brings them has nothing to do with the real problems of those people. The problem is more complicated than they can handle I believe.
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