I've been meaning to post about the Iraqi election since it happened, but haven't found the time. In short, I was so completely moved by what I saw on Sunday. What a gift these Iraqi people have been given. This is the first time they've voted--ever! On Saturday night, upon hearing how many were turning out in defiance of numerous terrorist threats, I couldn't help but think of the agony this must be for Saddam. I wanted to hear that every news station reporting on it was blaring in his cell; I wanted to hear that he could hear the singing and dancing of the people he once so brutally oppressed. I wanted to know that he was going crazy with anger because he has officially been cast down and the people will dance upon his grave. What a victory.
There are a few phenomenal articles and blogs written by Iraqis that I thought I might link. The first is an article in the New York Sun called "Eight v. 8 Million"; great piece.
Here are some Iraqi blogs:
Iraq the Model
Democracy in Iraq
News from Bagdad-- a soldier's point of view
There are many others you can check out on these sites or on LGF if you're interested, which I would hope is the case.
Dee:
You say that without corporations we would be a third world country. But we were not a third world country before we had corporations. Until the 20th century the economy consisted mostly of farming and artisanal manufacture. That's not to say that we should go back, but it is to substitute the actual historical impact of corporations for the comparison to present-day third world countries. The condition of those countries should be understood as part of the global system of which corporations are a part, not as the absence of corporations.
Peter:
Vietnam was not a war against a communist invasion. It was a colonial war against national liberation. In the documentary The Fog of War, Robert McNamara, who was secretary of defense during the escalation of the U.S. involvement, has explained that he came to this conclusion after having many years to reflect on it. Viewing it as a cold war conflict between capitalism and communism, he said, was a fundamental mistake that put the U.S. in an unwinnable position.
Viewing the Iraq war as a war against terrorism--a battle in the global war on terrorism--is an analogous misreading because it is in fact a war against the occupation. This is not to say that the forces fighting the U.S. would establish a democratic government, or even that we should cut and run, but it is to say that we should call it what it is, to avoid any distortions to policy.
Zach and Rocky: I agree that you should try to be brief and polite. It will make what you are saying more persuasive.
Posted by: ziggy at February 26, 2005 11:47 AMZach, did you not read my post? No more chat room talks. You can comment on what I write, but this is highly infantile now and I'm tired of it. Learn to debate respectfully, logically and intelligently before you tear others down for being "ignorant." In the meantime, stick to commenting on what I write.
I copied and pasted all of the comments and it filled 44 pages on Microsoft Word. 44 PAGES. That's ridiculous and the reason I'm telling you this...
THIS THREAD IS CLOSED PEOPLE. NO MORE COMMENTS ON HERE. THEY WILL BE DELETED.
Posted by: Emily at February 26, 2005 04:27 PMShe meant Ziggy, sorry.
Posted by: Jon at February 28, 2005 09:23 AMNo, she meant Zach. Ziggy is great to dialogue with regardless of our differing pov's.
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Posted by: Dee at February 28, 2005 09:57 AMplease delete the last three post, thanks
Posted by: Jon at February 28, 2005 11:10 AM
