The UN, US and Iraq IV

Kara wrote



since hunter gatherers stopped running after animals and fenced them in instead, a society's standard of living has been directly proportional to its energy consumption per head of population. With the industrial revolution, the coming of the machine age and now machines that replicate themselves(almost), energy consumption, and the standard of living has increased exponentially. But its ok because there are almost limitless amounts of easy to grab fossil fuels. Except that of course we know they are not limitless at all. I don't want this to develop into an essay. Suffice it to say we are oil and gas junkies. We've gone past the point of responsible recrreational use. We know we have to get off it, but there's nothing quite like a dirt cheap tank of gas. Governments will not or cannot face this, because all the alternatives involve pain.

Sofia wrote:


This does sound like a threat and is the very reason we should be more cautious about resorting to war. Too much force creates bullies and criminals like Saddam, Osama Bin Laden, etc. Our response to 9/11 in Afganistan, I think was defendable. Our allies certainly agreed. But the war to colonize Iraq, as Kara said above, was ill advised. It will only create more violence. There is clear evidence of this now with the situation worsening.

Steve wrote:


I agree with this Steve, and you've said it very well. (It's much better to use analogy and less words on this board. But sometimes it's difficult to resist the temptation to go on and on.)

Driving to work this morning I saw more than ten SUV's with single passengers and I don't have more than a twenty minute drive. Our outdated road infrastructure which causes traffic jams has also cost billions of dollars in fuel and further exacerbated our dependency on fossil fuels.

An SUV is useless and wasteful in an urban or suburban environment. In rural areas, however, they provide significant utility ... at times, they're the only vehicles capable of navigating. I note however, you're far more likely to see a Cadillac Escallade or a Hummer stuck in traffic or hauling the soccer team to the school's playing field. Around here, where we actually use the things, we're big on older Blazers and Broncos and Jimmies and Explorers and the like, and fairly simple, though capable American pickup trucks. They're rarely in much traffic, though they do get stuck in snow, mud, or just plain soft ground with some regularity, even when mom is hauling the kids to a soccer game.

I can relate to that, timber -- there's an important part of that acronym. The "U." It stands for "Utility." I'm sure these people in Orange County who are driving back and forth to work in their SUV status symbol may have picked up a sheet of plywood in it sometime this year. Then again, I don't believe most of them would be caught dead picking up a sheet of plywood. Not in their shiny black Lexus SUV. The other criteria seems to be everyone has to have one for their turn taking the team to the soccer field. When I have noted kids in the SUV, there's been no more than three or four, just enough to take up the back seat of any conventional vehicle. Or because the SUV is like having a tank on the road (except that they actually are not safer than a regular passenger vehicle). I'm sure California is likely the gas wasting state of the Universe.

From another Iraqi blog.



