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Libertarian Harry Browne: Bush Did Not Liberate Iraq
HarryBrowne.org ^ | Dec 15, 2003 | Harry Browne

Posted on 12/17/2003 8:04:12 PM PST by Commie Basher

Sunday's capture of Saddam Hussein made it a great day — a great day for empty rhetoric and meaningless posturing by politicians and journalists.

Somehow it was assumed by politicians and the press, without explanation, that Hussein's capture has vindicated the Bush administration's attack on Iraq. But from September 2002 to March 2003, George Bush said nothing about capturing Saddam Hussein. Instead, Bush talked incessantly about weapons of mass destruction and Iraq's ability to attack the U.S. with them — as well as Al Qaeda camps in the Iraqi desert. How does finding Saddam Hussein make Bush's claims any more true than they were last week?

We're told that that the Iraqis can see now that Saddam Hussein isn't coming back to power — as though they couldn't figure that out for themselves with 130,000 foreign troops occupying their country.

But in the wonderland occupied by politicians and journalists, the capture of Hussein must mean that all the resisters — also known as "loyalists of the old regime" — would have no more reason to resist.

Some politicians said that if anti-war protesters had their gotten way, Hussein would be in his palace today, instead of in jail. Yes, and if the anti-war protesters had gotten their way, several hundred Americans and thousands of Iraqis would be alive today, instead of dead.

The press played its part in the celebration. Wolf Blitzer of CNN said that Hussein's capture proves to the world that "the President of the United States means business" — whatever that means.

In fact, we've known all along that George Bush means business — the business of getting reelected.

There were plenty of TV pictures of Iraqis firing AK-47s into the air. But no inquiring minds bothered to ask how everyday Iraqis could be carrying AK-47s out in the open, when the American occupiers have imposed strict gun-control edicts and are at war with resisters.

What if Saddam Hussein says that all the dreaded Weapons of Mass Destruction were destroyed years ago? Well, we know that George Bush believes in preemptive strikes, and he's already made one on this front. On Monday, he said of Hussein:

He’s a liar. He’s a torturer. He’s a murderer. . . . He’s a — he’s just — he is what he is: He’s a person that was willing to destroy his country and to kill a lot of his fellow citizens. He’s a person who used weapons of mass destruction against citizens in his own country. And so it’s — he is the kind of person that is untrustworthy and I’d be very cautious about relying upon his word in any way, shape or form.

In other words, "Believe him only if he confirms what I've been telling you for the past year."

Liberation

Donald Rumsfeld said that Hussein's capture means that the Iraqis can now be free in spirit, as well as in fact.

Ah yes, liberated Iraq. It is now a free country. George Bush has liberated it.

How has Iraq been liberated? Let me count the ways . . .

1. The country is occupied by a foreign power.

2. Its officials are appointed by that foreign power.

3. Its citizens must carry ID cards.

4. They must submit to searches of their persons and cars at checkpoints and roadblocks.

5. They must be in their homes by curfew time.

6. Many towns are ringed with barbed wire.

7. The occupiers have imposed strict gun-control laws, preventing ordinary citizens from defending themselves — making robberies, rapes, and assaults quite common.

8. Trade with some countries is banned by the occupying authorities.

9. The occupiers have decreed that certain electoral outcomes won't be permitted.

10. Families are held hostage until they reveal the whereabouts of wanted resisters — much like the Nazis held innocent French people hostage during World War II.

11. Protests are outlawed.

12. Private homes are raided or demolished — with no due process of law.

13. The occupiers have created a fiat currency and imposed it on the populace.

14. Newspapers, radio stations, and TV are all supervised by the occupiers.

This is liberation in the NewSpeak language of politics.

Words like freedom just don't seem to mean what they used to, do they?


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 1gawdwhatanasshole; bush; harrybrowne; iraq; iraqwar; liberaltarians; libertarianparty; libertarians; losertarians; punklibertarians; saddamhussein; smurfs
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To: DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
If I had the time, I could have some fun with his "list of ways Iraq has been liberated"....of course, I'm betting someone did that while I was asleep...
141 posted on 12/18/2003 3:12:53 AM PST by Amelia ("We have met the enemy and he is us." -- Pogo)
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To: nopardons
Well according to the poster I was responding to

I agree that the GOP's domestic agenda is nearly the same as the RATs, but voting for the Losertarians aren't going to get you anywhere except get more RATs elected

apparently there isn't a lot of difference on the domestic front. And PBA hasn't been wiped out in the least, it's only required the doctor to completely kill the child before it begins its exit.

142 posted on 12/18/2003 5:12:38 AM PST by billbears (Deo Vindice)
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To: Commie Basher
Harry Browne - another pimp of the election industry that I hear from every four years!
143 posted on 12/18/2003 5:15:19 AM PST by leprechaun9
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To: Commie Basher
Words like freedom just don't seem to mean what they used to, do they?

144 posted on 12/18/2003 5:18:11 AM PST by WhiteGuy (Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...)
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To: wideminded

That is the universal moral-liberal motto: "Allow me to be irresponsible, and in return I'll allow you all to pay for the consequences of my irresponsibility."

