When I began this blog in 2001, I was appalled by President Bush's headlong rush to an illegal war (we were not in fact under attack). As time wore on and Bush began his assault on the Constitution and any people bold enough to criticize, I believed that "the republic is endangered more by actions of our own government than by those of any terrorist." With the election of a high-minded, compassionate, intelligent man like Barack Obama, my fears have ceased.
"Honor them with peace, not war"
United for Peace
Saturday, September 13, 2003
There is a well known practice by oppressors of demonizing or dehumanizing the oppressed. I saw an interesting example of this on the web page of a London-born Monaco resident writing about Iraqis at Voxnooz:
For a country that has been run by the British (ostensibly a local monarch with British 'advisors'), then a dictator, and now the US, Iraq isn't doing too badly.
For information on how Iraqis feel about the US presence, check out the Iraq Diaries
According the US government estimates, there are plenty of telephone lines (though fewer since the last US attack), plenty of television stations (though fewer since the last war). [ For details, see the CIA Factbook or the Library of Congress Country Study.
Infrastructure data
If we felt sorry for the Iraqi citizens before the US attack because of the brutal oppression os Saddam Huseyn (um, how many days a week did YOU think about them??), we should be prepared to sympathize with their plight now. The author of the Taxicab Diaries (one of those listed above) spoke with numerous cabbies.
Copyright © 2001-03 Pam Shorey
(except the specific sources credited in quotes)
Iraq civilization
There is a well known practice by oppressors of demonizing or dehumanizing the oppressed. I saw an interesting example of this on the web page of a London-born Monaco resident writing about Iraqis at Voxnooz:
These folk are One Million Miles away from any kind of civilisation which would be recognisable to the West. In their place, You cannot have Flushing Meadow Tennis, You cannot have a movie industry, anything near real Justice or real Voting. You cannot have a publishing or, God Forbid, a media industry. Not even straight mainstream tv or radio. You cannot even be a Goddamn plumber - there is no generalised plumbing. There is nothing the West can do to force these people out of their love for 12th century, or earlier, pig-headed and stupid behaviour. -- M. O'Dwyer, The Nitty Gritty : Irak an' Africa
For a country that has been run by the British (ostensibly a local monarch with British 'advisors'), then a dictator, and now the US, Iraq isn't doing too badly.
For information on how Iraqis feel about the US presence, check out the Iraq Diaries
According the US government estimates, there are plenty of telephone lines (though fewer since the last US attack), plenty of television stations (though fewer since the last war). [ For details, see the CIA Factbook or the Library of Congress Country Study.
Infrastructure data
- Telephones - main lines in use:
675,000 (1997); note - an unknown number of telephone lines were damaged or destroyed during the March-April war
- Telecommunications:
- General assessment: an unknown number of telecommunication facilities were damaged during the March-April 2003 war
- domestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio relay links
- international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably nonoperational
- General assessment: an unknown number of telecommunication facilities were damaged during the March-April 2003 war
- Radio broadcast stations:
AM 19 (5 are inactive), FM 51, shortwave 4 (1998)
- Television broadcast stations:
13 (1997); note - unknown number were destroyed during the March-April 2003 war
- Airports:
150 (2002); note - unknown number were damaged during the March-April 2003 war
If we felt sorry for the Iraqi citizens before the US attack because of the brutal oppression os Saddam Huseyn (um, how many days a week did YOU think about them??), we should be prepared to sympathize with their plight now. The author of the Taxicab Diaries (one of those listed above) spoke with numerous cabbies.
... he was convinced now that the United States was doing bad things to his country on purpose. Why would they want to do this you might ask? He explained, to foment the state of chaos so that people are kept busy worrying about the electricity and water and security rather than getting busy with opposing the occupation. This ... sobering thought ... has been expressed to me more than once by people from all walks of life..., even the people who really wanted the United States to invade Iraq....
Palema
8:25 AM
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Copyright © 2001-03 Pam Shorey
(except the specific sources credited in quotes)
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