"In Iraq, during Hussein's rule, an Iraqi could leave his doors unlocked. Crime was a...excuse me, a nuisance."
HORSEFEATHERS.
Do you really believe that? I think you had better go back and check the source of that informaion. After all, what is your basis for knowings such a fact?
Right.
It is probably something said by Bagdad bob.
A people does not change overnight. I am sure there was lots of crime going on in Saddam's Iraq. We just didn't hear about it, nor did it get reported.
By saying this you are implying that the nation went from extremely civilized to savage overnight - and just because we are there. Such a statement does not pass the smell test.
In addition, perhaps the Iraqi's under Saddam were required to leave their doors unlocked. After all, many of the thieves and hoodlums we are currently fighting were in power. Perhaps it was a requirement that you leave your doors unlocked so that they found it easy to steal whatever they wanted.
Iraq, as much of the Middle East is a makeup of tribes...that for generations, er, for CENTURIES...have been taught that other people not from your tribe are either trying to get you or holding you down already.
These seeds of hate are planted from the time they are toddlers. The Palestinian-Jewish "problem" is the epitome of the example.
Until we start killing them ( the current insurgency) by the thousands, you're going to keep reading about " 49 Iraqi soldiers on leave are summarily executed on the roadside....", etc..
Including your 11-year old daughter for one of Uday's parties.
And if there was no crime, then why were there 10,000 people in Abu Ghraib alone... who were all let loose just before the war? Not all of those were BS "political" prisoners... some of them were actually rapists, murders, and thieves. All set free to wreak havoc for the Americans, intentionally, by Saddam, just before the war.