Gautam Mukunda wrote: > > Law and order - They lived under a repressive state > > but they were used to that set up. Currently, they > > are not sure of who their enemies are or how to > > reduce the risk factor in their lives. This > > uncertainty can get tiring after an year. > > Perhaps, but they don't think so. The majority of > Iraqis think things are better, not worse. So making > that argument is a little questionable, don't you > think?
Nope. I am glad that the majority of the Iraqis are not giving up hope and declaring an all out war on the coalition but that doesn't make my statement 'questionable'. Living with constant uncertainty *is* tiring and analysts/politicians ought to keep that in mind *before* an entire country is pushed to the point of open,armed rebellion. > > Electricity, oil, kerosene, employment etc. - Far > > more readily available before the invasion. > > Objectively not true, period. Electricity generation > is now higher than its pre-war peak. What it _is_ is > slightly harder to get electricity in Baghdad. Since > the Coalition (unlike Saddam) is obligated to provide > services to all of Iraq, it can't starve the provinces > of power to supply the capital, as Saddam did. > Similarly with the other factors. For all I know, you might be right but that is not what I've read. The latest news report I've read on the subject stated that although the coalition has been stating that the electricity levels have reached pre-war levels and above, the truth is that it took almost an entire year to reach that level briefly before things started crumbling. This article can be found somewhere in the last 10 entries or so of the blog 'Fair and balanced War News'. I don't have time to look for it right now, though - am rather busy these days. > > Add to that the fact that the occupying power > > neither speaks their language nor understands their > > culture and society, throw in the midnight raids and > > the large-scale arrests one keeps on reading about, > > remember the fact that earlier they knew whom to > > approach and bribe for information and now they > > don't....and you do come up with a picture which, in > > many ways, is more unsettled than the picture under > > Saddam. It is all well and good that he is gone and > > that the Iraqis may actually be able to enjoy > > democracy one day in the future. However, I doubt > > that makes living in such turmoil any easier on a > > day-to-day basis. > > Again, _they_ don't think so. Mmm, you might want to read all the articles about the Iraqis who have been arrested and imprisoned for weeks before being released. They all seem to find living this way rather difficult. > You don't think > midnight raids and large-scale arrests happened > before? Some time looking at the mass graves would be > instructive, in that case. Now, Gautam, what would make you assume such a thing? :) I clearly said that at least earlier they knew whom to approach/bribe for information....The inference was obvious, I thought. > At least the people > arrested aren't dropped into paper shredders now. Nope, they are just made to spend days transferring excreta from one barrel to the another with the help of a spoon! Infinitely better than being shredded alive but still not an optimal way to treat prisoners, wouldn't you say? > You _can_ make this argument, I guess, but actually > _making_ it makes you an apologist for one of the most > brutal dictators in human history - you have to > believe all of the propaganda that he and his > supporters put out. Are you willing to go that far, > Ritu? *l* I think you are slightly confused Gautam. I don't *have* to believe either Saddam's propaganda or the Coalition's. Thanks to the net, I can actually read the world's coverage of the events in Iraq [including things written by Iraqis and the Americans] and form my own picture of the situation there. Now, I fail to see why believing that things aren't perfect atm or that the same could lead to other, bigger problems makes me an apologist for Saddam but I'm sure you can explain that charge. In case I haven't made it clear, I'm asking you to do the same. Ritu _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
