It is amazing that many American conservatives look upon the Tea Partyers of North Africa and the Middle East active in watering the Tree of Liberty as a bad thing.
Chasing the government of Tunisia out of office was OK. We don’t buy anything from Tunisia. And whatever oil they have they buy at the pump just like we do. (Actually Tunisia has some oil but nothing to get excited about).
With unrest spreading to places with oil, or to friendly authoritarians, some are wringing their hands.
It is the ‘natural right’ of people to choose and to change their governments. Or does that only apply to us? Surely not.
We support the right of all people to choose their own governments. Or do we cheer these folks on only if they are not Muslim or only if they support our political and economic objectives. Yes? Maybe? If the price of oil doesn’t go up? Only if …?
Seems that I heard somewhere: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” (Regards to Laurie Millam for the reminder).
To be sure there are many conservatives rooting for those seeking liberty in North Africa and the Middle East. And there are just as many concerned that Mubarak represented stability and that the instability could spread to nearby countries — all or most all of which support our foreign policy to some degree and enable our economic addiction for oil, oil, oil.
Bill Golden, aka Bill4DogCatcher.com, is a conservative independent and observer on business, economics and politics. And no, “independent” is not a codeword for closet Republican.
