News from Iraq-

[mikelewis]

A freind of mine just got back from Iraq. He has a large family there and is in contact with them regularly. He spent about 3 weeks there and he says things are getting better. This was good news.

He spoke of increased police presence and a feeling of optimism for the future. He said there were almost no American troops in the streets and the few he did see were with Iraqi military units. He says the infrastructure is finally getting repaired and that the violence has subsided a lot. He says the MSM is basically potraying a country out of control but he says it's not that way. The police are keeping order now and things look better.

I'm going to talk to him some more tomorrow. Are there any questions you want to ask? He can relay them to his family and get information within a few days/weeks. I get most of my information from him. It's proven more reliable and timely than anything I read in the paper. He was the one who told me about the billions of dollars missing long before it was reported back here.

He says Bremer is returning to Iraq and the word on the street is he's going to be looking for the lost money. Good luck!

[htuttle]

1. Sorry, but this reads just like some of the spam I get

Same phrases, same memes.

Not buying it. Not today.

Try again tomorrow.

[mikelewis]

3. Okay- don't

[LittleClarkie]

20. I think it depends where you are in the country

that's why I think that those who said they never saw atrocities in Vietnam and those who saw them every day could both be right. As a S. Vienamese said, one man's war might be different from another man's war, but they shouldn't deny that this S. Vietnamese and that Kerry saw something they didn't. Same here. I think it depends on where in Iraq you are.

[mikelewis]

25. Like I said...

It's not peaches and cream but any improvement is fine with me. I live in Cleveland so nothing that goes on in Iraq seems too violent anyhow.

[thebigidea]

55. really, Cleveland has mass killings in churches, RPGs, and roadside bombs?

[mikelewis]

60. Dead's dead, it don't matter how you get there

It's pretty violent in my city right now. No one, and I mean no one is covering this. I guess it's because we've been in a continuous election cycle, but things are as bad as I've ever seeen them. A buddy of mine was just shot in the stomach and then burned up in the trunk of his car. A mother was just shot in the back of the head while she was buying formula a few months ago in a store I go into on occassion. So yeah, Iraq really doesn't scare me very much. I carry a hand gun and I've had to draw it to get out a a bad situation a time or two. It's fucked up but Cleveland's the poorest city in America so who gives a shit.

[Spinzonner]

2. Perhaps

Or the calm before the storm ?

There are still critical issues pending including Sunni participation in a gov't and the independence of the Kurds.

The small-scale (if one can call death tolls of 10's to 100's 'small') violence may have been reduced but those issues could lead to large clashes greater involvement by people at large.

[mikelewis]

4. He was there this time last year and said it was a nightmare

He had to get in convoys with all of his cousins just to go to the store.

I guess the police stop everyone they don't know and ask them a bunch of questions so it's hardly the ideal place but as for the constant shooting and lawlessness, that's pretty much calmed a bit.

He says Allawi had a lot to do with cracking down on the insurgency. I told him I didn't trust Allawi but he says the guys got a strong hand and a lot of respect/fear so it's helped.

I asked about the elections and how that impacted on the people. He said that people were anxious to get the process started and they didn't really care about Democracy as much as they simply wanted the streets to be safer and the infrastructure to get rebuilt.

I don't know if it'll last but he seemed relieved that things have calmed. I am too.

[Contrary1]

5. Ask him if tthe Iraqi people

are seriously talking about erecting a statue of Numbnuts.

And how do they feel about the US presence in their country
until the end of time.

[mikelewis]

7. He says he thinks the troops will start pullin out by the end of the year.

I told him to not hold his breath.

I don't know about a statue for Numbnuts, maybe they can erect a shrub. I'll ask him though. He's not a fan of Bush, most people over there have mixed feelings about what's going on. I guess they're glad Saddams gone and as long as they think we're leaving too, they be happy.

He also said that he doesn't think we'll invade Syria which made me laugh. He said if we did, it'd be over in a week. He said Syria isn't really all that interested in pissing us off any more than they already have and that they'll back down every chance they get. Somehow, I don't think Bush'll give them that chance but he knows a lot more about what's going on than I do.

[Leilani]

6. From what I've heard

it depends WHERE in Iraq you are.

The North & South are OK.

Baghdad & Sunni Triangle are just as dangerous, if not more so, than before.

[mikelewis]

8. No, he was in Baghdad

He says it's still dangerous but not compared to what it was like last year.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

10. This is off topic... well sort of... but I will bring it up here cuz it

regards the mental health of the guard especially this guy, who apparently didn't want to return to Iraq for some unknown reason.... see what you think... this happened not too far from where I live....

