Civilizing Savages. Prosecutors in Afghanistan are threatening to execute a man for converting from Islam to Christianity, and all that President Wuss will do is say "I’m troubled when I hear, deeply troubled when I hear, the fact that a person who converted away from Islam may be held to account."
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Not nearly good enuf. What he should say is "We forbid it. Stop this trial, abolish that law. Now." And if the Afghans defy that absolute, unequivocal demand, kill everyone responsible. Kill the legislators who passed the law. Kill the prosecutors involved in that suppression of the absolute right to freedom of conscience. Kill anyone and everyone who would commit this crime against freedom of conscience.
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We aren't in Afghanistan to stand idly by while crimes against humanity are committed.
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Why is the largest Christian country on Earth so timid about defending the right of people to become Christians? If the man on trial in Afghanistan were to be threatened with death for being a Jew, would we be so timid? Oddly, no. Crimes against Jews are taken very seriously by our (non-Jewish) government, but crimes against Christians, in the Sudan and elsewhere, are a matter of no concern. That must change.
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims unambiguously:

Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Afghanistan was a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights when it was passed in 1948, a long time ago. Afghanistan was civilized in 1948. Now it is barbarous. That's not the way things are supposed to go. Countries should become more civilized over time, not less.
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Afghanistan recognized its obligation to respect, indeed defend, freedom of conscience in 1948, and must accept that obligation now. If it does not act decisively to revoke all attempts at interfering with freedom of conscience, the United States should take all necessary measures to teach Afghan savages that they may not compel religious conscience. If they try, we will stop them. If they resist, we will punish them. If they fite against this universal principle, we will crush them.
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I would rather kill every single savage in Afghanistan than let savages execute people for converting to Christianity, to any other religion, or to atheism.
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Civilization is not weak. Civilization has the capacity to destroy barbarism, and we should not hesitate to warn barbarians that they must step up to civilization or we will crush them underfoot.
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(The current U.S. military death toll in Iraq, according to the website "Iraq Coalition Casualties", is 2,319.)
- posted by L. Craig Schoonmaker @ 8:44 AM