145 posted on 12/18/2003 5:32:59 AM PST by Cultural Jihad
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To: Commie Basher
Ah yes, Harry Browne, once again proving that voting Libertarian is a wasted vote!

On another related topic, is Boortz still trying to justify being/voting Libertarian these days? (asked by yet another former NB listener turned off by his rabid anti-Christian rants)

146 posted on 12/18/2003 5:52:48 AM PST by Prov1322 (Have you thanked God again today that George W. Bush is our President?!)
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To: Commie Basher
"thousands of Iraqis would be alive today, instead of dead."


This presumes Saddam would not be killing his own people at a very alarming rate. At least most of the Iraqis that have died since we liberated Iraq, were the ones killing other Iraqis.

Why do I get the impression it is not the death of (either Americans or) Iraqis that has this man upset? Could he have an agenda of his own?

147 posted on 12/18/2003 5:58:06 AM PST by CIB-173RDABN (teach me to post before I get my morning cup of coffee)
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To: Commie Basher
Harry Who?
148 posted on 12/18/2003 6:00:43 AM PST by Corin Stormhands ("Ladies and gentlemen, we got him!")
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To: Corin Stormhands
Hairy Bum...he's head of some fringe Sci-Fi political group.
149 posted on 12/18/2003 6:03:39 AM PST by CWOJackson
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To: CWOJackson
Ah yes, I remember now, the Ferengi Party...
150 posted on 12/18/2003 6:04:42 AM PST by Corin Stormhands ("Ladies and gentlemen, we got him!")
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To: CWOJackson
Socialist Soros should do a cost-benefit analysis to see if his investment is paying dividends or not.
151 posted on 12/18/2003 6:10:43 AM PST by Cultural Jihad
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To: ForOurFuture
"What's a conscientious socialist-hating, liberty-loving Constitutionalist to do?"

Don't vote socialist (dem), or socialist-lite (republican).
Sadly, the only way to make your voice heard is to cause a little PAIN for the GOP, and let them know that you do not support their policies of ENDLESS COMPROMISE with the left.

Remind me again, how many spending bills has Bush vetoes?
How has NON-defense spending gone up 9% annually under a GOP house, senate, and White House?

Could someone explain what happened to fiscal conservatism?
152 posted on 12/18/2003 6:11:51 AM PST by Capitalism2003 (Got principles? http://www.LP.org)
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To: Commie Basher
I'm not so sure that the time is not right to start a "Free Republic" party. At least it might provide a reasonable option for TRUE conservatives.
153 posted on 12/18/2003 6:11:59 AM PST by freeangel (freeangel)
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To: Commie Basher
Well I guess I was wrong about Mr. Browne

He's more of a moroon then I thought he was
154 posted on 12/18/2003 6:14:17 AM PST by Mo1 (House Work, If you do it right , will kill you!)
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To: Howlin
Why is this crap continually allowed on here?

To remind us of what a loon Harry is?

155 posted on 12/18/2003 6:17:55 AM PST by Mo1 (House Work, If you do it right , will kill you!)
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To: Republican Wildcat
There are many oppressive dictators that shouldn't be in power...but taking the pre-emptive "liberation" argument to its natural conclusion, you folks here should be DEMANDING Bush continue with his liberation attempts...continue to attack dictators...crush the regimes of Syria, Iran, Lybia, etc...Do this ASAP. Strike while the iron is hot...While we're at it, lets finish of Castro while we're at it...and the other commie dictators that have committed mass murder in vietnam, North Korea, and CHINA. Hell, the people there deserve freedom too don't they?

Question is: Is liberating these countries worth the BLOOD of your sons? How many of our boys must die for this cause? Should the US really try to 'liberate' the world?
156 posted on 12/18/2003 6:19:54 AM PST by Capitalism2003 (Got principles? http://www.LP.org)
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To: Capitalism2003
Who besides you and other leftist ideologues are claiming that overthrowing Saddam means we are somehow obligated to invade all other countries ruled by tyrants?
157 posted on 12/18/2003 6:42:52 AM PST by Cultural Jihad
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To: Cultural Jihad
See post #25 from this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1042342/posts
158 posted on 12/18/2003 6:48:14 AM PST by KantianBurke (Don't Tread on Me)
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To: Cultural Jihad
"...Charles Krauthammer, a former shrink, who earlier this month said he had identified a new psychological syndrome: Bush Derangement Syndrome (BDS), described as "the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency—nay—the very existence of George W. Bush."

From a different thread...but very accurate regarding a lot of the I hate Bush for all reasons crowd around here.

159 posted on 12/18/2003 6:51:27 AM PST by CWOJackson
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To: Commie Basher
Libertarian Harry Browne: Bush Did Not Liberate Iraq

Conservative BSunday: Browne Did Not Do Anything

160 posted on 12/18/2003 6:53:54 AM PST by BSunday (Jesus is the reason for ALL seasons)
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