"Iraqi Freedom"

Walking up the narrow cobblestone calle Sorbas here in Carboneras, the little (pop. 6,000) village in Spain where my compañera & I have been hanging out this month, I was startled to see the slogan "Iraqi Freedom" emblazoned on the black T-shirt of a man who would be central casting's idea of the American soldier. Wow! Was he so proud of that mayhem that he was willing to defy overwhelming Spanish public opinion condemning it?

Actually, of course, we are all for Iraqi freedom -- and the quicker the US gets out of there, the quicker Iraqis may be able to construct it. My suspicion though is that the blond man in the T-shirt thinks that freedom is the same thing as being occupied by foreign troops. That's as crazy an idea as imagining that "democracy" can be imposed by a foreign power, or that "sovereignty" can be limited. But alas, the US has declared itself an outlaw nation, outside the Geneva convention, rules against torture, and the jurisdiction of the world court. Somebody ought to call the cops. Problem is, the US armed forces ARE the cops.