Posted on 10/05/2007 10:16:16 AM PDT by IBD editorial writer
Human Rights: Anyone remember all the abuse the U.S. took over Iraq? In international arenas, we were vilified for using force to oust a brutal tyrant. Guess what: The choice in Burma is now either that or hypocrisy.
The savagery in Burma now embodies every political nightmare in the recent annals of civilization. Like the French Reign of Terror, the Burmese junta is sending out tumbrel trucks to round up any democracy marcher it can identify from news photographs.
As in Argentina's Dirty War, thousands of innocents are disappearing. From what little is known, Buddhist monks have been marched to Nazi-like concentration camps and others have been hacked to death and dumped into rivers, as in Rwanda.
In every instance of such horrors, the so-called international community has shaken its head and declared "never again." Well, it's "again" right now for Burma but the "never" is again forgotten.
As if nothing had changed, we now see how swiftly America's hectorers over the Iraq liberation — the ones who insisted a war to liberate an unfree place was immoral because of civilian deaths — have now sought to return to business as usual in Burma.
Europe, for instance, is on the verge of signing a free trade pact with the 10-state Association of Southeast Asian Nations, one of which is Burma. European Union officials have privately, that's right, privately, said they "might" not sign it, given the charnel house the 10th ASEAN member state has become. But that's all.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
I’m sure the junta can be reasonable to talk to. ~ Average libidiot.
Why sure. But you have to get their attention, first.
Yeah what a shame... but let’s talk about Global Warming and the Eco-criminals. ;-)
The most hypocritical enablers are the PRC and Russia, who investors and businessmen are eternally orgasmic about doing business with.
Who, Chevron? ;)
Actually, this is not hypocrisy, as such, because many of these nations and organizations believe and advocate that there is no reason, *ever*, for interfering in the “internal affairs” of other nations.
They might diplomatically “deplore” a nation slaughtering a hated minority, engaging in ethnic cleansing, and committing all sorts of hideous and unthinkable acts, but they always say that it is not anybodies business but that of the tyrant and their victims.
In this way, they are self-centered, interested only in what profits are to be made in the process, and perfectly willing to act as enablers of the tyrant.
And they are very serious about their support of this philosophy of non-intervention. They will stand up with Saddam in endless meetings and conferences, and do anything in their power to prevent or undermine armed intervention, even to save countless lives.
Western Europe was willing to do this to eastern Europe for almost 50 years, and bitterly objected to the support the US gave to the eastern Europeans against their Soviet masters.
The eastern Europeans also remember this, which is why they hold the US as a dearer friend and ally than western Europe.
Americans have almost forgotten that we also once held this attitude during periods of “isolationism” from the rest of the world. And it usually came back to haunt us. Even today, a few politicians advocate a return to ignoring the plight of the rest of the world and minding our own business. That we should not become entangled in “foreign wars and intrigues.”
But most of us have learned the hard lesson that foreign wars and intrigues, unless tended to by someone, tend to grow wildly out of control, spreading from nation to nation until we have to deal with them, and at a much greater cost of treasure and American blood.
Today, the philosophy of non-intervention truly shows its ultimate and terrible cost. This is because few nations, except the US, see nuclear weapons proliferation as the dire threat that must be addressed NOW. And yet, in their unwillingness to intervene, they leave themselves only one option.
Instead of intervening quickly and early with conventional military forces, they will wait until the unthinkable happens, then respond with nuclear weapons themselves.
Penny wise and pound foolish. The US, by intervening, might stop a nuclear war from ever happening. The others, waiting until it is too late, have only annihilation as an alternative.
And the use of nuclear weapons against a nation is about as much “intervention” as is possible.
I am glad Pres. Bush said something about it, when so many are remaining silent, but I'm not sure how much muscle he really applied.
” but I’m not sure how much muscle he really applied.”
He made liberal use of jaw muscle, but coming up on an election year, how much can he really do without giving the big mouthed doves and isolationists lots more to squawk about?
I take your point but he’s not up for election and he has never seemed to care before if he makes things tough on Pubbies that are. The excuses for not dealing with tyrants always boil down to money or politics. I hate that but that’s the way it is. I’ll give Pres. Bush credit though he seems less influenced by those things and able to stand on principle than most U.S. Presidents have been. Will there never be another Teddy Roosevelt? /rhetorical question
Glad to see CNN carrying the Burma story , LOUD & CLEAR .
Complete with fresh footage of the Myanmar nazi soldiers
beating the hell out fo their own countrymen , unarmed and helpless....
I keep wondering WHY? the Thai monks ,right next door , are not coming out en masse to support their fellow Theravada monks ,right next door.
I posed this question to a Burmese friend of mine , who is an acedemic working in Thailand . She wrote me this answer :
My personal experience of thais monks:
A few years back some burmese monks came to Bkk on their way to America and naturally they went to a Thai monastery to ask permission to stay for a few days. Guess what? They were refused so we had a rent a hotel room for them. According to Burmese buddhism, monks are not allowed to stay in laymen’s abode if there are monasteries around. Only in places where there are no monasteries like in non-buddhist countries that monks are allowed to stay in homes and hotels.
I rest my case!
Thai Sangha have become dettached, aloof,lazy and complacent when it comes to the true needs of the people. They are too busy renting out their Wat grounds for use as weekend marketplaces and other functions to raise yet more funds.
Forget the funds chasing! Stand up for Freedom !
It is exactly like the French Reign of Terror! Lord have mercy on anyone who is aiding this!
At some point, other free nations who are currently non nuclear will realize that the US is no longer a reliable protector and will respond accordingly. There is no stopping it. I bet that Japan, Poland and a few others will soon join the club. Perhaps Taiwan. Non proliferation was an admirable goal, but the enemies of Western Civilization have fostered the opposite. Now, the nukes will fly.
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