Neocon Human Rights Priorities -

Neocon Human Rights Priorities - Minnesota Blogger "Dennis", who runs the Moderate Republican blog, asks a question you hear from an awful lot on the left:

while the neocons can pat themselves on the back for dispatching such a brutal regime as was Saddam's you have to wonder how important human rights really are for neocons. They claim the human rights are important and scorn those who want to take a more cautious approach. Then why have they been so silent on the killing taking place in the Congo? It has been estimated that maybe 3 million have died in the fighting that has taken place. Why are they not shaking their fists about this?

Because if we attacked every nation that brutalized its people, we'd have to pretty much conquer 80% of the world. I don't think we're ready to do that.

Had Congolese been at the sticks on any of the 9/11 planes, or if the Zairian prime minister been developing poison gas with which to conquer Botswana when he was ready, it might be a very different situation.

Don't get me wrong; I wish we could do something about the Congo. Much of the fighting is taking place in the Ituri forest, a place that I've read about since I was in elementary school. It's a place written elequently about by Jean-Pierre Hallet, a man who's spent the last fifty years working with and publicizing the everlasting plight of the Pygmies. Beyond the Congo, I wish we could save the victims of every contest between thugs, ideologues and tyrants.

So how many American lives is that worth to you?

Posted by Mitch at June 22, 2003 10:03 PM