Stripes letter by SSGT, who calls situation in Iraq "mild chaos at best"

[lebkuchen]

Iraqis must fight for freedom

How does the current war in Iraq relate to the freedom of the Iraqi people? Well, simply put, it doesn’t.

I’m serving in Mosul, Iraq, so I’ve seen what the Iraqi people do with the American brand of freedom. When early Americans wanted freedom from English rule, they fought for it. When early Mexicans wanted their freedom from Spain, they fought for it. When early Scots wanted their freedom from the English, they fought for it. When blacks and other minorities wanted freedom from slavery and other racist policies, they fought for it.

Other than the Kurds in the north, who fought for the freedom of the Iraqi people? Yes, America did.

The Iraqis will not know what to do with freedom until they have to fight for it. You can’t just give it to them on a silver platter. America should be the helping hand of freedom, not the rock. The rock comes from the people seeking freedom.

Look at the situation in the country now. At best, it’s mild chaos. The Iraqi people don’t see us as liberators. We are occupiers. Liberators liberate and then leave. We seem to be having a problem with the latter. The Iraqi people may have hated Saddam, but they hate us more. That’s why my fellow soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines are dying.

There are two things they hate most in this part of the world. The first is Jews, and the second is the West. America is the poster child of the West. How can you liberate that? You can’t.

Staff Sgt. Kevin Washington
Mosul, Iraq

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=29867

[Rick Myers]

1. Sorry Sarge, The Dickster says everything is fine...

:grr:

Excellent letter!!! I'm sure he's on Rummy's Shit List now!!!

[BlueEyedSon]

2. If we leave, who will watch "our" oil?

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Ok Sarge with not to many words

you just defined Colonialism

[Spazito]

4. Wow

"The Iraqi people don’t see us as liberators. We are occupiers. Liberators liberate and then leave. We seem to be having a problem with the latter. The Iraqi people may have hated Saddam, but they hate us more. That’s why my fellow soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines are dying."

The truth in a nutshell.

[Cha]

5. This needs to be a National Soundbite!

"The Iraqi people may have hated Saddam, but they hate us more. That’s why my fellow soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines are dying."

Thanks, lebkuchen, for this.

[Jacobin]

6. What does this moron know?

Just because he served in the armed forces in Iraq, that doesn't give him any insight into what its really like on the ground.

Yours heterosexually

Donald Rumsfeld

:evilgrin:

[justinsb]

7. If you have a god you pray to

Pray for this man...he could change everything for young soldiers

http://www.jeremyhinzman.net/

When the smoke clears 'just following orders' won't excuse anything that happens over there.

[true_notes]

8. He'd Better Watch it

He'll be with me going to NJP, and possibly court martial. Since he's in a war zone, he might have a fucking nut as a judge and be strung up just like that.

I might bitch and moan about current military state, but guys like this deserve the utmost respect. Problem is, he probaly voted for Bush. I know lots like him.

[Fridays Child]

9. Kicked and nominated