In Pakistan: Who Is The Terrorist?
http://saneramblings.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=213&sid=04d71c573520ba78012a267d52759101Pakistan's dictator, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a close ally of President Bush in his "war on terror" declared martial law and seized control of Pakistan.
Enmasse Pakistanis peacefully protested, but Gen. Musharraf's soldiers fired tear gas at them and clubbed many of them, leaving some laying in pools of blood. Thousands of Pakistanis have been jailed. The message to the Pakistani people is do what we say or you'll pay the price.
Supporting such repression is what America has sunk to, as we too use brutality, intimidation and secret prisons to get our way. It's part of Mr. Bush's self-proclaimed "freedom agenda."
Just ask the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mr. Bush calls Gen. Musharraf "a strong fighter" against terrorism so Pakistan must be just a public relations problem. The answer is to create the facade of elections, even if the General retains all power.
Meanwhile, Gen. Musharraf will continue to receive billions of dollars in U.S. military weapons and U.S. taxpayer money. Weapons and money he is using against his own people.
And here's another grave concern. Mr. Bush threatens Iran with a nuclear holocaust because they may some day develop a nuclear weapon. Yet Pakistan has at least 50 nuclear weapons now which Gen. Musharraf could use against anyone at any time.
To make matters worse, until recently one of Pakistan's top scientists, A. Q. Kahn and others in the Pakistan military were making big money selling nuclear weapon technology to others including Al Qaeda. So Iran aside, the knowledge has been spreading far and wide.
"to protect America and protect American citizens by continuing to fight against terrorists," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently told reporters.
But of which terrorists is Ms. Rice speaking?
Neither Al Qaeda or the Taliban seized control of Pakistan's government in 1999 nor declare martial law there now. Gen. Musharraf did.
Yet the U.S. has tremendous leverage over Gen. Musharraf, as it provides nearly 1/3 of Pakistan's direct foreign investment. With the stroke of a pen, Mr. Bush could end that investment and bring this dictator to his knees.
Instead, Mr. Bush told reporters, "All we can do is continue to work with the president to make it abundantly clear the position of the United States." That position is one of strong support.
What must the 170-million Pakistani people think of America when they see Gen. Musharraf receive U.S. support that brutalizes them and keeps the General in power? Might they too become a large producer of jihadists bitterly determined to strike back at America?
What set-off martial law in Pakistan? Gen. Musharraf claimed it was "a grave threat." We Americans can relate to this for we find our President using 9/11 in a similar way except that he is gradually rather than abruptly taking away our freedoms.
But dear reader, the U.S. is a great country and if you raise your voice, it can stop supporting brutal military regimes. It could even stop being one itself.
And if you continue to raise your voice our Constitutional freedoms could be restored as well, for no terrorist can take from us what we willingly surrender in the name of security to those in positions of trust, such as Mr. Bush.
The Pakistani people cared enough about their freedoms to take to the streets. Do we Americans care that much for our freedoms? Do we care that much for humanity that we would try to end the insane actions of our government that threaten the world?
http://saneramblings.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=213&sid=04d71c573520ba78012a267d52759101
(posted with the author's permission)