Hi, this is Jody Paulson from Moscow, ID with what they don't tell you.

When I heard Bush's inauguration speech I was struck by the high-minded, idealistic rhetoric. I could have written parts of that speech myself. Listen to this line: "There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant. And that is the force of human freedom." The trouble is, I don't think Bush and I are on the same page, or even the same dictionary as to the definition of "human freedom." Let's face it, words like "liberty" and "tyranny" can mean whatever people want them to mean.

In his speech, Bush said the word "freedom" 27 times and the word "liberty" 15 times. Judging from the policies of his previous term, that means freedom to torture, freedom to wage preemptive war, and freedom to spy on American citizens. Liberty must mean carte blanche for corporations to do what they want here and abroad. It certainly doesn't mean the light of day for hundreds of "unlawful combatants" in US custody, as Bush is seeking their infinite detention without trail or access to a lawyer. It definitely has nothing to do with freedom of speech, as thousands of protesters were barred from being anywhere near shouting distance as Bush delivered his address. This goes double for the folks receiving our exported "liberty" overseas. Just ask the Iraqi protesters in Baghdad and Basra. Instead of rubber bullets, they've been catching the real thing.

Bush left little doubt that he wasn't about to pull out of Iraq when he said, "Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon." But what's truly scary about his speech is exemplified by this line: "We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation, the moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right."

Jason Raimondo of antiwar.com, translates this to mean, "We will continue to launch wars of aggression against anyone who gets in our way. If you think Iraq is a big deal, you haven't seen anything yet ..." I agree with Jason's estimation. This was a speech about imperialism. It essentially paints the United States as a country on a mission, to proclaim "liberty throughout the world." But we all know what "exported democracy" looks like. It's unmitigated capitalism, unbridled rule by corporation. So when Bush says "we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom," I tremble for Iran, but even more for my own country. These guys haven't wised up to reality yet, but like the 40 million dollar inaugural itself, it'll be the American people and its military personnel who pay the bill.

I'm Jody Paulson, and I just thought you should know.