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higher4hockey rambler~ you watch too much CNN, of all the people i know that have been in iraq, most of the iraqis love Americans. you can say bullshit my ass or whatever and call me an idiot, but ive heard this from people who were there and have seen it first hand.
"I dissaprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
No, I won't call you an idiot. Name calling is reserved for presidential debates and other political nuttery. And I don't make a habit of watching CNN, I prefer to get my news online. Its getting harder these days, especially when the Iraqi government continues to limit the negative information coming out of the country.
As you might expect, I do disagree with the idea that the Iraqi's love Americans. While those you know might hold this idea, I'm also inclined to look at statistics. Starting with the staged toppling of Saddam's statue (documented herehttp://www.informationclearinghouse....rticle2842.htm and here http://newstandardnews.net/content/?...tem&itemid=641) there has been a steady increase in casualties. Does this sound like love, or even appreciation for wat we do? Far from it.
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November was the deadliest month yet for the American military in Iraq. - November 2003
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The deadliest month for U.S. troops in Iraq ended Friday with 137 servicemembers having lost their lives. - April 2004
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The U.S. military in Iraq suffered its deadliest month since last year's invasion with more military personnel killed in action in November than in any equivalent period, the Pentagon's figures show. - November 2004
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This month, 60 US troops have been killed - 10 in the past three days - making May the deadliest month for the US military since January. - May 2005
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That brought to 94 the number of American troops killed in Iraq in October, the deadliest month for Americans since January 2005. - October 2005
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An American soldier was killed in a roadside bombing north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said Friday, making April the deadliest month for American forces in Iraq this year. - April 2006
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Three U.S. Marines also were killed, making October the deadliest month for American forces this year. - October 2006
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Five more US troops were killed in Iraq, the military said, making December the year's deadliest month for US troops with the toll reaching 108. - December 2006
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April April was the deadliest month for the U.S. military so far this year, with 102 personnel killed in action. - April 2007
Which brings us to today:
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The military said seven soldiers and two Marines were killed in separate attacks Tuesday, bringing the U.S. death toll for the month to at least 80. Last month, 104 U.S. troops were killed in Iraq.
U.S. officials have warned that American casualties were likely to increase as troops made more frequent patrols during the three-month-old U.S.-led security crackdown in Baghdad.
P4B, I know we would all like to see good news coming out of Iraq. But even with the Iraqi government attempting to prohibit negative images from being shown around the world, there's still a distinct lack of noticable progress. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070515/...iraq_media_ban As of late, even the Green Zone has come under fire. Think for a second, if the only heavily occupied and previously "safe" area in this country is under attack, how can the rest of the country be any better?
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State Department spokesman Tom Casey downplayed the latest attack, saying "it's been part of the operating environment for our officials there, as well as for other people working there." The recent increase in attacks, however, has raised alarm among U.S. staffers living and working in what was considered an oasis of safety in the turbulent Iraqi capital.
This month, the U.S. Embassy ordered diplomats to wear flak jackets and helmets while outdoors or in unprotected buildings. Later this year, the United States plans to open a massive new embassy inside the Green Zone despite the ongoing security threat.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationwo...orldnews-print
Which brings me to the quote from the Brig. Gen.
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WASHINGTON, May 22, 2007 ?? Coalition and Iraqi security forces have made great improvements to the security situation in Iraq??s Anbar province, opening the door for political developments and partnerships, a top U.S. general in the region said today. ??Now is the time, with the improvement in security in the province, to expand our contact to grow closer with the central government in Baghdad and with the provincial government in the province, to grow closer to the municipalities throughout the province, and we??re doing that on a regular basis by visiting the municipalities,? Army Brig. Gen. John Allen, deputy commanding general of Multinational Division West, said at a news conference in Baghdad.
Forgive me for doubting Mr. Allen, but the situation in Anbar does not appear to be much different from the rest of Iraq. Taken out of today's NYT article:
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In another devastating attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the house of two brothers who were supporting a Sunni alliance opposed to al-Qaida in the Anbar province, killing 10 people, including the men, their wives and their children, police Lt. Col. Jabar Rasheed Nayef, said Wednesday.
The attacker, a 17-year-old neighbor, broke into the house of the two men, Sheik Mohammed Ali and police Lt. Col. Abed Ali, and detonated his bomb belt about 11 p.m. Tuesday in Albo Obaid, about 60 miles west of Baghdad.
The targeted men were part of the Anbar Salvation Council, a group of local Sunni tribal leaders who had banded together with government support to fight al-Qaida, Nayef said
This isn't a case of foreign terrorists fighting America in Iraq, but a continuation of violence against those who side with the west. How much longer will this continue?
