Article

2004-05-27 Iraq-Jordan

US Army Doing Public Works Projects to Win Over Iraqi Population

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Posted by Mike Sylwester 2004-05-27 10:01:15 AM|| || Front Page|| [4 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 The areas where unemployment is highest and public services most feeble are the same areas where the insurgents are most active recruiting in mosques and schools, and attacking his soldiers.

Clearly this is a warm fuzzy for the "root cause seekers" at places such as The Washing Post. I'll make no wagers as to whether it will work in terms of winning people over, but it is an act of kindness. As such, it is the Right Thing To Do.

Posted by eLarson 2004-05-27 1:08:07 PM|| 2004-05-27 1:08:07 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 As such, it is the Right Thing To Do.

Given our experiences in the Middle East, I'd be more inclined to leaning away from that and going more towards an attitude of What Do We Get In Return For Doing This? After all, it's largely going to be our money that would be financing these projects, and while the typical Westerner might understand what such a gesture might mean, the people we are dealing with are NOT typical Westerners.

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2004-05-27 2:25:54 PM|| 2004-05-27 2:25:54 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 I agree with you, #2. Mispent kindness with a culture who will hate us when all is said and done. The faster we get our butts out of Iraq, the happier they will be with us. Forget about the warm and fuzzy-it's time consuming and costly. Get the elctions done, and move our kisters to Kurdistan.

P.S. Kurdistan represents one third of Iraq territory. Since the beginning of Iraq "occupation" we have only needed 300 GI's to help the Kurds patrol Kurdistan. As I recall there's been ZERO GI deaths at the hands of Kurds.

How much sewer repair and mosque building and air conditioning have our GI's and contractors been forced to putz with in Kurdistan? I'll bet anything Kurds are handling it themselves along with contractors they have hired.

On Monday I almost gagged listening to President Bush talking about what he's planning for the "Iraqi people." His speech was like a eulogy to Iraqi people. "Iraqi people" got mentioned 10X to every time he mentioned America. I'm sick and tired of coddling these losers. It is no random accident of history that Iraqis have never known democracy in all the time they've been hanging out in the desert.

You're right #2. It's time that President Bush gets his head out of the neocon clouds and starts tallying the bill to give the Iraqi new government re: all the perks we taxpayers have been giving "Iraqi people" since we generously kicked Saddam out of his palace.

When is all this American taxpayer supported generosity to the Iraqi people going to end? Are we to believe that it will go on indefinitely? Does staying the course in Iraq mean bottomless US money bags for "Iraqi people" to use and enjoy?

Go to the website www.stoppowtorture.org" put together by American Gulf War I vets. The US Justice Department is holding back $ these men won in a recent court case against the Iraqi government for abuse that Iraqis perpetuated against them in the first Gulf War. The Bush Administration has told our vets the "Iraqi people" need the court judgment $ more now than our vets. Say what?

Posted by rex 2004-05-27 7:06:17 PM|| 2004-05-27 7:06:17 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 The faster we get our butts out of Iraq, the happier they will be with us.

I just thought of something; go ahead with these public works projects anyway and then at some point in time after the improvements have been made, take a good long look at the situation. Is the frequency of attacks against coalition forces dwindling due to people turning in insurgents? Is there a general rising tide of goodwill and trust developing between the general Iraqi public and American soldiers and officials? If so, then we keep on going. If there is no improvement in the situation on the main fronts, we stop these projects dead in their tracks and go no further. No use wasting our money giving them something that they're not going to have any appreciation for.

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2004-05-27 10:29:15 PM|| 2004-05-27 10:29:15 PM|| Front Page Top

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