Yeah, but I’m predicting you’ll actually dismiss his word because it doesn’t agree with your “perspective”.
We’ll see. Watching the gymnastics should be entertaining. When one disagrees with the other, I wonder which way you’ll jump?
-Joe
Spread the joys of occupation and democracy:
Basra carnage escalates as one person killed every hour
Much more at source. Then again, surely the writer is not in Iraq either…
Such wit and insight, your parents must be proud. I will not dismiss his word, I actually admire him for being there. However, him being there doesn’t stop me from questioning his opinions, his viewpoints.
All the more reason not to pull out immediately.
Madmonk is in Iraq, Madmonk has experienced alot more about Iraq than I have, I have my views on Iraq, which somehow culminates in some people telling me how I shouldn’t challenge his viewpoints, because he is in that country. Which = No debate, no way in which to offer a different one without countless accusations of being ‘Armchair Liam’ As someone so eloquently described it, which means nothing I want to debate about is really discussed. If certain types want to complain about me, do it in the pit.
Content rating: Zero.
I’m sure your mommy must be proud as well. I’ve got nothing else to say to you until it’s time to point and laugh regarding your future evasions.
Remember to turn off any filters that would keep you from getting a .jpg!
-Joe
Put me in a thread in the BBQ pit, if you’re more intelligent witty thoughtful etc etc than I am. But if you cannot, then don’t bother trying to flame me here, especially with weak ass rants which culiminate with ‘your mom’ Merijeek you can do better than that 
I’ll be sure to remember that 
Okay, so I sent two batches of pictures to Ryan_Liam from Baghdad. I took them on the roof of my compound around sundown. They are pictures of the Baghdad skyline. In one you can see two blackhawks in the distance on patrol. I also took closeups of my entrance and exit stamps from my passprt. I took them with my cell phone so the pics aren’t great.
I’m in Amman today and leave for 2 weeks vacation in the states, so I probably won’t be on the SDMB for a few days while I eat/sleep/be with my wife; lather rinse repeat.
You know, the people I talk to who are really sure about how things are in Iraq are the ones who are farthest away. The situation here is like a Seurat pointillism painting, the closer you stand to it, the less clear it is.
I do think that things are pretty horrible in Baghdad and much of it should have been anticipated and could have been prevented. What signs of hope I see for the country are in the Iraqi people I know. I work with some amazing Iraqis. They are truly dedicated to making their country a better place and they risk their lives to do it. If Iraq is able to pull it out of the fire, it will be because of the quiet dignity of decent people like them trying their hardest to do the right thing. And it won’t be because of the ill-advised and poorly executed invasion of G. W. Bush, but in spite of it.
At this point, no one in Baghdad is seriously talking about democracy, or at least not any kind of democracy people in the west would recognize. The question isn’t whether Iraq is going to be a democracy, but whether it is going to continue to exist as a state at all. Every day is a little worse than the day before.
On my way to the airport yesterday, we drove through a neighborhood I used to live in, in 2003 and I was shocked. It had been a little rough, but viable neighborhood in 2003. We (cautiously) went out to eat in restaraunts, we knew the neighbors. Now the neighborhood is just wrecked. The restaraunt we used to go to is an empty shell, everything is wrecked, everything is in disrepair. I saw little kids, maybe 11 standing on the street corner huffing gasoline on a rag, I’m telling you I never saw anything like that 3 years ago. Never just out in the open. The whole area just seems to have given up.
Like I said, I’m going on leave and I’m not going to be on the board for a few days, and maybe for the next couple of weeks. I usually don’t get on line much back in the states, I use the SDMB to get a human connection when I’m far from home. But I’d like to share two stories from my experience here that sum up Iraq for me:
One time I was at the Sheraton and two construction workers got into an argument/shoving match about something. The argument was in Arabic, which I don’t speak, so who knows what they were fighting about. This American soldier sees them arguing, unslings his rifle, points it at them and just starts screaming in English “stop fighting! stop fighting!” I remember thinking to myself, “God, what a metaphore for this mess. A guy screaming to stop fighting in a language no one here understands and if they don’t he’ll shoot them.”
The other story took place in 2003. I was talking to a US Army captain and he complained that the only news station he could get on his satellite tv was the BBC. I said that I really liked BBC news, what was the problem?
He said, “I’m tired of being told how badly things are goind here, I want to be lied to. I want CNN (this is when all the networks were trying to out patriot each other).”
I said, “Captain if you want to be lied to, you don’t want CNN, you want Fox News.”
He said, “I’m not an idiot, I don’t want to be lied to that much, I just want to be lied to a little bit.”
So there you have it, for what it’s worth. See you in a couple of weeks.
If you don’t even read your own posts, I can totally understand.
-Joe
Oh I do, and I can see why so many people disagreed with your ample description of anyone who’s not in Iraq and somehow supports it as ‘chickenhawks’ to quote someone who answered your rant Yeah! And what’s up with those chickenphoenixes who are all gung-ho for fires being put out but somehow never seem to be part of the voluntary fire brigade?
And to quote Madmonk
So there, stfu and add something valuable to the debate about the conflict, what can be done to make progress etc, or don’t bother attacking me unless you’re going to do it in the Pit. I’m still waiting for that thread Merijeek. Put your money where your mouth is.
[Moderator Hat ON]
Ryan_Liam, “shut the fuck up” is not allowed as an abbreviation either. Merijeek and Ryan, take the personal stuff to the Pit.
[Moderator Hat OFF]
Sounds about right. I’ve watched what few reality programs with the troops in Iraq I have been able to find, and my overall impression from the soldiers themselves was a combination of confusion and frustration. I don’t think anybody really understands everything that is going on, but I haven’t seen anything here that heartens me in the least. A drop in suicide bombings replaced by an increase in execution-type killings is not good news. It’s just easier to ignore people being shot in secret, as opposed to being blown up in the streets.
So, Ryan, what’s your reaction to the photographs?
They’re excellent. 
Do they say “Ryan’s name woz ere” and stuff? Hopefully madmonk28 might make them public when he can.
But seriously, do you believe he was in Iraq when he took them?
Of course! But please, don’t be like Merijeek and start shouting ‘chickenhawk’ :rolleyes:
That’s some real progress you’re making there Bubba…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4999502.stm
It is, considering the country has now got a government representative and elected by the people of Iraq, despite all the bloodshed and violence, is quote something.
I’m sure the corpses are impressed that we consider them liberated.
Be proud. Of murdering innocent civilians under the guise of “democracy.”
Better yet, eat me raw, balls and all…
Say hey, Ryan, have you turned eighteen yet? Surely you know the reason I ask – enough ballsy responses behind the safety of your monitor.
How’s about enlisting and putting your actions where your boastful words are?
That sort of stuff should be shown on the nightly news. It should not be covered up, glossed over, or “mitigated” or sanitized. I know the spin, as always, would be that it’s disrespectful to the victims. Just like showing torture photos on the news would be disrespectful, or that cartoon of the mangled soldier would be disrespectful. What is really disrespectful is to allow it to continue. Let’s show the war supporters just what really happens to the troops for a change. Let’s show them just what happens to the victims for a change. War is not some John Wayne movie, where the bad guys just fall over and go to sleep. It’s not some glorious adventure. Yeah, mision accomplished, alright.