Posted on 01/20/2011 3:47:05 PM PST by Pan_Yan
BAGHDAD – Jubilant Iraqi soccer fans ignored government orders and lit up the Baghdad night sky with gunshots on Wednesday, after the national team beat North Korea 1-0 in the Asian Cup tournament to qualify for the quarterfinals.
...
Iraqis have always fired in the air at celebrations, but the phenomenon increased after the American invasion in 2003 when government facilities and military weapons stores were looted, so that the weapons were spread over all the country.
People shoot at weddings, and after military victories. They even opened fire late last year to celebrate the eventual formation of a government after seven months of negotiations, and at least 2 people were killed and 12 wounded by falling bullets.
...
“It is our tradition, to shoot our guns at all celebrations,” said Nael al-Abodi, 48, an employee of the Ministry of the Interior. “Guns and swords represent the power of the tribes and the person himself. It is showing happiness, with a touch of manhood. I have prepared three magazines to shoot if we win.”
(Excerpt) Read more at atwar.blogs.nytimes.com ...
The jokes write themselves.
Well, most women are only impressed if you have 8-9 magazines.
Preserving the “traditions” of savages is what we’ve spent thousands of lives and a trillion dollars for?
Since the christians in Iraq were apparently safer under Saddam than now I guess I'd have to say "yes".
Japan beats Korea 2-0.
BTW, China loses to Uzbekistan?
Some world power you are China.
My mother, God rest her soul, was an unabashed hillbilly and spoke as one. I remember many years ago as we watched the nightly news she stated “Ain’t none of them foreigners got sense enough to wipe thereselves”. I was somewhat upset at the time, as I was a sensative liberal, 14 or 15 years old. I have since largely come to agree with her.
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