Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Human Rights for Some

"There's an enemy that lurks and plots and plans and wants to hurt America again," he said. "So you bet we will aggressively pursue them, but we will do so under the law."

"We do not torture."

So says the president, even as VP Cheney pushes to change a ban on torture being pushed through the senate so the CIA would still be allowed to do so. "The administration has said in a statement that while it does not condone torture, it opposes the measure because it would be unnecessary or duplicative and could restrict the president's ability to conduct the war (on terrorism) effectively under existing law" (USA Today). I feel like, as usual, I'm the only one hearing two very different things coming from one White House. Do these people have multiple personalities, or do they just see nothing wrong with blatantly contradicting themselves?

Meanwhile, the US has just reached an agreement with China over textile trade, never mind that they are one of the world's worst countries when it comes to human rights violations. Sure, they send people into Myanmar to completely decimate the northern forests, so the Myanmar army can then have an easier time wiping out the northern villages because they are a different ethnicity. And sure, they keep Western countries from asking about it because everybody loves China and doesn't want to tick them off. But who really wants to do anything about it considering China is one of our favorite providers of cheap (aka sweat shop produced) clothing?

And of course, the US has now become friendly with India, who illegally produced atomic weapons. We continue to threaten war on Iran and Korea for even thinking about it, but India is okay, even if the rest of the world (including the UN) is against their actions. After all, who needs the okay of the rest of the world when you are the US?

In the 21st century America has seized absolute power, which does corrupt absolutely, and twisted what was once good into something hideous and evil. Why do we care about human rights in some cases, but not others? Why do we think that every other Western nation is wrong when they disagree with us? I'm sorry for going so political, but something needs to change. I fear for the safety of the people of the US, who are becoming universally hated. I fear for the people of poorer nations who have to suffer at the everchanging whim of an overpowering capitalist system where the bottom line is all that matters. I pray for God's kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.

Peace,
Matt

Currently Reading: The book of Revelation.

2 comments:

Andii said...

It is great to see the concern and passion of what you write and also the prayer you close with which draws things together. I think that we need to be seeing so much more of the way this world is run in the perspective of God's kingdom agenda, and I applaud you making these links.

You might be interested to look at the way this site and the book associated with it deal with the issues of prayer and lifestyle in a networked globalised world where God's providential systems are being so distorted that it is hard to see how some people's prayers for daily bread might be answered.
A good place to start might be http://abbeynous.schtuff.com/lifestyle_prayer

P.T. Peterson said...

Ahh, yes -- the old trick of disguising self-advertisement within a compliment. Nicely done, andii.