The Iraqis have nothing to lose

Dear Friends,

 

As Scott Ritter writes in Al Jazeera, - evidently no western paper will publish this former UN inspector in Iraq, the attempt to overwhelm the "insurgents" in Fallujah is like squeezing jello.  They slip through the net and go off to fight the mighty US army somewhere else.

 

The Iraqis didn't have much when the invasion began at the end of March 2003.  They had suffered through Saddam, Gulf War I which killed 100,000 young Iraqi men, and the sanctions, which killed 500,000 Iraqi children.  Still, they maintained an advanced culture, with dignity and grace.  They had functioning cities and villages, high tech medical centers and low tech farms.

 

Now they have almost nothing.  Their cities are in ruins, their cultural heritage is scattered, their hospitals are targeted, and the lack of security is so great that it is hard to live a normal life.   Basic services such as water and electricity are intermittent at best.

 

Then there is the specter of radioactivity.  No one is quite sure how bad it is, how widespread, how lethal, because the US army refuses to deal with it.  But women continue to miscarry, and babies continue to be born deformed.

 

The Iraqi people have no illusions about democracy.  They know that Allawi is a US puppet, and that the "constitution" they were given puts all of their national assets, such as oil, on the auction block to western companies.  More and more groups are planning to boycott the elections in January.

 

Why shouldn't they fight for their country?  What alternative do they have?  What would we do if we were in their shoes?

 

Peace,  Carol Wolman

 

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/718AE278-58EE-431F-8045-5A3F505021B8.htm