Now you're going to see me disarming some extremely ludicrous negativity about Iraq. As is obvious, I don't think we should be there. As is obvious, I do think we're there acting like an occupation force. But this -
this is ridiculous:
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Whispers of "revolution" are growing louder in Baghdad this month at teahouses, public protests and tribal meetings as Iraqis point to the past as an omen for the future.
Iraqis remember 1920 as one of the most glorious moments in modern history, one followed by nearly eight decades of tumult. The bloody rebellion against British rule that year is memorialized in schoolbooks, monuments and mass-produced tapestries that hang in living rooms.
Now, many say there's an uncanny similarity with today: unpopular foreign occupiers, unelected governing bodies and unhappy residents eager for self-determination. The result could be another bloody uprising.
"We are now under occupation, and the best treatment for a wound is sometimes fire," said Najah al Najafi, a Shiite cleric who joined thousands of marchers at a recent demonstration where construction workers, tribal leaders and religious scholars spoke of 1920.
...
"If Sistani called for revolution, I would sacrifice my life for the good of my country," said Hamdiya al Niemi, a 27-year-old street vendor whose father raised her on stories of the 1920 uprising. "My father was so proud talking about that time, how we kicked out the British and how we should never allow foreigners to rule our land."
So - allow me to get this straight - this much celebrated bloody revolution of 1920 against the British was a time when the Iraqi people rose up against an occupation force. They prevailed and freed themselves... only to then be taken over by Saddam a while later. He then ruled for several decades, and there weren't any real revolutions. But now, the Americans are there, and all of a sudden they're going to start another revolution?
I don't think so.
And even if that were the case, the Iraqis would just make themselves look like idiots. You're going to let Saddam brutalize you, then revolt against the Americans and compare them to the British? Look, we shouldn't have been there, and neither should the Brits, but listen, folks, even the two TOGETHER aren't Saddam.
Read more of my thoughts at Dirty Greek Dot Org
