Article

2003-08-10 Iraq

British Troops Patrol Basra Gas Stations

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Steve White 2003-08-10 8:33:28 AM|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 "temperatures of more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit"
They're sitting in their cars running the AC to escape the heat.

"thieves who have taken down cables to sell the copper inside"
It wasn't nailed down, so it was fair game. Pyramids, hospitals, power lines - everything except Mosques are fair game - to Arabs. And the local Mullahs never leave the Mosques unattended.

Posted by Â·com 2003-8-10 10:37:13 AM|| 2003-8-10 10:37:13 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 He said that the power outages were the work of saboteurs, thieves who have taken down cables to sell the copper inside

This is no surprise - the Brits are releasing the people who commit petty crimes almost immediately. The lax style of British criminal justice is one export that's not doing well in Iraq. So much for the touchy-feely style of occupation. Seems to me what they need to do is to demolish Saddam's prisons and build temporary new ones to hold all the miscreants who are causing all this trouble. Clearly not everyone's a criminal, or the place would be stripped bare. But they do need to crack down on the people who are criminals, and that's not happening, from all accounts.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2003-8-10 10:50:27 AM|| 2003-8-10 10:50:27 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 ZF - a tiny point: "Clearly not everyone's a criminal, or the place would be stripped bare."
It was stripped bare - I saw it on the BBC - so it must be true, right? Did they take everything they could get their hands on? Yep. Did everyone partcipate? Everyone that was physically able. Was there any reason not to? Nope. I saw innumerable BBC / CNN / SkyTV / MSNBC reports while in Saudi (don't know for certain what you were seeing) that were designed to convey lawlessness. Street interviews and lots of film of everything imaginable being carted down the streets, including kitchen sinks - the whole nine yards. Immediately after the fall of each city, the Beeb was there pushing it for all it was worth. Gotta be true, man. They had film and interviews with regular Iraqis and everything! They were amazingly consistent, in fact, in their stories. You don't think the interviewees were screened for those with this story - or who guessed what the Beeb reporter wanted to hear and gave it to him, do ya? You mean old cynic you! ;->

Posted by Â·com 2003-8-10 1:07:10 PM|| 2003-8-10 1:07:10 PM|| Front Page Top

11:43 Bulldog
09:26 Anon1
05:24 Bulldog
00:26 Zhang Fei
00:21 Â·com
00:03 Zhang Fei
23:56 Mark IV
23:52 Â·com
23:43 fullwood
23:41 Â·com
23:34 Not Mike Moore
23:34 Zhang Fei
23:27 Chris
23:24 Not Mike Moore
23:23 Not Mike Moore
23:19 Steve White
23:16 Not Mike Moore
23:12 Not Mike Moore
23:10 Zhang Fei
23:08 Raphael
23:05 Steve White
22:57 Steve White
22:56 Not Mike Moore
22:28 fullwood