Posted on 08/22/2004 4:35:47 PM PDT by Rennes Templar
Saturday 21 August 2004, 11:54 Makka Time, 8:54 GMT
Iraqi football players, who have performed exceptionally well at the Olympics, are cautioning President George Bush not to use their success in his re-election campaign, according to the US monthly Sports Illustrated.
US media has touted the success of Iraq's under-23 team as it beat Portugal 4-2 and Costa Rica 2-0 and sailed through to the quarterfinals.
However, the sudden interest in the team - particularly from the US Republican re-election campaign platform - has irked some of its members.
"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," Iraqi player Salih Sadir told SI.com.
"He can find another way to advertise himself."
Sadir has so far scored two goals for the team.
But some players went further: substitute Ahmad Manajid, who played as a midfielder in Wednesday's match against Morocco (1-2) told the monthly sports magazine "How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women?"
"He has committed so many crimes."
Manajid went on to say "I want to defend my home. If a stranger invades America and the people resist, does that mean they are terrorists?"
"Everyone [in Falluja] has been labelled a terrorist. These are all lies. Falluja people are some of the best people in Iraq."
According to Sports Illustrated, one of Manajid's cousin was a resistance fighter who was killed by US occupation forces. He allegedly told SI.com that he would have become a resistance fighter had he not been on the Olympic team.
Iraq's second coach, who filled the gap left behind when German manager Bernd Stange left the team due to security concerns, told SI.com that he believed US occupation forces destroyed everything in his country.
"My problems are not with the American people," Adnan Hamad told the sports monthly.
"They are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything. The American army has killed so many people in Iraq. What is freedom when I go to the [national] stadium and there are shootings on the road?"
I recently returned from an assignment in Iraq- one of my Iraqi friends sent me the following message (please bear with the spelling/grammatical errors):
hi my friend
don't be upset cause these fools they uneducated people cause they don't understand and they don't want understand that iraq needs time to be good state. iraq really needs time and work to be good state sadam damaged every thing he damaged the iraqi people too and the iraqi people have to work with americans to get iraq better.. i like the americans so that i work with them and i would like to be with them all my life.
Perhaps--in That regard--the Cultures are Similar.
One can understand how a Totally Male-Dominated "Macho" Culture might be psychologically unable to accept a "Boon" from a Superior Culture!
If we are dealing with such a "Macho" culture, we've "got our Work cut out for us!!"
Doc
The silence of "Good people" is overwhelming.
"Moderate Muslims", "Grateful Iraqis". So silent they are.
Even if they exist, they have no influence and no power.
Sooner or later, Idealism must stop and Pragmatism must be the deciding factor. Iraq government will revert back to what it has been--rule by force. Wrong people, wrong place, wrong time.
Northern Kurds seem to appreciate us, we should maintain a presence with them. South is Kuwait and nearby, Saudi Arabia. I'll bet they both would want us around--in Kuwait, of course.
Time to pack up and adjust our forces. We rid the world of Saddam. We have given a country a new start. Those were idealistic accomplishments. Time to adjust.
its a bit out of context but i think of this sometime when i am bending over backwards to help people who don't appreciate it....as jesus said,
"Don't give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you."
i still think we had to go to iraq for many reasons but am not surprised when ungrateful people don't say thank you.
i am sure there are many more grateful people in iraq than there are ungrateful. however, you have a generation of people that have grown up under this kind of tyranny--it would take a long time to overcome that. i think it has been said that former slaves make the most tyrannical masters.
What a bunch of ingrates. If it weren't for us they
would be facing a hard time if they lost.
sounds like someone is afraid that GWB will get a big applause....on the world stage.....
..."...former slaves make the most tyrannical masters."...
I haven't heard that before. But I do know that Tyrannical-Bosses who are successful are frequently regarded as 'role models' by many of those who worked for them. College and HS Football coaches, for example.
and no good deed goes unpunished.
There are times when I read dreck like this and think President Bush should release Saddam, give him Iraq back, and tell him he can keep his little sh!thole and the ingrates that live there. |
Ha!...these ingrates should be over here campaigning for Bush!
Oh that's just great! What if this little jerk had Uday and "Who say" controlling the team?........One misstep and it's the torture room.......or worse. Hope they lose! :(
You got that right. Lets see theres the MSM, France, Arab world, JFuK, alphabet TV, DU, ...........
We invaded their Country, there's no getting around that, and we didn't do it primarily to liberate them, that was an immeasureably valuable byproduct that this guy doesn't seem swift enough to comprehend.
I supported the war, and continue to support the current effort to democratize. But the US wants the image of us as an invading force to fade, because it's counterproductive in the long run, and that's not at all how we want to be remembered. That's why we handed over sovereignty as quickly as we did. A lot of Iraqis just want the state of war to be eliminated, you can't blame them. You nor I would like to encounter open fire on our way to work on a regular basis.
I bet his fellow athletes are like we are here in the US, split. Some of us think Kerry is up to the task of being President, and the rest of us think kerry is a no-good, back-stabbing, lying, pusillanimous, weasel who glommed a PH for some rice in his ass, and is an all around candy-assed pantload.
Why this ungrateful bunch of jerks. President Bush would no stoop so low as to use your sad bunch of, once again, jerks. Next time you nitwits ask America to save your a$$, go suck on a poison ivy twig, you nits.
I'd leak it out that two or three of Uday Hussein's henchmen have escaped from prison and that we know not where they are...That should put a chill up their rectums when they get off the plane!
And why should I listen to some dumb Jock? This guys only claim to fame is he can kick a ball, my 2 yearold can kick a ball, I dont ask his opinion!
I think God will give him a nice house... by the beach... where he can drink margaritas and watch the sun dip into sea...
Meanwhile, I am certain, that those "sluaghtered" men and women... they'll be burning in hell....
So I hope that answers that "soccer" player's question.
Heartwarming words. I read (probably on FR) that the Iraqi's are very dysfunctional (my word) because Saddam and fear, and being oppressed was their "normal". It was predicted that it will take years, possibly generations before they become truly free in spirit.
I believe that.
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