let freedom ring
Feb. 4th, 2005 12:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabotabbySo tonight was fun. Not every night out ends with a cop taking statements. But more about that some other time.
I was thinking about the Iraqi elections, though. This morning, some guy on the radio was going on about how even though he'd originally been against the war (and he was OMG teh leftie!!eleventy-one!!!), he now thought that since Iraq was democratic, the Shrub might have been --gasp-- right to invade and occupy the country. I've seen this sentiment echoed elsewhere, too, which only confirms in my head that the Left is as capable of uncritical stupidity as the Right.
It's a good thing, right? Everyone likes elections. Everyone likes democracy (except for the terrorists who hate freedom). There is so much consensus that "democracy," like "terrorism," is a word completely devoid of meaning.
It should go without saying that one election does not a democracy make. Democracies aren't even made by happy people dancing in the street. Many countries have both of these things, and we still call them dictatorships. The votes haven't even been counted yet, and already we have idiots dyeing their fingers purple and declaring victory.
Hold up a sec.
At the risk of sounding excessively negative (hello, people, username?) what I'm seeing is people deciding on a conclusion, a short-term, Hollywood-style happy ending, no less, and filling in the facts to fit that conclusion. Only...where are these answers coming from when no one is asking questions? Where is the critical voice?
So while I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong, I don't think I'm wrong yet. I still have some questions. Some might be easy to answer, I honestly don't know. So.
1. On CBC's election coverage, they interviewed people who were happy and excited about Iraqi democracy. Everyone they interviewed was Kurdish. In the same piece, they talked about a Kurdish referendum. While the votes from the Iraqi election haven't come back, the Kurds voted 80% or more to separate from Iraq. Does this seem odd to anyone?
2. I keep seeing the same two pictures of happy people with purple fingers floating around on the internet, coupled with stories about the aforementioned dancing in the street. Why are there only two pictures? Where were they taken? (Not Fallujah, I'd assume.) Where is everyone else?
3. Oh, by the way, who actually ran in these elections? (And who didn't?) What are the names of the parties? What does each one stand for?
4. What will happen if the Iraqis have voted for someone who wants the US occupation to end? Will the US comply with the democratic decision of the Iraqi people? Likewise, what if a Muslim fundamentalist has won? Will the US respect that?
5. Why can Iraqi refugees and exiles vote, but Palestinian refugees and exiles couldn't vote in their election?
Humour the ignorant Canuck, will ya? I don't think anyone should be breaking out the champagne just yet. As I mentioned to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
corvus the other day, if I were to dye my finger any colour, it would be blood red for the 100,000 Iraqi civilians who are not alive to decide whether they want a democracy or not.
I was thinking about the Iraqi elections, though. This morning, some guy on the radio was going on about how even though he'd originally been against the war (and he was OMG teh leftie!!eleventy-one!!!), he now thought that since Iraq was democratic, the Shrub might have been --gasp-- right to invade and occupy the country. I've seen this sentiment echoed elsewhere, too, which only confirms in my head that the Left is as capable of uncritical stupidity as the Right.
It's a good thing, right? Everyone likes elections. Everyone likes democracy (except for the terrorists who hate freedom). There is so much consensus that "democracy," like "terrorism," is a word completely devoid of meaning.
It should go without saying that one election does not a democracy make. Democracies aren't even made by happy people dancing in the street. Many countries have both of these things, and we still call them dictatorships. The votes haven't even been counted yet, and already we have idiots dyeing their fingers purple and declaring victory.
Hold up a sec.
At the risk of sounding excessively negative (hello, people, username?) what I'm seeing is people deciding on a conclusion, a short-term, Hollywood-style happy ending, no less, and filling in the facts to fit that conclusion. Only...where are these answers coming from when no one is asking questions? Where is the critical voice?
So while I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong, I don't think I'm wrong yet. I still have some questions. Some might be easy to answer, I honestly don't know. So.
1. On CBC's election coverage, they interviewed people who were happy and excited about Iraqi democracy. Everyone they interviewed was Kurdish. In the same piece, they talked about a Kurdish referendum. While the votes from the Iraqi election haven't come back, the Kurds voted 80% or more to separate from Iraq. Does this seem odd to anyone?
2. I keep seeing the same two pictures of happy people with purple fingers floating around on the internet, coupled with stories about the aforementioned dancing in the street. Why are there only two pictures? Where were they taken? (Not Fallujah, I'd assume.) Where is everyone else?
3. Oh, by the way, who actually ran in these elections? (And who didn't?) What are the names of the parties? What does each one stand for?
4. What will happen if the Iraqis have voted for someone who wants the US occupation to end? Will the US comply with the democratic decision of the Iraqi people? Likewise, what if a Muslim fundamentalist has won? Will the US respect that?
5. Why can Iraqi refugees and exiles vote, but Palestinian refugees and exiles couldn't vote in their election?
Humour the ignorant Canuck, will ya? I don't think anyone should be breaking out the champagne just yet. As I mentioned to
corvus the other day, if I were to dye my finger any colour, it would be blood red for the 100,000 Iraqi civilians who are not alive to decide whether they want a democracy or not.