Tuesday, September 30, 2003
WINNING THEIR HEARTS AND MINDS
Americans are great at creating jingoistic statements that simplify a complicated subject. Currently, we are hearing about winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people. The statement is nothing more than hollow words.
On September 28, the Toronto Sun published a first-hand article by Scott Taylor, a reporter in Iraq. It is harrowing. He wrote:
"A little Iraqi girl -- no more than eight years old -- squatted beside the road with tears of humiliation streaming down her cheeks. Six meters away, three American soldiers had their rifles aimed at her as she was forced to relieve herself in full view of a long line of parked cars. From inside their vehicles, the Iraqi onlookers screamed their rage at the U.S. troops. Whenever one of the Iraqis ventured to step out of his vehicle, an American officer bellowed, "Get back in the car, asshole!" and the .50-caliber machine gun mounted on the U.S. Hummer would swing menacingly towards the protestor.
"The terrified little girl was weeping uncontrollably by the time she dropped her skirt and ran back to her mother.
"This incident took place on Sunday, Sept. 14, after a detachment of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division set up a roadblock on the Samara-Kirkuk highway. The purpose was to conduct a thorough weapons search of all traffic along this route. Without enough personnel to man the roadblock, cars and trucks were soon backed up for at least two kilometers in each direction.
"To ensure that no Iraqi ventured onto the roadway, First Lt. Fisher and his detachment would race up and down the queue, pointing their weapons and hurling verbal insults at any violator.
"The little girl had been sitting in a small Mazda with six other family members for over three hours before she left the car. Her older brother, no more than 10, had bravely taken her by the hand and attempted to reach a small depression in the sand which might have offered a modicum of privacy.
"Lt. Fisher's Hummer had roared down the unpaved shoulder and braked to a halt in a cloud of dust. The young boy abandoned his sister."
The above account shows how U.S. personnel consider Iraqis. To them, they are trash. Stories like this are commonplace in today's Iraq, yet few Americans are aware of the circumstances. When Americans are told of these instances, many say, "Well, that's war. Things happen."
Bullshit! This is not war. This is crass and cruel behavior. Not one U.S. soldier would treat his own countrypeople in such a manner, but it's okay for Iraqis. Many soldiers, under condition of anonymity, have told the press that they were taught by superiors to hate Iraqis before they invaded the country. Even in public, officers made racist statements about Iraqis before the invasion. This is the true attitude that ethnocentrism has hatched.
Taylor then went into the frustration of American soldiers that has led to the escalation of violent events aimed at the Iraqi public. For instance, Staff Sgt. Allan Spry, a 17-year veteran, asked, "How long can they expect our guys to go without sex and alcohol?" Alcohol consumption and sex with Iraqis is strictly forbidden, yet the soldiers find ways around the bans. There are Iraqi alcohol vendors outside most of the American camps. And, the soldiers are having sex with other American female soldiers. There is a staggering number of pregnancies among female personnel. Cpl. Slaughter stated, "The women know that getting knocked up is a ticket out of this shithole. We started out with 10 women (at the U.S. compound in Taji) and already three of them have gone home pregnant. Everyone knows that the lieutenant is pregnant but she just hasn't told the commanding officer yet. So, that's 40% of our women knocked up in less than five months."
The Australian troops are just as trigger-happy as the Americans. According to an Australian captain, who requested anonymity, "If my men see an Iraqi carrying a weapon, they'll not wait to find out whose side he's on. They'll shoot first and identify the remains later."
Sgt. Kostens of the 1st Armored Division summed up the current attitude among the U.S. soldiers. He said, "When you've got Iraqis in civilian clothes and driving civilian cars, you can't blame the 82nd Airborne for greasing those guys, even if they turned out to be policemen. Our guys are not about to start taking any chances. We are planning to survive the tour, get home safe and get the hell out of the army. And God help any Iraqis who get in the way of the plan."
4:36 pm pdt

Migawd ... combat troops on occupation duty drinking, having sex, participating in a black market, and suspecting that among the apparent civilians around and about might be some folks who mean harm? Shocking. When do you suppose this started?

Disingenous comment alert ! Beep Beep Beep!

It must be miserable in Iraq for everyone. People are all trying to defend themselves, including our troops. It's a nasty situation which I'm sure quickly deteriorated and is getting worse. And people will be who they are only worse under such dire circumstances. It brings out the best and the worst, I'm sure. Another reason Bush should have thought longer and taken heed sooner about the wisdom of this war. It's disgusting.

Listening to the WH spin the WMD problem is both amazing and funny to me. It reminds me of a time....oh so many years ago when I was a mere babe of 18. I was married to an Airman 3rd class (who was never promoted in his four years of duty.) One night we left the movie theater on the base and my ex-husband took off down a one-way street. We were soon stopped by a sargent who, standing in front of our car, which was clearly facing the wrong direction, said, "M [ex's name] what are you doin driving the wrong way?" And my then-husband said, "I'm not."

Laughing......that story is still both amazing and funny to me.

From that story, one could draw some conclusions regarding the boy's promotion record.

And you'd be right on, Timber my friend. But remember, I said he reminded me of GW.

I was promoted often, I was demoted often. I had an attitude.

How amusing. Got an Arty 15 the week after I got my good conduct medal (disrespect to an NCO). No loss of rank or pay, but boy did I get good at buffing floors!

I was never in much danger of being awarded the Distinguished Service Medal myself.

Dys, is that the past tense you're using? Hilarious. Please continue to maintain the attitude.

Yeah, got my good conduct medal, and reached E4 in 18 months. Not too bad, considering I had a pretty soft job in the US Air Force.

Well, I did my time too. As a young and foolish Air Force wife of an Airman 3rd class. It wasn't pleasant, but now I'm free. However, I never received any honors for all I did. :wink:

Hey, Lola, I consider my "time" in the air force as invaluable. It matured me (somewhat), and gave me confidence (somewhat - more than I had before).