I know there is a cultural misunderstanding prevalent in this situation but someone has got to tell these Iraqis that throwing stones at tanks and firing automatic weapons is not quaranteed in their constitution. Oh, and someone may want to clue them to the fact that they dont have a constitution. While theyre at it, they may want to inform anyone planning an armed anti-american demonstration that any weapons fire will likely result in the death of the one who fired the weapon and quite possible injuring (or killing) anyone in his immediate vicinity. I would think these safety tips would be mandatory reading in “How to really hate the Americans without getting yourself (or your friends and family) Killed” handbook.
Look, Iraqi dudes. If Saddam was still functioning. Youre little olympic throwing technique could get you a long stint in the Iraqi regular army as a minesweeper, canon fodder or dud bomb inspector. As it is, the americans are allowing you to vent whatever frustrations you may have. Say what you want to say but drop the stones and guns.
Hmmm, no. Those are not established facts. That is what some US military say happened and other sources say otherwise. And seeing how many lies we’ve been hearing from the US government lately I am inclined to take their declaration with a substantial amount of salt.
In any case, that is not the point. The point is not so much who is at fault but the fact that governing the occupied Iraq is not the walk in the park the US government had predicted. It is turning out to be much more problematic. Now there’s a “fact” for you.
Please provide a cite to show that anyone in the Bush administration (or anyone that stupid) that predicted that the US ever intended to occupy Iraq or that governing it would be a “walk in the park”.
At the risk of side-tracking this thread, I find it amusing that many people–especially those labeled “unpatriotic”–have noticed the same thing regarding Americans. The US government does bad, stupid things all over the world and then we wonder why 9/11 happens or why other people hate us so much.
Obviously Palestinians aren’t the only ones lacking in self-awareness.
The USA is occupying Iraq. For how long we don’t know but that is already happening so I am not sure what you mean. regarding the “walk in the park”, the phrase is mine (obviously) but it does reflect the many declarations of Lord Rumsfeld and Co. (not to mention countless posts in this board) which predicted Iraqis would welcome the Americans with open arms. Or were we talking about different “arms”?
Well, X-slayer, not exactly- thsoes kinds of shenanigans would not have been treated so lightly. Thy likely would have been taken by the Iraqi secret police, and subjected to physical tortures of the most horrible & sadistic kind, while their wives & children were gang-raped in front of them. And, no- I am not exagerating, or this wasn’t a single isolated case. Torture & rape were common everyday occurances.
Sailor- I am sorry but several of the Iraqi dudes there admitted they had AK47s and they were being fired. The fact not in agreement is whether or not shots were being aimed at the Americans- and here I’d guess they were both right- that most of the demonstrators were simply firing their guns into the air, but that some die-hard somewhere did take a few shots at our guys.
This is where this whole point of conflict stems from. Information. Perception of information and misinformation. Some would label this semmantics but you have to look deeper. The US is not occupying Iraq. Occupation means we are there to stay, we will use the lands resources strictly for the benefit of US. resources would include humans. If the US were really occupying Iraq, people would either be working or staying in controlled areas, which would either be their homes or in jails. If you want to see Iraq being occupied you would have to look at it 2 months ago. Saddam Occupied Iraq. The US has stated that once Iraq has its own stable govt it will leave. It has not given any indications (thus far) that it does not intend to do just that.
It seems to me a repressed people does not become a free thinking sophisticated democratic group of individuals overnight just because a force liberated them. The Iraqis are exhibiting their fallability to Saddams regime. They believe anything that anyone will tell them so long as it is from someone of authority. Clerics, instigators, self proclaimed mayors, arab heroes are very believeble to them. I dont see why not. They ben brough up this way for decades, you cant just instantly deprogram what has become a survival instinct. So far they need a strong authority to lead them and the US is not a credible option. This is where the misinformation and mistrust stems from. What they know about the US is what was told to them and even if they were outright lies, it is still believable.
Iraq has welcomed the US with open arms. That was thursday 2 weeks ago, i think. Honeymoons over. Lord Rummy may make the idea sound simple, but no one ever said that it would be easy or be done in a short time. The fact is, the faster Iraq makes a govt theat everyone in Iraq is acceptable to (even grudgingly) the faster the US can get the hell out of there. If this violence becomes widespread, expect more troops to pour in.
Here’s an interview with Rumsfeld from february 21th. It’s quite inconclusive to the matters discussed (Rumsfeld dodges these issues quite skillfully), but nevertheless an interesting read in retrospect…
can you tell me where you live that this is the meaning of the word? Because Websters online seems to agree with my interpretation:
I cannot find and have never heard your interpretation.
And the idea that they hate the Americans because they are brainwashed or misinformed is silly. No one likes to be occupied by a foreign country, I don’'t care if they are the nicest people in the world. Or can you see any circumstances where Americans would like to be invaded?
Why is it a silly idea to say they are brainwashed or misinformed. You live in a country with free press, cable, and the internet? They don’t. Many of the Islamic countries have “ministries of virtue”. Not meaning to insult you but how much more thought control can you get.
