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On Sat, 12 Apr 2003 17:17:19 -0700 (PDT) Li Saavedra <saavedra1979@yahoo.com> writes: >I don't want or intend this to be an argument, but I >must comment on your note, which I am not certain I >understand. No, I STILL don't know what the Iraqis >felt or wanted. My understanding is that most of them >hated Saddam but hated the idea of being invaded with >> i cannot believe the instults of this email. all to >> avoid the simple fact >> that YOU WERE WRONG, you didn't understand what >> iraqis felt or wanted. I'm gonna jump in here with having no first-hand knowledge of Iraq, but with more than a few years experience about people. First, to say "Iraqis" want this or feel that is a very broad generalization. No large group is monolithic. Second, every nation has criminals, saints, and all kinds in between. Third, most people are barely aware of what they want or what they think, and what they feel is usually mixed and transient. One example of this is the absurdity of the polls here in the US which indicate that most people supported the war, but were against many things which are necessarily part of the war -- all modified by any number of other factors such as UN sanction. How else could at least 20% of the people change their mind overnight, when the first bomb dropped? Fourth, aside from the transient emotions and thoughts of the majority, it's not too hard to look at the situation objectively, sitting some distance from the bombs. We all know what people generally want -- the same things all of us want. Fifth, and most important: the war-mongers main tool is propaganda, including oversimplification and dividing the opposition. They try to frame the issues, such as with "support the war or support Hussein", "with Bush or with the terrorists", "support the war or support the troops". The US has been using the same basic tactic for decades in installing dictators and destabilizing areas: that way extremism is born and the US then has a propagandist tool and excuse for attacking whichever side isn't pleasing it. Some years back the US took them from bad to worse, and now has taken them back from worse to bad -- depending on what one is considering at a given moment. If I had to guess what an abstract group like "the real Iraqis" were doing, I'd say they are dancing in the streets very sadly -- to the tune of a dirge. The reality is far more complex. The pain of living is more than we can contain -- and so we dance. Pax! ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk