# A part of American Democracy successfully exported to Iraq! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 24, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480 "2005-01-24T22:07:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/1 "2005-01-24T22:07:19Z")
Unfortunately, it’s only our idiotic tendency to declare war on abstract concepts [Al-Zarquwi declares war on Democracy](http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=435225) At least they declare war on democracy and the people who practice it, so it’s a war against people rather than just a war against an abstract concept. (I’m not glad they declared war on us, just glad that their doing so somewhat preserves the definition of the word war). The headline of my local paper was “Al-Zarquwi declares war on the Iraq vote” which is even worse. Declaring war on an event :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Avenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Avenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avenger)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/2 "2005-01-24T23:31:07Z")
Why will no-one declare war on war? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/3 "2005-01-24T23:59:41Z")
> [@](#): > > The speaker said democracy was based on un-Islamic beliefs and behaviors such as freedom of religion, rule of the people, freedom of expression, separation of religion and state, forming political parties and majority rule. (Cue thundering herd of SDMB rightists stampeding into the Pit, bellowing “George Bush was Right! They do hate our freedom!”, and “See, it is a war against Islam!”) Anyway, kuos to Mr. al-Zarqawi, who appears to have pulled off the difficult trick of shooting himself in the foot while said foot is firmly planted in his mouth. If only that weren’t metaphorical. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/4 "2005-01-25T00:01:14Z")
Er, kudos, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/5 "2005-01-25T00:04:52Z")
I don’t understand! I drank the Kool-Aid and listen to the lefties, and I gather that the noble insurgents are the Iraqi version of ‘Minutemen’, veritable freedom-fighters seeking to oust a hideous occupier so they can live in peace under a open and liberal goverment! 😕 Or: Heh. Told you so. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/6 "2005-01-25T00:21:49Z")
Good thing your team is in charge, otherwise things wouldn’t be going as well. ---
**Author:** ![Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji_Kitakyusho)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/7 "2005-01-25T00:29:45Z")
Someone should tell Al-Zarquwi that even in a democracy, if it is the will of the people, you can elect religious nutcases to power to inflict god’s will on the people. I’ve heard of this happening before. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/8 "2005-01-25T00:40:33Z")
> [@Fuji Kitakyusho](#): > > Someone should tell Al-Zarquwi that even in a democracy, if it is the will of the people, you can elect religious nutcases to power to inflict god’s will on the people. I’ve heard of this happening before. Yeah, but dude, saying that you are declaring war on democracy is just waaay more bitching than saying “vote for me.” Al Zarquwi sounds like a dude dedicated to becoming more bitching. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/9 "2005-01-25T01:31:57Z")
Does the story appear elsewhere than in the liink in the OP? I’m not exactly authorized to upgrade the browser here, and the ABC news site won’t show it to me otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/10 "2005-01-25T01:36:06Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > I don’t understand! I drank the Kool-Aid and listen to the lefties, and I gather that the noble insurgents are the Iraqi version of ‘Minutemen’, veritable freedom-fighters seeking to oust a hideous occupier so they can live in peace under a open and liberal goverment! 😕 > > Or: > > Heh. Told you so. Brutus When did al-Zarqawi become every insurgent in Iraq? Told who so? ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/11 "2005-01-25T01:39:24Z")
um, aren’t we “fighting ignorance”? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/12 "2005-01-25T01:48:20Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t understand! I drank the Kool-Aid and listen to the lefties, and I gather that the noble insurgents are the Iraqi version of ‘Minutemen’, veritable freedom-fighters seeking to oust a hideous occupier so they can live in peace under a open and liberal goverment! No, I don’t think you have listened at all. Perhaps you can point to a thread where members of this board have expressed broad support; hell, any any instance at all where a single member of this board has expressed support for al-Zarqawi, who is the person under discussion here. > [@](#): > > Or: > > Heh. Told you so. Told us what, exactly? Link, please. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/13 "2005-01-25T01:53:32Z")
> [@MrFantsyPants](#): > > um, aren’t we “fighting ignorance”? :mad: Quiet you. This is totally different. ---
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/14 "2005-01-25T01:58:50Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Does the story appear elsewhere than in the liink in the OP? I’m not exactly authorized to upgrade the browser here, and the ABC news site won’t show it to me otherwise. I originally read it in San Diego’s _Union Tribune_, but I just slapped the first link I could google in the OP, so I don’t know where else it may appear. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/15 "2005-01-25T02:10:31Z")
This Al-Zarqawi guy. He a uniter, or a divider? ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/16 "2005-01-25T02:26:07Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > No, I don’t think you have listened at all. Perhaps you can point to a thread where members of this board have expressed broad support; hell, any any instance at all where a single member of this board has expressed support for al-Zarqawi, who is the person under discussion here. > > Told us what, exactly? Link, please. Good luck. Brutus frothes at the mouth a lot. And I do mean a lot. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/17 "2005-01-25T02:35:29Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Anyway, kuos to Mr. al-Zarqawi, who appears to have pulled off the difficult trick of shooting himself in the foot while said foot is firmly planted in his mouth. All by shooting off his mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/18 "2005-01-25T03:31:06Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > No, I don’t think you have listened at all. Perhaps you can point to a thread where members of this board have expressed broad support; hell, any any instance at all where a single member of this board has expressed support for al-Zarqawi, who is the person under discussion here. Ah, Zarqawi and the noble freedom-loving insurgents are two seperate entities, may never the two meet!? Consider my ignorance fought! And here I was, laboring under the delusion that Zarqawi was a figure of some importance with the insurgents (who just want to be rid of their dread American oppressors!). Pffft. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/19 "2005-01-25T03:56:41Z")
OK, **Brutus** , I got about thirty seconds, tell me everything you know about the Iraqi insurgency. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480/20 "2005-01-25T04:01:31Z")
Ahh Ignored by brutus. Surprise surprise. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-part-of-american-democracy-successfully-exported-to-iraq/286480.md?page=2)