American Humanitarianism? No Thanks

1898, that is President McKinley saving a Filipino "savage" from Spain. The cartoon implies that to give the Philippines to the Spanish would be tantamount to throwing Filipino children off a cliff. A humanitarian argument for occupying Philippines was therefore crafted. More than 4,000 American troops and 16,000 Filipino soldiers part of a nation-wide guerrilla movement, died. Estimates of civilian death range from 250,000 to 1,000,000. In 1901, the US established a "Civil Government" under the tutelage of William Howard Taft. A Philippine constitution was not fashioned until 1934.

2004, the "humanitarian intervention" orchestrated by the Bush Administration "frees" Iraqi children. More than 4000 American troops and thousands of Ba'athist soldiers part of a nation-wide guerilla movement, died. Estimates of civilian death range from 200,000 to 1,000,000. The US hinges the hope of an Iraqi "Civil Government" upon a theocratic constitution. The Constitution turns half of Iraq into second-rate citizens:

In other words, we [women] are not allowed to independence. We are not allowed to decisions in our lives, and we not speaking here about only appearances of wearing veil or not veil, but we are speaking about women having choices in their lives. We have lost those, and it is by constitution now. There is no other way to it, because no article that contradicts with Islamic Sharia will be allowed in the family law, and there isn't much elaboration about following the international conventions of ending the discrimination against women to prioritize them over religion. It says very clearly the priority is that the laws will not contradict with Islamic Sharia. So, there you go, all of the women are second-rate citizens in Iraq.

The evolution of American Humanitarianism? There hasn't been any. American humanitarianism started off as the handmaiden of colonialism and death, and it has remained that way. When will the American public, which in 2003 supported the war 3 to 1, and now opposes it almost 3 to 1, realize that every time US politicians cry humanitarianism, they are about to engage in a colonial enterprise that will lead to the death of hundreds of thousands of "savages."

It's not our TV's and satellite dishes "they" hate us for. They've got those. They are concerned the US is going to come and "save" them.

Iran, 2007.