The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
The Forum - On Line Opinion's article discussion area



Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Main Articles General

Sign In      Register

The Forum > Article Comments > Afghanistan and our dud government > Comments

Afghanistan and our dud government : Comments

By Bruce Haigh, published 2/4/2009

The Rudd Government is totally devoid of ideas, policy and courage, moreover, they lack commonsense and the will to act.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. Page 3
  5. All
Hey g'day SJF,

Well I don't feel that the issue is less because it (supposedly) effects only 15 % of the population. That's still a hell of a lot of girls aged 9 and upwards that the government of the whole country says can be handed over in 'marriage'; as well as all the other abuses that go into that package.

As civic law anyway it's unworkable. How does a police or judicial system act to enforce a law for only part of the population when two people of different religions commit the same act. Like does one fella get locked up for trafficking a nine year old girl; while the next fellow gets the nod and can go his way, having done the same thing, because his religious belief is different? I suspect that anyone trafficking a nine year old (or restricting his spouse's movements; or beating her; or making her wear make up; or raping her) will get the nod of ok.

That any government, in this day and age where we are supposed to honour a human rights framework, can successfully bring any such thing into formal law is terrifying. I am appalled that none of our Western governments seem to give a damn.

(Nice to read your posts again btw :D)
Posted by Pynchme, Sunday, 5 April 2009 4:59:21 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Good article Bruce (except for the last few paragraphs.)

On my blog Leonie Bronstein, one of my authors, argues that this is really the battle between two Talibans - 'ours' and theirs.

She goes on to say that if the US is beaten in Afghanistan one consequence is that the American beast will be forced into its cage for a few years and national liberation movements around the world might feel confident to confront their US economic and military overlords.

Australian troops are dying in Afghanistan to protect rape in marriage and keep women locked in the home. That really does give the lie to this criminal invasion being about liberating Afghans, in particular women.

It is disgraceful, but that's the price Rudd is forcing us to pay for the insurance policy of the AnzUS alliance.

I'd love to hear imperialist supporters like Gillard, Plibersek and their ilk explain their support for a regime that allows rape in marriage in Afghanistan. It'll be weasel words because their real goal in being in Afghanistan is defending the US alliance, not liberating people.

What does it matter to them if as collateral damage kids get killed, (sometimes with Australian troops pulling the trigger,) Australian troops get blown to bits and Afghan women get raped?

The US Alliance dominates their thinking and they'll come up with some sort of justification or explanation - eg we strongly condemn the Afghan Government but the fight against terrorism is paramount...

Hypocrites, war mongers and war criminals the lot.
Posted by Passy, Sunday, 5 April 2009 10:19:29 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Hi Pynchme

I mentioned the 15% factor in response to your partly rhetorical question of why the media wasn't giving this law more appropriate significance. I wasn't meaning to use the percentage to diminish the law in any way (although I appreciate that that's how it could have come across).

The new law was given some prominent coverage on the SBS and ABC news last night (I don't watch the commercial bulletins), so perhaps it's an issue that's building momentum slowly in the West. If so, then the peace movement and other social justice groups must not allow Western spin doctors to manipulate the issue for their own ends - e.g. to make out that our troops are in Afghanistan to bring an end to laws like this.
Posted by SJF, Sunday, 5 April 2009 2:52:54 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
I thought it was odd - didn't think you were one to minimize it.

- but geez you're good:

"If so, then the peace movement and other social justice groups must not allow Western spin doctors to manipulate the issue for their own ends - e.g. to make out that our troops are in Afghanistan to bring an end to laws like this."

I hadn't thought of that and you're absolutey right - we'll keep an eye on it. Makes me sick that women and children get used as an excuse when it suits and discarded otherwise.
Posted by Pynchme, Sunday, 5 April 2009 3:27:21 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Hi again, Pynch

‘Makes me sick that women and children get used as an excuse when it suits and discarded otherwise.’

Yeah … everyone’s a feminist when it suits their agenda.

And to make a seemingly irrelevant digression … While Karzai is signing off on these grotesque gender laws in order to shore up his election chances, I’d love to know who his tailor is … and if he has a design consultant. He really is far and away the best dresser on the world stage today.

And while we’re at it, I’d also love to know where – indeed, who – Mrs Karzai is. I have a feeling her wardrobe falls well short of her husband’s – along with her rights.
Posted by SJF, Sunday, 5 April 2009 5:12:40 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Well, there you go, SJF, Afghanistan looks like just your sort of place. You can go and convince all those unreconstructed men that they're wrong and you're right and that they should have laws that let women cry "rape" anytime they change their mind in the morning, all in total anonymity, of course, except for the bloke falsely accused, whose name is plastered all over the papers.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1166466/Man-cleared-rape-court-shown-phone-footage-woman-actively-taking-sex.html.

You're the one who claims to be "militant" and "radical", yet I don't see a rush from you or any of the other gravytrain-riders to get over there and set the Afghanis straight. Why is that?
Posted by Antiseptic, Sunday, 12 April 2009 8:19:04 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. Page 3
  5. All

About Us :: Search :: Discuss :: Feedback :: Legals :: Privacy