Enemies of freedom

Enemies of freedom is one of the slogans invented and promoted by the George W. Bush presidency. It's part of his fallacious notion that the attacks upon the World Trade Center in 2001 were somehow "against freedom". See the articles on War on freedom and Evil-doers and "Why do they hate us?", which further expose his persistent denial of the known facts behind the causes of the WTC attacks.

"He keeps repeating that canard that 'terrorists hate freedom.' Nonsense. There is no terrorist in the world who is a terrorist because he hates freedom. By far, the majority of terrorists are fighting for freedom of some group that doesn't have it. ... It is absurd to suppose that a human being sitting around suddenly stands up and says: 'You know, I hate freedom. I think I'll go blow myself up.'" --Charley Reese

First Usage

• June 2, 2001: Paul Wolfowitz, during his commencement address to the cadets at West Point.

• December 23, 2003: A search on the White House website for instances of this phrase discloses 4 uses during 2001, 9 uses during 2002, 8 in the first 5 months of 2003, and 63 uses since June 1, 2003.

By President George W. Bush

• September 11, 2001, from Barksdale AFB, Shreveport, LA.[1]: "Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward. And freedom will be defended."

• September 20, 2001: Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People:

• "On September the 11th, enemies of freedom committed an act of war against our country."
• "Tonight we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom."

• "freedom itself is under attack."

• "Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see right here in this chamber -- a democratically elected government. They hate our freedoms -- our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other."
• "Freedom and fear are at war."
• "Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them."

• September 21, 2001: While proclaiming "National POW/MIA Recognition Day": "Throughout our history, American patriots have risen to answer the call when the enemies of freedom have jeopardized our liberties."

Subsequent Usage

"The war on terror continues. The enemies of freedom are not idle, and neither are we. This country will not rest, we will not tire, we will not stop until this danger to civilization is removed."*mdash;G.W. Bush campaign fundraiser, December 1, 2003.

Yet in the same speech, he acknowledges the impossibility of there being such a thing as an enemy of freedom, since ...

"freedom is the deepest need and hope of every human heart."

He goes on to attach divine authority to his presumptive defense of freedom: "We believe that freedom is the future of every nation. And we know that freedom is not America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman living in this world."

In the same speech, he attempts to describe free nations by using examples of what America used to be, but no longer is under his rulership:

Our greatest security comes from the advance of human liberty, because

• free nations do not support terror;
• free nations do not attack their neighbors;
• free nations do not develop weapons of mass terror to threaten the world.

Note that:

• PATRIOT Acts, and the conversion of local police departments into para-military units from their former role "to serve and protect" are NOT advancement of human liberties.
• The U.S. supports the terror inflicted by Israel upon Palestinians beyond Israel's borders, and other kinds of state terror of its own.
• Bush did attack Afghanistan and Iraq, apparently not considering them neighbors, but is still obstructing investigations into which neighbor attacked the World Trade Center.
• Bush actively promotes and uses mass terror weapons, nuclear bombs, cluster bombs, Depleted Uranium munitions.

Related SourceWatch Resources

• Imperial terror in South America
• power of persuasion
• Treating dissent as treason
• Using fear as a political tool
• why do they hate us?

External links

• International Reporters Group Names 30 Enemies of Freedom, Reporters Without Borders, April 30, 2001: "In the Middle East, the group's list of so-called enemies of freedom of expression includes Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Saudi Arabia's King Fahd, Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Libya's Moammar Gadhafi. Also on the list are Syria's new President Bashar Al-Assad, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the leader of Afghanistan's Taliban militia, Mohammad Omar Akhunzadah."
• White House Press Release, prior to National Address on September 20, 2001, wherein:
  "Freedom and fear are at war," the President will declare. He will conclude with his confidence that so long as America is determined and strong, this will not be an age of terror, but an age of liberty.
• "Who are the Enemies of Freedom?" blogscanada, November 26, 2003: "Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the rest of the administration's PNAC cronies have taken full advantage of the fact that the horror of September 11 has clouded the memory of jaded Americans. They're trotting out the same old slogans that the Vietnam hawks used in the 60's and branding those who dare to dissent from their dangerous, megalomaniacal agenda as traitors." Excellent examination of Vietnam era origins of the phrase.