Unless someone was spoofing me... I was told that a Guardsman launched his car over three houses this week, was on two week stay from Iraq... cannot find a story on it... Tomorrow I will hit up the fellow who gave me this story for some details, a name etc.


I did find this in the local paper.... certainly a point of interest...

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
Does the United States face a debacle in Iraq that rivals Vietnam? Find out in this multimedia report that includes photos, audio, video and graphics.

[mikelewis]

30. Actually Sen. Boxer alluded to this several times

I guess the injured, both physically and mentally are the real tradgedy of this war, on both sides. At the very least, the dead aren't suffering . These injured people are going to have to live in pain for a long time.

The sickest thing I think I've seen so far was Rummy boasting how a man with his foot blown off by an IED volunteered to go back to Iraq for a second tour. I guess this is meant to show thier dedication but all it made me think was this was just another line of BS.

They're making a statement to say that, "Yes, our troops get injured but we patch them back up and they're just fine."

What sort of sadistic bastard allows a man who lost a foot to go back so he may loose more appendages or even his life. These guys are truly bizarre. That's why I want this war over and I'll take it any way I can get it.

Also, keep in mind, Kerry, had he won would still have our forces in Iraq. The same thing would be happening to the same people. The insurgency isn't going to quit because we have a different President. I prefer Dean's plan of coitus interuptus and just pulling the hell out of there but there is mixed support for this.

According to a Associated Press/Ipsos poll
"In view of the developments since we first sent our troops to Iraq, do you think the United States made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq, or not?"

Made a
Mistake
47%

Did Not
Make a
Mistake
51%

Unsure
2%

But the Shrubs numbers aren't so hot.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq?"

2/25-27/05
45 Approve
53 Disapprove
2 Unsure

http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm

So according to this, most people believe we didn't make a mistake in going, just in who we followed to get there.


I actually think Bush will start a draw down before '06 so he can use this as political capitol and clear this issue off the table. Either way, I know he's going to leave these broken men twisting in the wind. This is probably good news for people like bemildred who think that the more misery our troops have to suffer is worth any political goal. I, on the otherhand, think it's appalling beyond the pale.

[ebayfool]

34. Kind of a personal attack, isn't it? "...people like bemildred..."?

You don't generate support for your 'personal point of view' by attributing unwarranted views on another DUer - just because they don't agree w/your take on this.

"Either way, I know he's going to leave these broken men twisting in the wind. This is probably good news for people like bemildred who think that the more misery our troops have to suffer is worth any political goal."

[mikelewis]

43. It was actually...

meant for BushisBurning. His statements irritated me and you're right, I shouldn't have posted that.

[ebayfool]

56. Thank you ... that was a nice thing to recognize & come back to say.

DUers are the only web people I've ever seen do this, admitting they were wrong or a little hot-headed. No wonder I love this site, most DUers are just smarter, classier, more passionate & compassionate than anywhere else!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

57. Rummy boasting how a man with his foot blown off

Translation... I'm such a fantastic leader, these boyz will do ANYTHING to support me. Uhhhh no.

[BushIsBurning]

9. If Things are SOOOO Much Better, Why Haven't any GIs come Home ?

Your friend sounds like an American stooge: if he has a wife or daughters, we all know that if they dare to go out at night they will be raped or kidnapped.

Before sending us this Bushit propaganda, ask your friend to send his wife and daughters out at night, and then report to us how wonderful things are in the Bushitler nightmare of Iraq.

[mikelewis]

11. He's hardly an American Stooge and his wife and daughter live here

Of course it's still dangerous but it's better than it was and that's good enough for me.

I also wouldn't let my wife and daughter go out after dark in my neighborhood because I'm afraid they'd get raped or kidnapped.

I don't care about a political agenda, I care about several of my freinds returning from that nightmare and a few of my freinds who have to live there. There is sufficient cause to hate Bush on a multiple of issues. We shouldn't have went in there in the first place but to wish for a disaster helps no one.

Also, if he's right and they do start drawing down troops right before the 2006 election, we may have a image problem on our hands come election time if we keep claiming Iraq is a disaster. I'd rather know what were dealing with than blindly trusting anything the media has to tell me.

And if you think this is propaganda, you're a fool. You bitch on one hand that the media is lying to you and on the other that the media is telling the truth about Iraq. I'm the last person in the world who is going to peddle propaganda. I don't eat McDonalds, KFC, Taco Bell, ARby's, et al ... because they market on Sinclair Broadcasting and I love et al.

