Freedom to sneer

[Robbien]

By MIKE MARSHALL
Register Editor

YOUSEFIYA, Iraq -- American soldiers liberated this village from the subjugation of Saddam Hussein, but you wouldn't know it by the way townspeople look at those soldiers -- with utter contempt.

Friday, as a column of three Humvees, three Bradley Fighting Vehicles and two M-1 tanks rolled through the Yousefiya market, Iraqis along the streets either turned away, gave the soldiers dark sidelong glances or just sneered at them unabashedly. A few younger villagers clumsily attempted America's favorite obscene gesture or deftly displayed the finger-wiggling Iraqi equivalent.

Nobody waved.

http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1086599701171710.xml

this is a very interesting article. It describes in detail the US/Iraqi interactions and how little cooperation the US troops receive from Iraqis.