Afghan President Hamid Karzai has announced that he will review the new law legalizing rape of women in the country after an international outcry. It is an act similar to the recent shock expressed by the Pakistani government after it turned over the Swat Valley to extremists and Sharia law — only to have a video surface of the flogging of a teenage girl. Karzai signed the law that requires Afghan women to “preen” for their husbands and submit to rape.
Karzai’s actions show the ridiculous pretense that surrounds our continued expenditure of lives and treasure to maintain a nation that rejects the most basic rights to citizens, particularly for women. While imposing Sharia law concepts, the government has increasingly surrendered to demands of the Taliban — defeating the enemy by joining it.
Karzai knew exactly what he was signing and only expressed concern when the Canadians threatened to withdraw troops propping up his corrupt government. For the full story, click here. This law was pending for months and repeatedly raised with Karzai.
Notably, unlike the more principled Canadians, the United States once again only offered offered verbal concerns with no threat to cut off money or troops.
Karzai stated “If there is anything that is of concern to us then we will definitely take action in consultation with our [religious clerics] and send it back to the parliament. This is something that we are also serious about and we should not allow.”
“If there is anything that is of concern”? Karzai signed a grotesque legalization of rape and pledges to look into whether there are concerns raised by the law that he signed. It is abundantly clear that it was the threat to lose money and military support — and not any concern for women — that motivated our ally. Billions of U.S. dollars (and American lives) are spent each week to support such medieval practices and to preserve a system that keep women in an uneducated and repressive state. I find it incredible that we have never had a debate over this conflict between our values and our actions in the region. While President Obama insists that the world is a stake, I thought that we are fighting for our values against such practices. If not, we need to be clear what is more important than our values. Historically, we have supported regimes that do not support basic human rights, only to lose in places like Iran and Vietnam. The result was not just our direct losses but the loss of our credibility as a nation. We look like cringing hypocrites willing to support extremist legal systems in order to advance our own insular security concerns.
It is a debate that we should have as a nation. I happen to think that there is something to fight over in Afghanistan, but it does not happen to be the thing that we are currently fighting for. I would support our nation fighting against the repression of women and the denial of basic human rights. It is propping up repressive systems for our own advantage that brings an element of shame.
For the full story, click here.
Enjoying that media fallout, Karzai? Repression and cruelty is not so fun in the age of video evidence, is it? 21st Century? It’d be an improvement if Afghanistan joined the 19th Century.
It would be an improvement for the left to remember that when they say “we are all brothers” and expect that statement to further world peace, they should remember Cane & Abel.
George Will really put Arianna in her place this AM on This Week with a line much like the above.
That’s right. Leftists should all realize that a statment some of us make to reference the fact that as humans we all have a mutual intrest in peace and harmony also contains a word ,’brother’, that was used in a mythical story of two brothers who didn’t know what death was. Presumably because no one had ever died before, but I think I believe that god punished them with that particular ignorance for their imbreding ways. Hooray for genetic diversity.
corn farmer:
“It would be an improvement for the left to remember that when they say “we are all brothers” and expect that statement to further world peace, they should remember Cane & Abel.”
******************
I prefer to remember George W and Jeb or even Tricky Dick and Donald–at least they were real.
If you think about it. Wouldn’t Cane and Able have been the first evidence of Darwinian evolution in man?
Karzai won’t change anything. In my opinion, he is in the pocket of the Taliban right now. But, when you let the people decide what they want, sometimes the result is not very progressive. The Taliban style religious fanatacism is still the order of the day in Afghanistan and a large part of Pakistan. I am not sure defeating Al-Qaida will make life any better for the Afghan people if this kind of brutality is still the norm.
Could corn farmer explain to me where the women that Cain, Abel and their younger brother Seth married come from? If he could clear that up in the context of Genesis then perhaps we might derive some wisdom from the tale.
Yes we can (and will) provide the military might and billions of dollars and our soldiers lives to back up a thoroughly corrupt regime. Yes we can (and will) hire private contractors using secret contracts routed through Israel (see Jeremy Schahill’s expose of this on alternet) to provide that military might. Yes we can (and will) provide free Viagra to help close the deal for raping women and girls.
So far the Obama administration is engaged in significant failures to live by the rule of law:
1. refusal to follow our clearly stated laws to prosecute war crimes.
2. refusal to follow our clearly outlined laws to prosecute financal fraudsters including Summers and Geithner.
3. upping the number of contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan by means of secret contracts routed through a foreign nation to avoid detection.
Speak out! Anyway you want to, just don’t stay silent in the face of corruption and wrongdoing by our own govt.
Karzai,
Was an energy company executive hand picked for his job by an administration that raised incompetence to the highest of art forms. His election was as phony as his rhetoric and his support is limited to Kabul.