I'm just telling you what I heard from someone who was there. You don't want to believe it that's your choice. I would have thought this would be good news. I guess, to you, it's not.

[BushIsBurning]

12. Good News! 100,000 Iraqis Butchered by Bush ! But You Have a Friend...

and he says it's all OK.

Therefore, since the Bushitler strategy of lies, invasion, and genocide is producing "improved conditions", we should take our show on the road, and start doing this filty shit in other countries.

Just like Bushitler's mentor, Adolph, "improved things" in Czechoslavakia, before taking his murderous success to other countries.

[mikelewis]

21. Actually, they have no idea how many people are dead...

Travel is restricted and the news is still state run. There's very little news about casualties and the like that he knew but I guess Fallujah was a massacre.

There's no question they want us out and I haven't said that it's all peaches and cream, it's just that it's getting a bit more tame than it was a year ago, thank God.

Allow me to clearify my position. I don't give a rat fuck if we win or loose this illegal war and Bush should be indicted for war crimes. We invaded a soverign nation under a shroud of lies and American Soldier paid the price. The only thing I care about is the boys coming home. If Iraq is quieting down, and from what I was told, it is, then that's good news to me. I think you're being a bit unreaistic in your statements and in no way am I saying that we should repeat this fiasco anywhere else.

All I want is an end to this war as soon and under any conditions, whether through victory or defeat. If you would rather we have a defeat so we can use this as a political "I told you so", that's your perogative. I don't care. I just want the war over and these kids back home. If being a progressive means that I have to hope for a disaster for my freinds then I will no longer support the progressive movement. I don't wish for a disaster in Iraq and this last update tells me things are improving. Thank goodness.

I used to agree with the Freepers until I found out the truth about things. The one thing that always bothered me about them was the ignorant hate they would spew, much like your doing now. I assume you're doing it because you think I'm a freep spouting lies. That's fine, I think your a dick spouting hate. Opinions are like assholes, everyone's got em and they all stink.
If that's bad news for you, I don't understand it but I will not post this info again.

[0007]

13. Wow! Golly gee this sounds like it came straight from the desk

of the 'Death Squad Master' John Negroponte himself.

Then again I think you have your tongue in the cheek, eh?

[BushIsBurning]

14. Maybe Gannon/Guckert's tongue in his cheek...the dude is serious.

[candy331]

15. So I don't get why he says the media is bringing out all the bad

that is happening there. I would think the media that drove this war for * would be happy to share the good that is happening over there, does seem a little bit strange, right?

[0007]

17. I haven't heard a squeak out of the MSM, other than to cover for

Rumsfeld and junior and his war criminals buddies.

The MSM is too busy buzzing about Michael Jackson and Blake and the likes. I never hear much about Abu Ghraib and the way the U.S. is taking prisoners to foreign counties to torture now.

[mikelewis]

23. There are a lot of news stories - try google news

I googled CNN Iraq on Google news

It's all bad news...

Two US security contractors killed in Iraq
CNN - Mar 13, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Two Americans working for a company that provides security for the US Embassy were killed by a roadside bomb south of Baghdad, the ...

Two Iraqis killed in crossfire
CNN - 11 hours ago
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Two Iraqi civilians died after being wounded in crossfire involving a US helicopter in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the US military ...

PM: Shot agent permitted in Iraq
CNN - Mar 9, 2005
... Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said the intelligence agent shot dead by American forces had authorization from the US military to be in Iraq. ...

CNN At least 23 dead in Iraq attacks
CNN - Mar 9, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Violence flared anew in Iraq on Wednesday, with attacks in Baghdad killing three while reports surfaced that 19 people had been found ...

Report: AT&T Iraq contract under fire
CNN - Mar 7, 2005
... congressman are complaining about an exclusive contract AT&T was granted to provide pre-paid calling cards for military personnel stationed in Iraq, and the ...

CNN committee approves $81 billion for Iraq
CNN - Mar 9, 2005
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's request for more than $80 billion in emergency money for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan advanced, largely intact, through a ...
Ukraine begins withdrawal from Iraq
CNN - Mar 13, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Ukraine has begun pulling troops out of Iraq as part of a phased withdrawal of its complete 1,650-man contingent, the sixth largest in ...

CNN Iraq to certify final election results
CNN - Feb 17, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq on Thursday will announce final, certified results of the country's historic January 30 ...

