Relevant Quotes:

"You have the right to free speech. As long as you're not dumb enough to actually try it."—The Clash, Know Your Rights

"Iraqis are sick of foreign people coming in their country and trying to destabilize their country."—G. W. Bush

When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”—Sinclair Lewis

"Any society that will give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."—Ben Franklin

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."—Theodore Roosevelt

Constant war for peace means a progressive loss of our freedom and rights to our own government here at home. War is the problem, not the solution!"

"Government is the Entertainment division of the military-industrial complex." — Frank Zappa

Thursday, July 01, 2004

The Model Of Democracy

in the Islamic world is what Bush called Turkey.

This Story ought to give pause to the notion that this is what we want the Islamic world to emulate though it likely is part of their culture. You be the judge.

snip>

A 13-year-old Turkish girl was married off by her family to her rapist who paid them "the price of a truck" to escape a long jail sentence, newspapers in Istanbul reported today.

The girl, from the village of Damlibogaz, in western Turkey, was 10 years old when a family friend, aged 20, started sleeping with her.

The rapes continued for a year before she fell pregnant and gave birth to a girl.

Her rapist, Ferit Cicek, was sentenced to 18½ years in jail.

His family then promised the girl's family 10 billion Turkish pounds ($9600) for an arranged marriage which would allow the young man to walk free.

Turkish law currently allows sharp reductions in prison sentences for rapists who agree to marry their victims.

In 2002, 546 men took advantage of the procedure and another 163 in the first four months of 2003, according to official figures.

end of snip>

The story notes that the government is trying to change the loophole in the law that allow this but wow, how do you think this would fly in the US. I'm sure the fundies still think gay marriage is worse.