Americans try to paint over Iraqi ethnic tensions

[True_Blue]

KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - On a lonely road on the outskirts of Kirkuk, a small blue van flanked by a U.S. convoy pulls up alongside a concrete wall in the middle of the night.

Three Iraqis jump out, paint pots and brushes in hand, and, under the gaze of half a dozen soldiers with flashlights, furiously paint over a large Kurdish flag daubed on the wall.

Their job done, they jump back in the van and the convoy heads back towards the city.

This is "Team Paint", set up by the U.S. military to obliterate many of the flags, symbols and slogans that cover the walls of Iraq's most ethnically diverse city.

more....
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-02-12T165011Z_01_ULL260572_RTRUKOC_0_IRAQ-FLAGS.xml

[VegasWolf]

1. Do we have enough painters to win hearts and souls? How incompetent

can one administration be? King Bush the Failure II.

[lasttrip]

2. "We're just trying to establish one standard

across the board for all ethnicities."

truly pathetic.

[Barrett808]

3. Freedom of speech alive and well in Iraq

Bush-style freedom of speech.

This may be the most pathetic thing I've read in awhile. We are going down so hard...

[cliss]

9. This is almos as bad.....

as "election day" in Iraq, when the US had tanks out and about, blaring recorded messages to the Iraqi people, to get out and vote, "for Freedom", "For Family", etc etc ad nauseum.

It just seemed so incredibly pitiful to me, so pathetic. Here we are, spending $1 billion dollars a week, and to do WHAT?

[Redstone]

4. Oh, great. Our newest high-tech weapon...

the paint brush.

What will these military geniuses think of next?

Redstone

[Rockerdem]

5. Theres a civil war going on and everyone is pretending its not

There are about 25 Shiites being killed by Sunnis every day just because of who they are. And the Shiites are beginning to respond, albeit on a more targeted basis. Yet it gets ignored for some reason. Major denial.

[w4rma]

6. Americans aren't. The GOP leadership is. These headlines should

only be used for international use. In domestic use they are pushing a POV favorable to the majority pary.

[MsMagnificent]

7. Iraqi Freedom

...and to get to that level, America's next.

Can't wait. :cry:

[LinuxInsurgent]

8. this is just dumb...

yeah...like i would like Americans coming over to my country and painting over town, party, or other non-national flags in my neighborhood...

Maybe we should paint over the Texas Flag...let's see how the Texans like it...or let's paint over the Confederate Flag in the South...let's see how that goes over...

this sounds REAL stupid.

[applegrove]

10. America may want to try that at home!