--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > In a message dated 9/19/06 2:03:07 P.M. Central Daylight Time, > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > > And I have to disagree with the premise, that Islamic > > > countries are not ready for Democracy. I think any > > > civilized people are ready for it, but may need more > > > time and help depending on what their previous > > > experiences have been". > > > > "May need more time and help" = "not ready" <snip> > > Needing more time or needing help doesn't mean a country isn't > ready for democracy.
Uh, well, yes, it does, by definition. It would be ready for democracy only if it *didn't* need more time and help. It's not an insult or a criticism to say Iraq isn't ready for democracy, given what they've been through and the disastrous mess the U.S. has made of the occupation. But Bush tries to portray it as an insult, or a lack of faith in the Iraqis' innate ability to have a democracy. He even portrayed it as racism in that passage I quoted. He does this to try to intimidate his critics, but it's a straw man. No responsible politician or leader that I've heard has ever suggested the Iraqis are *innately* incapable of democracy. > Democracy has not always come easily to those that enjoy it now. Right. We in the U.S. weren't ready for it for quite some time. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
