Dear Friends,
I have just read and signed the online petition:
"URGENT APPEAL TO SAVE IRAQ'S ACADEMICS"
hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petition
service, at:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/Iraqacad/
I personally agree with what this petition says, and I think you might
agree, too. If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider
signing yourself.
Best wishes,
Truth Teller
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14 comments:
Watch this webpage:
- http://iraqwar.mirror-world.ru/article/76321
Is this article rappresentative of the Mosul situation?
Anon.
This article is a bunch of lies.
I think it is an absolute propaganda.
claude dorsel
Thank you Sir, I appreciate your signing the petition.
It may won't help! but it definitely make us feel that there still be people who care.
BTW the Islamic fundamentalists have nothing to do with these crimes. those crimes were committed by gangs who want to empty the country from its brains.
We know them, or at least think we know who is beyond these crime. but we don't have a prove.
They are not just a criminals, they are very intelligent and competent.
Dear Truth Teller,
A quick note to let you know that I signed the petition, and have posted the appeal to my blog. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
In peace,
Sean (iNoodle.com).
I wish signing a petition was a useful way of solving problems, that would be a fine and non-violent way of improving things, and a productive exercise of democracy in the bargain. Regrettably I believe that in reality the people who prey on and terrorize the academics and intellectuals of Iraq have no respect for petitions from decent people.
TT:This article is a bunch of lies.
I think it is an absolute propaganda.
Sorry TT, but you need to get out more. Your fellow Moslawi's are coming around and will leave you behind. Are you one of the folks they fear? The change in the atmospere towards American troops has changed greatly just over the last month. Ask yourself why you find that so difficult to accept and why your efforts are focused on preventing it.
I have to say I find that article largely believable and see no obvious distortions of fact in the few sparse facts it reports in it, although the interpretation of those facts may be open to question. Of course I am on the other side of the world and tend to try to view things in a positive light when possible. Perhaps you could explain what you find untrue about the article so we could better understand your viewpoint.
waldschrat
I read that article and found every single word in it is false. I know the people of my city, I live here for 57 years. Every day I met people, in the neighborhood, in the street, in the market, at the hospital and in my private clinic. I can assure you and the anonymous above, that every time a patrol of US troop pass in the vicinity, the people from all around wish them vanished.
the cause for that is the behaviour of the soldiers. when they raid homes, they did itnat the middle of the night, the explode the doors, tied the hand of men behind their back and let them lie on the ground,and most of the times the soldier put his boot over the head of the lied down person in front of this family. In addition to the irresponsible shooting fire toward the pedestrians.
The people of Iraq have strange memory, they never forget those acst for the rest of their lives.
Did you see the Iraqi Sheetis when they hit them selves with ateel chains. they punish them selves for killing Imam Al Hussain before about 1300 years.
I think they will keep hating the American for hundreds of years to come.
OK, I think I understand your objections to the story - you seem to believe that a polite relationship between American soldiers and Iraqis is not typical and the story misperpresents reality in portraying the soldiers as polite (and probably misrepresents Iraqis as welcoming them into their houses).
Yet, you yourself once described an incident in which you were stopped, and used the adjective "polite" in describing the soldiers' behavior. I remember this because it struck me as odd that you would describe soldiers who pointed weapons at you as "polite" when this is actually a very rude and threatening act.
Truth Teller,
Obviously, one's point of view is very important in determining what is truth and what is falsehood. For example, you described this article (http://iraqwar.mirror-world.ru/article/76321) as nothing but lies, yet after I read it the things described felt exactly like what my own platoon experiences on a daily basis as we patrol your city.
I can sympathize with your point of view that you've heard or witnessed stories of soldiers being rough with the local populace, but from my own experience I can assure you that those instances only occur when we are confronted with individuals we've been told are associated with the insurgents or are criminal suspects.
But most people we encounter are friendly and we have good and cordial relations with them as we walk their neighborhoods. I can't guess what is truly in their hearts, but I think they know that we are here to help them, not to take from them. America is the wealthiest and most prosperous nation in the world. We don't need to take from others like Saddam. We give more money and effort away to other countries than anyone else in the world.
I can't speak for the entire U.S. Army, but I would never allow my own soldiers I lead to abuse or treat harshly any Iraqi, and only act aggressively when absolutely necessary to protect ourselves. As you know, many U.S. soldiers have been killed in Mosul, and we have a responsibility to do everything we can to make sure all my soldiers make it home alive to their families.
But Americans value all human life, not just our own. Soldiers like myself truly want all Iraqis to have a better life and a future for their children. We laugh and play with the children of Iraq every day, and whether you believe the invasion of your country was a good or bad thing, we don't want to quit and leave a bigger mess for the people of Iraq.
There's nothing we want more than for the new Iraq to be free, prosperous, safe, and successful. We all wish it didn't have to be so difficult or so deadly, but we have a saying in America that goes: "Freedom isn't free".
Over half a million Americans died in our own civil war over 150 years ago so that ALL Americans could finally enjoy real freedom from those who would enslave them. Hopefully, Iraq will emerge from this war with the same opportunity for real freedom.
I truly believe this. But I respect your opinions as well, even if you completely disagree. But I do believe that both of our goals for your country are more alike than one might think.
By the way, I don't know if you are aware, but individuals such as Robert Fisk, Noam Chomsky, and Howard Zinn are known throughout the U.S. as "professional America-haters."
They make their living off of accusing the U.S. of being the cause of every ill of modern civilization. Tragically, even in the U.S. there is a big market for those beliefs. It's the small price of freedom; you have to put up with people calling you evil and despicable even when you know they are wrong.
I just wanted you to be aware that they didn't represent the mainstream thought in my country, but a radical fringe of elitist opinion.
It's a sad fact of life for Americans like myself that the majority of our academics in the universities and the journalists in our best newspapers despise their own country. It's been that way ever since the 1970s.
I'm hoping to help change that fact when I get out of the Army. I'd like to become a professor of military history and political science.
Thank you again for allowing me the privilege of commenting on your site. This is truly a historic time for both our countries.
Courage, brave Iraqi. Soon the american pigs will be expelled from Iraq and they'll never return. Iraq will be the Stalingrad of america. You Iraqis are making all the Arabs proud of you, with your heroic resistance you are defeating the crusaders occupiers. And they will be defeated, Allah willing. One day you'll be remembered in the history books like the peoples that destroyed the usa arrogance on the Arabs. It's only matter of time and soon Iraq will return to be a real Islamic Arab state. Arab World doesn't need the capitalist-colonialist-crusader puppet democracy backed by the usa. One day we'll counterattack and we'll conquer the west, and have revenge for the crimes they committed against the believers.
Truth teller, I have signed the petition as well, thank you for posting it. Also, thank you for keeping this blog and sharing your opinions and experiences.
Buck Sargent wrote: "It's a sad fact of life for Americans like myself that the majority of our academics in the universities and the journalists in our best newspapers despise their own country. It's been that way ever since the 1970s."
A majority of academics, journalists, etc. are intelligent enough to know that loyal, patriotic Americans should fight for the values that make any country great: justice, freedom, truth. They know that one can love their country and still disagree with the policies that their country's government follows. They know that fighting to change things they see as harmful does not mean they hate their country, but rather that they care enough to try to make a difference in any way they can. Whatever beliefs you have, whatever beliefs I have, I know that we are both fighting for what we think is best for our country because we both love it.
b will derd
We didn't have electricity in my neighborhood for the last 24 hour. the neighborhood generator is out of order too.
That is why I was late in response and didn't answer your question. I think by now you know the answer.
1/17/2006 10:57:38 PM
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