CornFarmer:
you have got to admit that the US has messed up in some pretty diverse places in the last half of the 20th century. From China and Korea to Iran and Iraq and other places. We arent starting the 21st off so well either.
Seems to me as a conservative we need to rethink what type of foreign entanglements we engage in and how. Hmmm didnt one of those old dead guys that wrote the constitution warn us about that?
Mike Spindell, your grade school level fascination with what you think are errors or untruths in the bible are childish. Most of us long ago understood as we matured that although the bible is the word of God, not everything God did or said is in the Bible.
Mike Spindell, why do you hate Christians and fear Muslims?
Corn Farmer:
I think MikeS knows quite a bit more about the bible than you do and probably most christians. I cant wait to read his reply to your comment.
Get ready for some edumacation boy.
“It would be an improvement for the left to remember that when they say “we are all brothers” and expect that statement to further world peace, they should remember Cane & Abel.
George Will really put Arianna in her place this AM on This Week with a line much like the above.”
corn farmer,
You used Cain and Abel as a clincher to what you thought was a witty rejoinder to people on the left who believe in the brotherhood of man. Now let me explain to you in simple terms, why it was neither a rejoinder, nor witty and how it exposes your hypocrisy.
1. It was first of all a non-sequitur since it did not refer to anything in the article or the following comments. Rather it was a week attempt to indict people on the Left for being fuzzy headed.
2. What you did was reference a meme of the straw man variety. Which is accuse the Left of something for which there is no evidence of their thinking and then attack them for it. For those like you the attack part is where you get your “rocks (such as they are)off” because you enjoy making fun of liberals, more than seriously thinking about anything.
3. It was hypocritical because you don’t get to pick and choose what part of your holy book counts based on your needs for argument. The hypocrisy in that is by using your reasoning, and many do, you can then say God simply left out of the story any parts of it that obviously doesn’t make sense. That allows you to believe and preach anything you want without being called to account.
4. There is no Cain and Abel, there was no Adam and Eve. The creators of the Torah were talking metaphorically about mankind’s relationship to God and it was understood that way at the time of the Torah’s creation, by those who created it.
Also too, the day a hack like Georgie gets the best of Arianna will not occur in your lifetime. Will is a toady, whose philosophy professor father did not teach him well
“Mike Spindell, why do you hate Christians and fear Muslims?”
Wow, corny, how long did it take you to think up that witty rejoinder? Did you laugh when you did thinking boy I really got him? The problem is you’re accusing me of something for which you have no evidence or proof. Just another “straw man”
thrown in by a clown who thinks Rush Limbaugh is smart. On a par, but without the wit of “when did you stop beating your wife?” You can peruse my comments on this site, or even Google me, but there are a few other Mike Spindell’s around, and you won’t find me making any statements like that.
What I have said strongly is that fundamentalists of ALL religions, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindu’s and even Buddhists (sorry BIL)are dangerous to the rest of rational humanity. My reason is that they lack understanding of their own holy books and misinterpret them in the service of their ego’s, lust for power and greed. I can’t tell from your paucity of production if you are a fundamentalist, but I suspect so with your Cain and Abel quote. I can tell though that you are a lazy and illogical thinker who therefore probably watches a lot of Fox News and listens to Rush and the boys. It’s sad if that’s the case, probable too since you think George Will is anything but a sad hack, because you really don’t have the chops to decently argue your case unless you resort to shouting and bullying. Being a Right winger though I guess you would also think that witty.
Fertilizer like your arguments helps grow corn, but doesn’t win any prizes for thought, and like your arguments smells badly.
Mike S,
Well done. The extremists of every religion can be dangerous. For example, look at Cardinal George’s recent comments that Notre Dame is less Catholic because they invited the President to speak there. Cardinal George thinks this way because Obama is Pro-Choice. However, I do not remember him complaining when the very Pro Death Penalty George Bush was invited. I can remember the good Benedictine sisters telling us that the death penalty is also against the Catholic tenets. Religious extremism leads to hypocricy every time.
Mike Spindell believes one’s intelligence is measured by the volume of words it takes him to answer a simple question or reply to a simple statement.
Mike Spindell, you are at your best looking in the mirror and congragulating yourself on your “intelligence” and “insight”.
In other words, you are a wordy clown.
Mike Spindell reminds me of the young attorney making his closing arguments at his first trial. He believes he must mesmorize the jury and spends 2 hours “educating” them about his ability to uncannily decipher the truth in a complex case and how his ingeneous display of the case means so much to the legal profession.
Then the jury is excused and in 10 minutes a jury of 12 NORMAL Americans says his client is guilty and this stupid young attorney just stands there with his mouth agape.
Mike, here is a clue: in life you have lost 95% of your audience after your first 70 words because they see right through your bluster.
corn flake:
Whenever you get around to responding to Mike S., let us know ’cause right now you’re batting about .000. I find Mike S succinct and rational; I find you full of invective. Query: Is “invective” another word for brass band? I think so.
mespo, your as ridiculous as “MR BRAIN” Spindell.