Australia sending more Iraq troops
CNN - Feb 21, 2005
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Australia will send 450 more troops to southern Iraq to help protect Japanese engineers and help bolster the country's fledgling ...

[0007]

58. CNN is a bullshit outlet for the White House.

Fuck CNN & FAUX & MSNBC

[Just Me]

16. Our little town recently greeted the return of their soldiers.

Most of those guys completely avoided sharing their experiences.

One fellow (21 yr old son of a close friend of mine) shared a completely different story with his folks and friends. His Mom cries because she believes he will never be whole.

But, hey,...glad to hear your friend had a better experience.

[mikelewis]

19. I have two very good freinds serving over there right now.

They tell me a different story as well but they are solodiers, not civilians.

I'm sure in Sadre City and other such places things are still pretty terrible but this man has quite a bit of money and his family back homes owns a lot of property/houses. The civilian life has improved.

Life for our soldiers probably has not. The cities are controlled by Iraqi Police and the by all accounts things are getting better for some areas in Iraq. Our soldiers are still subject to IED but thankfully the mortars have lessened. It used to be every night but now I guess it's not as frequent.

My freind told me Fallujah is a ghost town/no mans land though this was second hand from relatives. He didn't go there, I guess no one does without a special pass, which seems odd.

[LittleClarkie]

27. I actually want things to get better for those people

and I'm glad they're getting better for you contractor friend.

But I'm still not holding out much hope for overall stabilization.

[mikelewis]

28. He's not a contractor though - he's a civilian who fled in 92 from the

Intafada. This gives him a different perspective I guess so I don't try to argue too much when he says something.

[Vickers]

18. 60 troops died last month, 20 already this month, headless bodies

all over the place.

Yeah, the MSM is painting a pretty bleak picture.

Hope your friend makes it out of there OK.

[bemildred]

22. Classic Third Party Technique

We report, you decide.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D158542059X/102-4222534-8066522

Over the past decade, corporations and public-relations firms have seized upon a remarkable new way of influencing opinion called the "third-party technique." The method is simple-just put your words into the mouth of someone who appears impartial, such as a doctor, professor, watchdog group, or an "expert" of some kind.

[mikelewis]

24. Yes, that's my intent....

I am using a classic third party technique to turn you into Bush Zombies

You guys are unreal.

I am using an expert "civilian" who is most certainly not impartial. I am not putting his name on the net nor the business he owns as it is not my place to do so. I am relaying what he told me and if you think it's a sack of lies, that's your choice to believe what ever you want. It's a bit ridiculous but I'm telling the truth, nonetheless.

[bemildred]

26. Thank you for taking the time to spread the good news.

We get so little outside input here.

[mikelewis]

29. You're welcome

[Lexingtonian]

31. that may all be true and yet not the truth

There is pretty much of a (relative) lull going on, even if the media doesn't have a grasp of the distinctions involved anymore. The organized Iraqi guerillas are very evidently, mostly, holding down their fire and waiting to see what becomes of the Shi'ite/Kurd confederacy against the Sunni and the rest of the civilian politicking. And, if you haven't heard, there is actually American negotiation with some of the guerilla groups going on- and if you think there isn't money changing hands to make that so, you haven't been to the Middle East.

Your buddy certainly can't have any idea about when this period of detente ends. As for the Iraqi official military-in-training, there isn't a chance they can do the job, infiltrated as they are. There's nothing useful you can ask your buddy about the overall situation and its outcome. He sounds like some variety of contractor employee and knows about the money and maybe a bit about the torturing.

In the running parallelism to Vietnam, the present fits the period of 'peace' (January '73-December '74) during which the Americans pulled back and pulled out, the ARVN 'took over', the VC kept up some isolated efforts. And the NVA waited. Since the Iraq business has recapitulated Vietnam at about 4x the rate of events in time, a few more months of relative calm- into the early summer- would even be in keeping with the pattern established....

[mikelewis]

33. He's not a contractor, he just has family there

My goal in offering this was to simply relay the information from Iraq from someone who was just recently there. He knows about as much as we do about the politics but the most important things he's told me was about the infrastructure and the police presence which are both good signs.

Yes, of course this could all blow up tomorrow but I hope it doesn't.

I told him that I believed that the insurgency was planned due to the sudden occourance of resistance so quickly. I told him I didn't believe that the insurgency would simply stop fighting and give up but that maybe there was a chance that some settlement could be reached between the new Iraqi government and the insurgents. Something like the deal with the Devil Karzai struck. I doubt it'll go that way and I believe this is going to be a nasty summer but right now, it's settled down and I am happy for that.

