Article

2004-12-19 Iraq-Jordan

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Posted by tipper 2004-12-19 10:26:12 AM|| || Front Page|| [11138 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Is it just me or we seeing a civil war in Iraq between the Sunni and Shia with our guys stuck in the middle.

Posted by Cheaderhead 2004-12-19 11:19:47 AM|| 2004-12-19 11:19:47 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 My nasty side is saying let them kill each other off, and then finish off any winner we don't like.

Posted by Laurence of the Rats 2004-12-19 11:24:51 AM|| [http://www.punictreachery.com/] 2004-12-19 11:24:51 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 It's not a civil war. It's the death rattle of the ba'athists and Zarqawi

Posted by lex 2004-12-19 11:57:07 AM|| 2004-12-19 11:57:07 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Cheaderhead - the civil war has been going on for a few months now. The Sunni are clearly the bad guys - by default we are aligned with the Shia.

Posted by JP 2004-12-19 12:31:28 PM|| 2004-12-19 12:31:28 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Zarqawi and friends are trying to start a civil war. They are desparate. They lost their Fallujah base. They are getting squeezed. They have everything to lose now. The stakes for both sides are very high.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2004-12-19 1:51:05 PM|| 2004-12-19 1:51:05 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 The Sunni baathists have already lost. They are just determined to take a few more with them on their way out.

Posted by 2b 2004-12-19 2:17:10 PM|| 2004-12-19 2:17:10 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 My wife (quite articulately, I might add ;) ) thinks this is naive proposal -- but, why not arm the populace? It seems to me that that the _only_ way to deal with the type of insurgency we are facing in Iraq is to ARM EVERYONE. If the populace sees somebody parking a car bomb -- cap âem. If the populace sees an ambush in progress -- cap âem. If insurgents are moving toward an army base -- cap âem. If they come across a hostage situation -- cap âem.

Idk. Comments, anyone?

Posted by ex-lib 2004-12-19 2:57:55 PM|| 2004-12-19 2:57:55 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 oops, #7 was me.

Posted by cingold 2004-12-19 2:58:49 PM|| 2004-12-19 2:58:49 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 ex-lib: I thought the current rules allowed each household an AK47 already.

Posted by James 2004-12-19 3:42:18 PM|| [http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com] 2004-12-19 3:42:18 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 James, I think you are right.

But, it doesn't look like these people are carrying when they leave the house. If they were carrying, the Iraqis would be capping these bad guys when they raise theri ugly heads. I'm thinking that if the place is going to be like the Wild West they need some Wild West style justice . . .

Posted by cingold 2004-12-19 6:00:33 PM|| 2004-12-19 6:00:33 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 cingold - I believe you are precisely right - hence my take on vigilante-style justice awhile back. Where the law is too timid, outmatched by numbers / firepower, biased or bought - the populace either picks up the slack or accepts domination. We shall see which sort of people the Iraqis are in those few areas where other forms of "social control" (tribalism, clans, etc) have broken down or are missing (non-homogenous) or have been usurped by jihadis.

Posted by .com 2004-12-19 6:15:57 PM|| 2004-12-19 6:15:57 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 If you think a moose limb is going to cap another moose limb your dreaming. allen forbids it.

Posted by Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-12-19 6:16:39 PM|| [http://www.slhess.com] 2004-12-19 6:16:39 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 Hence the body count, eh?

Posted by .com 2004-12-19 6:17:52 PM|| 2004-12-19 6:17:52 PM|| Front Page Top

#14 the populace either picks up the slack or accepts domination

That's precisely what I was thinking. They really don't have any other option. It is sink or swim . . .

Posted by cingold 2004-12-19 6:18:40 PM|| 2004-12-19 6:18:40 PM|| Front Page Top

#15 And an unarmed populace doesn't even have that choice.

Posted by .com 2004-12-19 6:20:32 PM|| 2004-12-19 6:20:32 PM|| Front Page Top

#16 I'm not a history buff, but I seem to remember that in the Wild West it was against the law to not be packing a pistol or rifle. And, the Sheriff could deputize any number of people for any length of time to chase down bad guys. Trials were short, sweet and to the point. Appeals, of course, were always an option -- but never stayed execution. Certain areas (where enough law officers existed to keep the public peace) were off limits to any weapons -- you checked them as you entered town, unless you had a death wish.

It is probably not an optimal environment, but it has to be better than what the Iraqis are looking at right now. After enough bad guys are killed, the society can get more civilized. It seemed to work for the Wild West.

Posted by cingold 2004-12-19 6:28:59 PM|| 2004-12-19 6:28:59 PM|| Front Page Top

23:49 Phil Fraering
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23:36 Sock Puppet of Doom
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22:59 Mike Sylwester
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22:45 Capt America
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22:34 Robert Crawford
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22:18 Wuzzalib
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22:06 Alaska Paul
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21:55 Poison Reverse
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