Posted on 10/30/2006 9:57:11 PM PST by jmc1969
The smell of baking bread wafted over the dusty central square as children clamored to get closer to the U.S. troops and their hulking armored vehicles.
Samir Hassan, a 53-year-old shopkeeper, said he was happy with the U.S. forces who have maintained peace around his home. But the Iraqi police who have set up a checkpoint at the entrance to Mustafar have made the residents uneasy, he said, as have the Shiite militias that operate just miles away.
"We feel safe here," Hassan said, waving his arm at the throngs of people in the streets on a recent day. "But now we can't go to Baghdad. We need to have security in Iraq. The government has no control, and I don't trust the Iraqi forces."
"We're happier now," said Othman Ibrahim, 23, a fireplug of a farmer with coarse hands and soft eyes. "We like the U.S. soldiers because they came in and made things better. But we don't trust the Iraqi army, and while there are still militias, we're never going to trust them."
For many residents, the daily dose of roadside bombs and gunshots that plague the capital is glimpsed only on television. Here, U.S. forces work to provide more electricity, to ensure water supplies are clean and to fix roads. The locals appear to appreciate it, but they also appear to genuinely fear what could happen if U.S. forces leave.
Ibrahim also has difficulty trusting the government. Though he likes the idea of democracy, he said, he isn't sure what difference it has made or will make.
"We are farmers, and we know nothing about democracy," he said, shaking his head. "We see no changes because of it."
(Excerpt) Read more at southcoasttoday.com ...
Ping
thanks good story...
As the MSM's need to boost the Democrats ends after the election, I expect will start to see more of these stories again. (SIGH, wish they wouldnt spike so many of these kinds of stories)
It's sure nice to see a story about good things in Iraq and gratitude for our sacrifices, after the relentless doom-and-gloom of the MSM. Thanks.
Thanks for the post. I am passing it on to the campaign of an important race.
"This really does make me proud," said Sirhal, 27, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "You see how they are here? It could be like this everywhere. We just have to be patient."
If only more people understood that. I hope enough do.
He will understand Democracy when he can address his concerns about the militias and actually have his voice make a difference.
Hey, Maliki...can you hear me now?
Sure, as long as one has to have a death wish to speak out publically against militias its hard to believe democracy is a life changing thing for Iraq.
I'm not really sure we have a choice but to take Sadr out. Maliki wouldn't know what to say next without him.
Do you understand why Maliki relies on him so massively?
The biggest battle in Iraq is over federalism. Harkim doesn't really want federalism he wants the south to break away. That would leave Maliki with no power and Sadr and the Sunnis with no oil money.
Thus, Maliki is relying on Sadr's support and the Sunnis support in parliment against Hakim. If strong federalism passes Maliki is left with no power.
What do you think should be done?
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.
The link says it comes from the Washington Post, but it actually comes from someplace called southcoasttoday, which doesn't load.
First off we should talk to Sadr see if we can make a political deal with him that allows him to keep his power and money, but he gives over the names and addresses of the more violent militia leaders.
We should also give Maliki 6-8 months to make progress while at the same time sending in more troops and advisors and alot more heavy weapons and equipment to the Iraqi Army.
If Iraq is on the edge of collapse 7 months from now, we will still have the Iraqi Army as a last resort. The Iraqi Army would be more then happy to coup the government and put in a secular pro-Western Shia strongman like Allawi.
Other news sites post news articles from the Washington Post, AP, UPI, etc.
This sentence really brings back some memories; "genuine fear" once being expressed by a Vietnamese woman's sobbing at the mear thought we would leave. Shame on you America! Why can't you commit to anything anymore? What came first, the high divorce rate or bugging out of foreign conflicts?
We had killer kennedy and his co-horts who stopped funds to help our military in Vietnam, we now have killer kennedy and his co-horts threatening to pull funds to help our military in Iraq. Our military and REAL Americans want to help the Iriqi citizens. Unfortunately, we have the likes of killer kennedy, dingy harry reid, ole broadbeam klinton, phony pelosi who will do anything to "gain back" their power and to heck with the honor of America. These are the people who belong to the socialist party in DC which is connected to the international socialist party, so we know where these people's loyalties lie. The divorce rate has nothing to do with government commitment, it has everything to do with the kind of people we choose to represent us in our Republic type government.
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