Last night, President Bush stated “what every terrorist fears most is human freedom” in his 2007 State of the Union speech. Once again, the President argues that terrorists hate us because of our freedoms. Does this argument make any sense? Why is the President allowed to continually make such a false explanation for terrorism and his war? Why does the public not demand honesty from him? Was Al Qaeda founded one afternoon when someone accidentally mentioned to Osama Bin Laden that Americans had the right to vote? Did Bin Laden respond with such anger and jealousy over the American’s right to vote and other rights that he then made a solemn promise to bomb the United States until these freedoms are destroyed?

Of course, the answer is no. However, the President chose to ignore an intellectually legitimate opportunity to try to understand the answer to the question why. I think that our country will pay dearly for this for many years.

In other news, a U.S. crew of a downed helicopter shot at close range. This story brought to mind the issue of privatization of the US military. The helicopter was owned by a US company called Blackwater that was assisting the US military on an attack on a convoy. Seriously, does anyone else out there question why it is in the country’s best interest to be outsourcing military-like operations during a war to the private sector? What control can we have over these private companies? What training do we provide for these private companies? What do these private companies bring to the table that our government cannot provide on its own? The Republicans have been touting privatization for years for a variety of purposes under the theory that the free market solves everything. One benefit that this war has had was that the blind faith in the free market can now be called into question. First, for too long, Republicans have been able to get away with ignoring the basic needs of fellow citizens based on the theory that if something is truly needed, the free market will solve everything. Republicans would avoid government programs that were truly needed, leaving fellow citizens to suffer, and then not have to feel guilty about it because of the free market fallacy. The reality is that there are things that the free market will not address on its own because the free market’s only incentive is profit, not the right thing to do. The government has a role. Second, Republicans have ALWAYS argued that the private sector will do things more efficiently than the government can. This has prevented needed things like national health care from gaining the necessary momentum it needs. HOWEVER, this war has provided an endless list of headlines documenting how privatization is not more efficient, not more cost effective, and only an opportunity for corruption. One report showed that the US government was being charged $75 for a 12 pack of Mountain Dew in Iraq. Somehow, this does not seem justified by the free market to me. Take notice people…