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[casi] Big Mac in Iraq.




"It is not fast food that these peaceniks oppose, but civilisation and life
- as it should be lived. They have made their stance clear. Let us now make
ours."  D.V., Texas, friend of D.Z.

Dear Ghazwan & List,

Thanks, it really made my day, you asking me to get in touch again. I've
been following CASI correspondence, including yours. But CASI & I, mutually,
needed holidays away from each other.

You ask me to provide you with latest human rights reports, re. the
occupation (of Iraq). With the best will in the world, what could I possibly
say to, even to a minor degree, measure up to first-hand experiences of
those living through it all? Not, I'm afraid, very much. Whereas I'm living
in relative security & comfort, not having to worry where my next meal is
coming from, the situation in Iraq is totally different.

May I share some simple impressions (you will, of course, correct any
errors!)? Iraq has been repressively ruled, over many years/decades. The
wars, including with Iran, plus sanctions, have resulted in struggling for
life being the norm. Now, the reality is military occupation.
Infra-structures, law & order, have all broken down. It probably helps very
little that thousands of serious criminals were released by Saddam.
But not only those, nor the tens of thousands of soldiers are the only
sources of  trouble. Many ordinary people are taking advantage of the
weaknesses, and, to a great extent, anarchy prevails. Women & girls dare
hardly venture outside their homes, even during daytime. If you get a taxi,
is the driver genuine, or a gangster? Sigmund Freud, the psycho-analyst,
wrote of "the thin veneer of civilisation." In Iraq, that veneer has been
destroyed. It will take much time, resources & determination to repair the
ruinous state of Iraq. Do you, & fellow Iraqis, believe it can be done?
Meaning re-building bridges, schools, sewers, hospitals, homes, shops,
factories & everything else required for a civilised society. And, not
least, human relations, without which nothing can function. If you do, and
if genuine
assistance is offered, internationally, then there is hope.

These were merely some imperfect thoughts, from one who has never been to
Iraq. Then there are the business ventures, e.g. McDonald's, which not only
contribute to exploitation of the local population,
they also - hand-in-hand with military conquest - infuse Western "culture"
into Iraq. Whilst all this is going on, I almost detect some eerie laughter,
from the wings. Could it be "Ronald McDonald", the burger-
clown &, since decades, bizarre representative of McDonald's? Let him peddle
his gory wares elsewhere!

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