Odd ideas about “Freedom”

30 September 2006 in Politics by Stilgherrian | 3 comments

This is what George W Bush said at the Bob Riley for Governor lunch in Alabama yesterday:

There is an Almighty, and a gift of that Almighty to every man, woman and child on the face of the Earth is freedom.

And this, apparently, is part of his argument for legislation which intends to legitimise evidence gained through torture, create “military commissions” where hearsay is admissible as evidence and other “tools necessary to protect the American people in this war on terror” and keep people like David Hicks imprisoned without charge or trial for another four years.

Ah yes, freedom…

The whole speech is worth reading because it’s a fine example of how to do propaganda. And perhaps I’ll write more about that another time, if anyone’s interested?

Or would more Steve Irwin jokes be more suitable?

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  1. Richard’s avatar

    Richard on 30 September 2006 at 9:58 am

    I, for one, would be interested to read your thoughts on propaganda.

    A thought: I get uneasy when a leader invokes religion, whether in Washington or the hills of Afghanistan.

    If we’re waging the WOT against ‘extremism’, then let’s make it a fight for secular values of enlightenment and tolerance. Not another brand of fundamentalism.

    Note: Opinions in comments do not necessarily reflect those of the management.

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  2. Casey Kochmer’s avatar

    Casey Kochmer on 30 September 2006 at 11:20 am

    The only problem is Mr Bush has been all too effective at “projecting” his view of reality onto the American public. Now that’s what I call a magic act of propaganda…

    Peace and Freedom

    After all if the US government doesn’t want you to have it anymore, it must be something worth having. :)

    Casey

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  3. 'Pong’s avatar

    'Pong on 01 October 2006 at 8:55 pm

    Freedom, Liberty, National > good guys
    Terror, WMD > Bad guys
    Turn the world to black & white. It’s easier to govern.

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