Let ‘freedom’ ring?

Maggie says:
In yesterday’s inauguration speech, Bush uttered the words “free,” “freedom,” and “liberty” 49 times. The catchword of the Bush administration, “freedom” was mentioned 25 times alone. This in a 17 minute speech.

This freedom thing really gets me. Some examples: during the USC-Oklahoma game a couple of weeks ago, country singer Toby Keith was interviewed and thanked U.S. troops for “keeping it free.” In today’s Daily Lobo, an ROTC student passing by the UNM Counter Inauguration Rally remarked that protesting Bush is self-defeating since “the troops are fighting so American people can retain their freedom and right to protest.”

Am I missing something? Can someone please explain what definition of freedom I’m not aware of? How are we “keeping it free” by bombing a country whose oil we want? And how do we protect freedom by forming close relationships with countries whose records are not “free” in the least, like Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Pakistan? How are American lives improved and made more “free” by the massive debt and casualties resulting from our invasion, not to mention the devastation done to Iraq and Iraqi families?

Perhaps American dictionaries need to take note. I think the new definition of freedom – as used for political purposes, anyway – is something like this: The pursuit of U.S. expansion into new markets (countries) for economic and political gains, regardless of human casualties, financial costs, or opinion of the American people and global population.