Freedom's just another word...

I expect every mainstream news outlet carried a Bush quote in response to questions about demonstrations against him during his visit to the UK (demonstrations from which he, of course, was carefully shielded). In fact, it was so widely reported I didn't even bother with a link. The AP had it this way:

"Freedom is beautiful," Bush said Thursday, adding he was happy to be in a country where people were allowed to speak their minds freely. "All I know is that people in Baghdad weren't allowed to do this until recent history."

Allowed to do this? Perhaps he doesn't know about the 17-year old boy who was arrested in June for "insulting" US troops. Or the labor leaders arrested in July because they staged a nonviolent encampment to protest unemployment. Or how L. Paul Bremer has shut down Iraqi-run newspapers and radio and TV stations whose content he disliked. Or the man in Baghdad who was arrested on November 11, put in handcuffs, and had masking tape put across his mouth, for "making anti-coalition statements." Or the two lawyers arrested on November 18 because they were "suspected of supporting Saddam Hussein" (not, note carefully, for anything they actually did).

Or maybe he does but just regards doing whatever the US says as "freedom."

Keep repeating it: Military rule is not democracy. And occupation is not liberation.

(Link re: labor leaders from AlterNet; those re: the teenager and Iraqi media from TomPaine.com.)

Update Nov. 23: Perhaps someone also neglected to inform him of the 28,000 Iraqi teachers fired by Bremer last week solely because of their former membership in the Baath Party.