Over There: Bush's Rhetoric. Over Here: Reality. And Never the Twain Shall Meet.

Siun at Crooks and Liars:

In the SOTU Monday night, George Bush cheered on the "young democracy" in Afghanistan:

In Afghanistan, America, our 25 NATO allies and 15 partner nations are helping the Afghan people defend their freedom and rebuild their country. Thanks to the courage of these military and civilian personnel, a nation that was once a safe haven for al-Qaida is now a young democracy where boys and girls are going to school, new roads and hospitals are being built, and people are looking to the future with new hope.

Yet just six days ago a young Afghan reporter was sentenced to death in Afghanistan and the case points to the return of both judicial extremists and the continuing power of the warlords.

According to The Independent, Sayed Pervez Kambaksh received his sentence, issued by an Islamic court, as punishment for having allegedly downloaded and distributed a report on the internet "which stated that Muslim fundamentalists who claimed the Koran justified the oppression of women had misrepresented the views of the prophet Mohamed."

I'm not sure there could be a case that better illustrated the fallacy of Bush's repeated claims that freedom, democracy, and equality are flourishing in Afghanistan.

Siun has more details of the case at the link, as well as action items and contact information to plead for Kambaksh's life and freedom.