Conservative Apologists
In the US and Australia a new phenomenon is emerging which I could only call the rise of 'conservative apologists'. These people, supposedly from a side of politics that is deeply suspicious of government and its powers, now are its unquestioning servants. A strengthening of the powers of the secret police and spy agencies is welcomed, to hell with civil liberties. The Government lied and mislead us about the reasons for the war in Iraq, but that's no cause for concern. For them, any criticism of the Howard or Bush administrations is worthy of contempt and should be howled down. Any questioning of the war on terrorism is tantamount to treason. It is effectively a conservative led attempt to marginalise concerned ordinary citizens in a show of contempt for our democracy.
This is most apparent in the wild hysteria provoked by Michael Moore's anti-Bush film Farenheit 911 and conservative attempts to censor it. These partisan idelogues apparently believe that the re-election of their preferred government is so important they are above all scrutiny and should not be criticised. But worst of all, they fail themselves to question their governments and leaders as a result of their partisan zeal. This unthinking support for their side of politics puts ideology above democracy, which is a value we all should share. The fact is, conservatives and social democrats alike should be greatly concerned about the direction of the Bush and Howard governments. Both are trashing international law, showing scant regard for human rights, launching pre-emptive wars with questionable motives and ignoring international opinion. This has the potential to undermine world stability. Look at pre-emptive strikes for example. If China is to follow the example set by the US, it could quite justifiably attack Taiwan. The concerted conservative campaign to trash the United Nations is likewise counterproductive and dangerous to world stability. Without a formal forum to communicate and resolve differences, we put at risk all of the progress in international relations we have worked so hard to build up since the 1939-45 War. That progress is built on the blood of millions of civilians and soldiers lost in that war, and any move away from the UN and international law would betray their legacy. It is time conservatives put the interests of humanity over their own selfish partisan ideology.
This is most apparent in the wild hysteria provoked by Michael Moore's anti-Bush film Farenheit 911 and conservative attempts to censor it. These partisan idelogues apparently believe that the re-election of their preferred government is so important they are above all scrutiny and should not be criticised. But worst of all, they fail themselves to question their governments and leaders as a result of their partisan zeal. This unthinking support for their side of politics puts ideology above democracy, which is a value we all should share. The fact is, conservatives and social democrats alike should be greatly concerned about the direction of the Bush and Howard governments. Both are trashing international law, showing scant regard for human rights, launching pre-emptive wars with questionable motives and ignoring international opinion. This has the potential to undermine world stability. Look at pre-emptive strikes for example. If China is to follow the example set by the US, it could quite justifiably attack Taiwan. The concerted conservative campaign to trash the United Nations is likewise counterproductive and dangerous to world stability. Without a formal forum to communicate and resolve differences, we put at risk all of the progress in international relations we have worked so hard to build up since the 1939-45 War. That progress is built on the blood of millions of civilians and soldiers lost in that war, and any move away from the UN and international law would betray their legacy. It is time conservatives put the interests of humanity over their own selfish partisan ideology.
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