Has Corn Farmer been playing with his Ethanol again? The vapors can be as harmful.
Ok, the Pentateuch, is the basis for Judaism and Christianity. Can someone point me in the chapter and verse that anyone says that they renounce Judaism?
I am lost. Maybe too much party time for me. But I have reread it again and I still cannot find it. Oh well.
I did read a letter from James that was the first bishop and Jesus’s brother.
The Bible means book, for those less informed individual. The Bible is purely symbolic for those with too much ingrained ability to think for themselves.
what is concerning the most is the people on the left are accused of being out of touch. The people on the right cannot understand how someone can think. So, when it comes to individual thinking they are afraid. Afraid that the social ring leader will question its loyalty. If per chance they object to becoming the pivot in the classic circle jerk.
The Left will look at it and think, how could one, follow, the pied piper. A liberal rarely follows suit. They agree to disagree and are still friends at the end because the cause of a group is better than the cause of one. The right winger will say that the cause of one is greater than the cause of a group. RWR proved smoke and mirrors works well.
You see the Liberals agree that a Pyramid scheme is bad. The Right wingers agree that a Pyramid scheme is another wealth building tool.
corn farmer:
“mespo, your as ridiculous as “MR BRAIN” Spindell.”
************
Drat, a devastating rejoinder. Whatever shall I do or say in the face of such an intellect? I need “Mr. Brain”!
Mike S and Mespo,
Well done with the Corn man. He is very good at throwing crap out, but very short on the facts and the truth.
ConFused,
I respond to you and all you can do back is use 3 comments to call me names and one to Mespo calling him and I names. No arguments, no refutations, simply name calling. This is so sad for you that you have been so infected by listening to Rush and watching Fox News that you have no concept of how to argue.
To you, having been trained by those clowns to be an unthinking
analinguist of the powerful (just like a Nazi Brownshirt), discussion is calling names, telling lies and making propaganda statements. It’s not your fault really and that is why I pity you, because you simply don’t know any better and are incapable of thinking for yourself. Without having met you and knowing nothing of your life I imagine that you are either a bully personally, or are bullied and identify with those bullying you. You poorly hide your internal anger/frustration and it is focused upon what you incorrectly call “the Left.” If you feel pain in your life it’s not because of Liberals, but because of the people who you follow using you as a cash cow in their feed the rich program.
Mike “Mr. Brain” Spindell:
Dont you mean CornFused?
Slippery:
did you ever call the lady in Germany to offer your services?
You also have an interesting style of writing and thinking.
Dr. Corn Pone:
please say something intelligent, these people already have a low enough opinion of us Right Wingers. From what I have read from most of the right wing posts it is warrented. (FFLEO this does not include you, I am talking about the causal RW posters)
Mr. corn farmer:
The word “your” is possessive, as in “your corn.” It cannot be used as a contraction. What you should have written was “you’re as ridiculous…” It is difficult enough having to read unintelligible rantings without having to endure poor grammar in the process. The next time this happens, I will have to return your post to you to be redone. I trust that that will not be necessary.
Mr. Karzai will do nothing about the law. His response is an effort to blunt further criticism until a new outrage becomes the focus of public attention. Afghanistan is a failed state with a failed head of state. His presidency would end in a number of days were it not for our military presence. Our policy in the Middle East is looking more and more like our old policy for Central and South America: provide military assistance to prop up corrupt regimes as long as they at least publicly profess support of our interests.
Mike A., I agree with your statement above. When the idiot GWB first invaded, despite it not being our intention to help the people of Afghanistan, we did, for a very brief moment, change the life of women and children for the better. We actually made things better for many people. That was because there was a general feeling of good will towards the US in the world. That good will no longer exists. One reason for the loss of good will was leaving the Taliban, the group we had created, in place as we were off to exercise our imperial might in Iraq.
I just don’t see any way our military can help there now. Putting our forces there is an act of imperial aggression. Around 56% of the people don’t want us there. We are hiring mercenaries to do a lot of the dirty work. This is no worthy cause. If it were, we would not be working with Karzi or the ISI in Paksistan. We would also not be hiring mercenaries from groups that supported dictatorships around the world, to go in there and subdue the civilian population.
Mr. Brain? Isn’t that made by the same people as Mr. Coffee and Mr. Fusion? I got to get me some of that, yezzir.
My position on torture is well known, however, I would like to point out that Afghanistan IS a legitimate military target after 9/11. As is Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. None of that changes that we’ve done a horrid job there. I lay the blame squarely on Bush too. He took our military from their legitimate goals there (and elsewhere) so he could steal Iraq’s oil for Unca Dick and his Forty Thieves.
UPDATE
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/10/afghan-rape-law-shelved-d_n_183750.html