Many of the things he tells me is heresay from the streets. I ask about the spirit of the people and how they view us, in spite of how badly we fucked up.

It's interesting to note that, according to him, the majority of the people don't actually hate us. They aren't happy that we screwed up so badly but for the most part, they're saying that the ends justify the means, as long as we're out ASAP. They think Bush is an idiot for the most part but pay respect to him for ousting Saddam.

I guess it would be somewhat like France invading us to oust Bush. Fine with me just get out once you get him.

And of course he has no idea what the future holds but this is the first time I've spoken to him about Iraq that he seemed hopeful. The last time he came back was not so good. I think he aged 5 years in that trip with worry. I think this last trip gave a few of those years back.

[Lexingtonian]

36. that's good, really

I'm glad for him. And I'm sure Iraq will be okay and back on track in two or three years. If/when there's the next phase of armed uprising, it will be to topple a useless puppet government or some form of marionette.

But in the meantime, one of Iraq's undesired major roles is as a prop for the reactionaries in American domestic politics. But Republican ratings and Bush's that are contingent on it continue to crumble- at the present rate, the Terrorism policy approval rating is what sustains Bush with nonpartisan voters (presently mid-50s) and it looks to hit partisan uselessness (i.e. 40%) within a few months. That's when things change.

[mikelewis]

42. I hope so... if he slithers out of anymore shit I'm gonna lose my mind

I cannot believe they're not going to hold him accountable for this bullshit. Of couse the people will but our "law" will let him walk and everyone knows it.

I also wonder if we have as much say in whose going to run things in Iraq as we think. Look at Karzai, they'll probably leave him in there forever as long as the opium keeps flowing out of there. The second that stops, he's got a lot of manuvering to do. He's not running that country, the warlords are. I expect something similar out of Iraq as well. A healthy dose of tyrrany with a side of democracy.

I wonder what they're offering the insurgency....lol... probably Syria.

[Carolab]

32. I prefer to hear from

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

and

http://www.juancole.com

[Stand and Fight]

35. ... Utter nonsense.

A whole platoon of my former fellow soldiers just got from Iraq, and they most definitely do NOT share your friends rosy view of things. They were there for a year and 32 days and they think the place is spiraling out of control -- all 24 of them. Your friend being there for three weeks is a joke in comparison, and hardly a real glimpse of what is going on over there. I'll take the word of the soldiers who were in country for over a year over this seemingly propaganda laden nonsense.

:puke:

[mikelewis]

41. Of course the soldiers aren't going to share his views

They have a bullseye on thier backs 24/7. You ever go into the Ghetto? I go there everyday and I'm a white male. There is a certain level of comfort I lack when I go into particularly violent neighborhoods but I am sure the people who live there have different perception than I do. Now, it's not Iraq, but the Iraqi's have been dealing with this situation for a while now and I'm sure they have adapted to a different staus quo than our soldiers understand. That's the baseline I'm more concerned with. Of course our soldiers see the country as spiraling out of control, it is out of their control. What I'm more concerned with is the Iraqi's perception because when they percieve it's under control, we can leave!

[Stand and Fight]

62. Lived and grew up in one.

I'm black and I'm still uncomfortable in "the ghetto," and I am sure you're speaking of the American notion of ghetto. Living in one you spend most of your time on edge and keenly aware of your surroundings. To this day, I still feel that America's poor areas -- in this case, "the ghettos" -- are spiraling out of control and I grew up in them for 15 years. Just because you live in the danger zone does not mean that you abandon all care. Likewise, your argument falls on its face in light of what you've just said and what I am saying now. Iraqis do not feel that the situation is under control, and frankly a majority of them do not want us there -- despite what the government and mainstream media say, I know from first hand accounts. They don't view us as liberators or even occupiers, so let's call the beast its true name -- invaders. Yes, the soldiers have targets on their backs, and it is because of this that that Iraq is a hotbed of political, social, and economic unraveling. Were our soldiers able to remove themselves from George W. Bush's happy little rump in the Middle East, I am certain that they would. What was it that General Douglas MacArthur said? Ah yes -- "No one detests war more than the soldier..." What did he forget to say? "...and those who are forced to live in the danger zone." So, the situation will not stabilize so long as Americans maintain their invasion of a sovereign nation. Period.

[mikelewis]

66. Absolutely correct

Regardles of how they view us, the only clear solution is to leave Iraq but it's a question of how we leave than needs to be addressed. Regardless of the lies that were told to get us there, we broke it so we share the responsibility to make it better. I think we should stabilize and leave as quickly as possible.

