...I think this, say this, not with pride anymore, but with sad wistful bitterness.
Democracy, a word and concept now corrupted, is not a magic bullet that once shot at the victim kills all ills and brings a better life. Not with the examples we have set, promoted, and forced over the years...Putin's words paraphrased ring sadly true; "American Democracy as installed and displayed in Iraq and the Middle East? Why would anyone want that?"
Residents of Baghdad are systematically being pushed out of the city. Some families are waking up to find a Klashnikov bullet and a letter in an envelope with the words "Leave your area or else."
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
I have been reading Riverbend's blog since she started it, it doesn't get easier to read each year; it becomes harder, harsher, sadder. I now wonder, I fear, is she able or allowed to write any longer or has her pain overwhelmed even her voice...over two months and nothing new, the voices of those within that shattereed nation are grown silent.
Democracy American Neocon style....who would ever want it.
don't dare leave the house without a hijab, or headscarf. I don't wear a hijab usually, but it's no longer possible to drive around Baghdad without one. It's just not a good idea. (Take note that when I say 'drive' I actually mean 'sit in the back seat of the car'- I haven't driven for the longest time.)
Freedom?
This is freedom?
Freedom from fear?
Freedom from want?
Freedom from dictators?
There are Dictators of the mind, Dictators of the social norms, Dictators of religious thought and expression, Dictators of FEAR.....we appear to be installing them all. We only like certain types of elected governments, and of course it appears certain dictators.
Armed neighborhoods which fear the other, fear the theocratic militia, fear the government, fear the occupation troop, fear the knock at the door not just at night but now also during the day. This is democracy, this is the freedom which we, our government, our hubris, has conceived and installed using the bomb, the bullet, and the boot.
No thank you, at this time point in history, is the most rational response any oppressed people could say to us I would suspect.
There are no laws that say we have to wear a hijab (yet), but there are the men in head-to-toe black and the turbans, the extremists and fanatics who were liberated by the occupation, and at some point, you tire of the defiance. You no longer want to be seen.
A reflection of things I see here.
Do as the religious dictator says...or else.
Never question those guided by dogma and deity.
Remain quite or the conservative will slander you, will harass you, will fire you, will use the power of the state to spy upon you and find ways to "make you pay". Couldn't happen here you say...how quaint a rose tinted world you see through your glasses.
Remain docile and in your "Free speech zones" the dictator of speech has already enforced, with barely a ripple and with not a word of questioning from the party in power and its base.
Stay in your zone or you may be arrested, harassed, detained, shunned, and marginalized in ways both overt and covert, to of course protect you. The dictator of thought says we must conform even in our dissent, we must not dissent or question or we "Encourage the terrorists".
We must not speak words of distain or truth to our leaders, or the dictators henchmen will arrest you, at the mall with your son watching even.
Searches without warrants or other controls...why would we force our brave troops to do such silly things "over there were we have spread the flypaper to catch the terrorists". Such things would never return to our own nation...would they, could they?
Captivity for years without trial, or legal recourse, or even charge.
Why would we care if it's over there, done in the name of "security" and "freedom" and "liberty" and "democracy"? Such things can never return upon us here.....can they?
She was getting ready to leave before the sun set, and she picked up the beige headscarf folded neatly by her side. As she told me about one of her neighbors being shot, she opened up the scarf with a flourish, set it on her head like a pro, and pinned it snuggly under her chin with the precision of a seasoned hijab-wearer. All this without a mirror- like she had done it a hundred times over... Which would be fine, except that M. is Christian.
Reflections murky and dark within a mirror I see.
Who now can be a leader of our body politic without giving lip service to how "religious and Christian" they are....no religious tests for public office would ever be installed here...would they?
Is it time to wash our hands of the country and try to find a stable life somewhere else?
Mission accomplished.
Democracy American style and approved has occurred.
Are we finished with Iraqi Democracy yet?
Is it yet the Theocratic Dictator or pliant strongmen that we like?
Are we finished yet with Afghanistan Democracy?
Do we like the Warlords enough or do we need more bombs, mmore bullets, and more boots to change it to what we can "work with".
Are we finished yet with our version of a Palestinian Democracy, coerced with bomb, and bullet, and Israeli catspaw boot?
Are we far enough yet upon the path of a correct Lebanese Democracy, enforced with bomb, and bullet, and again our catspaws? Will we encourage another liberation there?
Are we ready to start our style of democracy in Syria.
Are we ready to nuke our style of democracy in Iran.
Are we ready to invade and regime change to a democracy we like in the madhouse of North Korea.
I commented to friends and workers and fellow bloggers years ago as we contemplated invading a sovereign country which had not attacked us (called Iraq) that this door could and would lead to attacking and invading ever more nations to install our "American Style Democracy" (i.e. governments we like and control) either by us or our cats paws. Few listened and many decided to punish me socially for such thoughts......today I rarely ever mention such things in public here.
I more and more remain silent about my knowledge and opinion of the Middle East, its complicated history, it peoples, the mosaic of cultures there and the origins of the so many grievances (on all sides), and our involvement in the deaths there.
Criticism of Republicans, of conservatives, of "our President", a less than 100% support of all things of war will bring social retaliation, will cause fellow workers to refuse to work with you, will affect your review.
Your criticism will even allow you to "seek new employment", I have recently been told quite bluntly and with an Ann Coulter style of venom. The less than sotto voice comment that Ann Coulter is right, that "liberals are all traitors" is chilling and sad.
A problem with my employer and fellow workers in my redder than red state?
No a symptom of an ill and possibly dying body politic, of worship of graven images and all things military, of clever propaganda, of conservative corporate media, and a culture which more and more worships death and ignorance.
Sad days these.
Is my job, not just at my present one but potentially almost all area employers, worth speaking out, or should I wear my "hijab".
Is the harm my family will collectively suffer worth the cost of defending what I view as the our true Democratic values, or should I and my family wear these mental "hijab's" to try to be unnoticed.
This chill, this fear of retaliation social, retaliation economic, and even retaliation physical I feel more and more these days, these years.
Hard decisions. Sad times. And wearing these "hijabs" will never make a better world I am sure.
Someday perhaps we will not live in such interesting times.
Riverbends blog as I said grows harder to read each time, and now it has gone darkly silent.
It remains though a valued window for me, no matter the darkness of its vision, or from the barely seen reflections of darker things I fear are standing behind me.
No, I think I will refuse to wear our societies "hijabs", I will put aside my fears and face these challenges in hope and conviction that my ideals, my ideas, and the Democracy I believe in can be revived.
Not quietly will I go into any dark night of bombs, bullets, and boots.
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10/12/06 (addendum) - The original of this I posted on another forum almost two months ago now yet I believe that what I wrote is still relevant to what is happening today.
More so in fact at this time, especially at this time as we drift towards making torture our rule not the exception, as we drift towards attacking yet more nations, as our "rulers" "decide" on a course of action that probably includes the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction against other nations whom we fear are developing the same.
Now is when we do need to speak out.
Thankyou for a place to speak.