I would rather have an Iraq that is free from the nightmare they had to sufffer, not just the one we visited upon them but the one they lived through since 1979. We are the ones who backed Saddam for all those years and fueled the strength of his dictator ship with our oil purchases. We are the one's who prompted them to invade Iran. We are the ones who, with a wink and a nod, goaded them into invading Kuwait. I think we owe them a debt that we can never repay for fucking around with thier country. In spite of Bush and his cabal of money hungry fuckers, I hope that we can halp the Iraqi people create a better life for themselves and thier children. I feel it's a debt we have to repay.

I also agree with your statement about the American Ghetto. Where I live it is spiraling out of control. I am keenly aware of that everyday. But you have to admit, your perception of the "ghetto" is different and less alarming than one who is not familiar with the everydy dangers that plague the toubled areas. You adapt to your surroundings and learn how to avoid the danger.

How the Iraqi people view us is important. I don't want the Iraqi's viewing us as invaders, that's the last thing in the world I want them to think. That's of course precisely what we have done but that decision rests solely on Bush's shoulders, not ours. We were mislead into war but I'm hoping some good can come from this. I hope for a free and peaceful Iraq and that won't come because of Bush, it'll come in spite of him. It may have been his decision to go in but once we did, it's up to the American people to ensure that there is accountability for his actions and reparations made to fix it if we can. If there is hope, I'm going to hold onto it until it is gone.

[MADem]

37. Is he from the shi'a south?

Basra is great, no worries down that way. Things are working, buses running, business humming, schools open, life is good, people are happy. But your friend's perceptions are certainly not representative of the situation across the country. Certainly, things are better in that infrastructure repair is slowly being accomplished, but I sure as hell would not want to be assigned to the green zone or any of the forward operating bases in the hotspots--the insurgents are not giving up, and those kids still start every patrol with that sick twisting fear in the gut, that doesn't go away until you are back behind the wire, and not completely even then. Very stressful.

How did he get there? Did he fly to Baghdad or come in across the border?

[mikelewis]

39. I assume he flew in and stayed with his family in Baghdad

Keep in mind, he doesn't have a target on his back like our soldiers do. He's an Iraqi so his perception is going to be a bit different than that of the soldiers.

I haven't asked him if he was shia or sunni, though I probably should. I'll ask him how he got there too. I assume he flew.

I'll ask him where he lives in Baghdad and how close it is to the Green Zone. He didn't see a lot of American troops so I imagine that cut down on his level of danger as well.

[moondust]

38. Piece of advice.

Remind them that the Bush pseudodemocracy they are being force fed is ultimately about nothing more than helping Xillionaires get richer, that if they want a democracy that serves all the people and stands a chance of enduring they should learn democracy from the Europeans.

Take it or leave it. :)

[mikelewis]

40. I'll get right on that, thanks

I don't think they care right now seeing as how they just want things to settle down but I'll pass it along.

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[DesEtoiles]

54. kick

[Skittles]

59. I get letters from soldiers in Baghdad

they tell me it is absolutely dreadful

[mikelewis]

61. My one freind is stationed up north

He says its a bit more tame there than central Iraq, that where my other freind is stationed. He says it's ate up like a soup sandwich where he's at and he can't wait to get the hell out of there. I told him the other day that I'm anti-war and he thought that was the funniest thing he's heard in a while. He didn't know there was a movement started.

[Stand and Fight]

63. That's funny, isn't it?

They keep the soldiers completely insulated from the news or there, and when they return here all they can go on is the sugar-coat job on CNN, Fox and the rest... If only they knew how many Americans are opposed to this war. Alas, they cannot know when they cannot trust the Fourth Estate, and they do not have the time or the knowledge -- most of them at least -- to seek out alternative news sources. I wonder how things would change if more soldiers knew just how much Mr. Bush and his war are detested by a sizable number of their fellow patriots?

[mikelewis]

64. Actually, they're really not isulated from the news

They get to watch CNN and Fox news and many of them are just as disgusted with the media as we are. According to the one's I've spoken to, they see themselves as liberators not an occupation force. Many do have a great pride in the work they are doing. They are dissatisfied with how the war was managed, I hear "cluster-fuck" more often than not. They really are trying to do the right thing. If they fail, it won't be from lack of trying or ignorance. It will be from mismanagement and stupid mistakes made by thier chain of command.

[adigal]

65. How many civilians were killed last week? 60???

And how many US soldiers? We're doing fine!