Letters from Baghdad

[Clodfobble]

Honestly, that's not as decadent-looking as I'd imagined. Just looks like your average museum...

[xoxoxoBruce]

All 48 palaces Saddam built after the first Gulf War could pass for Vegas hotels/casinos.

[yesman065]

Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 10:57:34 +0400

It is a different world out on the main streets of Baghdad. Here is a
clip that was put out on the news. Yesterday the weather was nice, only @ 108 degrees. The day was pretty quite, a soccer game was going on outside the complex in the "Red Zone" between a couple of local Iraqi soccer teams, (High school type teams I believe) Here in Iraq people celebrate things by shooting off weapons in the air, (of course towards us here in the "green zone") Well it looks like" team A" won the soccer game and their fans started shooting of their AK-47's, in the direction of the embassy so I ran inside, real quick! It seemed a little bit later a medic had to go and help an ambulance crew for it seemed that a fan of "team A" was happy that they won the game. A fan of "team B" was upset in the celebration that this "team A" fan was doing so he decided to "hose" him down with his AK-47, and he did. No one arrested, no crime I guess. I know Philadelphia Eagles fans can be pretty bad, but not like this!!!

It just seems a bit crazy to me. You try to encourage people to get
out and go to safe area, (as safe has you can get it here in Baghdad)
with their families and neighbors and try to enjoy life so they can find
some happiness in the area. They seem to have a good time and end up shooting up the place! You got the "Baghdad Rocket Man" doing his thing, maybe everybody should just mellow out and go to a Grateful Dead Concert!

Now I know the Philadelphia Philles have lost 10,000 games, but I have not heard of those fans doing anything like this. This is one of those culture/diversity things that can stay here in Iraq!!

Take care and get ready for the football season coming up!

CDR "Downtown Baghdad"

[yesman065]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Honestly, that's not as decadent-looking as I'd imagined. Just looks like your average museum...

I agree Clod - there are other pics I have that all look "really nice" Nothing too outlandish to me although I hear that after the looting and whatnot a lot of the "really insane" over-the-top stuff was stolen.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

All 48 palaces Saddam built after the first Gulf War could pass for Vegas hotels/casinos.

Now most of them are US bases. poor fella.

[yesman065]

That doesn't make me feel any better - He's dead and gone - Whats the average Iraqi think about us doing that? They are the ones we are supposedly there for - remember?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Oooooh! So that's why were there.

[yesman065]

"They are the ones we are supposedly there for - remember?"
Comment withdrawn - my bad.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Well, it's a good reminder of the difference between the reasons we were given for going there, and the current, we broke it, how will we fix it, dilemma we're in.

That is our damn dilemma, too. I'd love to simply walk away, but my sense of right and wrong tells me that wouldn't be fair play.

[Griff]

Back to yesmans friend- The thing that always gets me is the incredible amount of gear these guys are carrying in 115 degree heat. It's friggin insane.

[yesman065]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Well, it's a good reminder of the difference between the reasons we were given for going there, and the current, we broke it, how will we fix it, dilemma we're in.

That is our damn dilemma, too. I'd love to simply walk away, but my sense of right and wrong tells me that wouldn't be fair play.

I don't know if we broke it or we just realized, after being there, how effed up it was. Either way, the situation cannot continue and if we can help, I believe we should.

I also agree that we cannot just simply walk away - that would be the worst thing to do. I would like nothing more than for every soldier to come home, but that is not going to happen.

[yesman065]

Yeah Griff - he was telling me that after just having it on for 10 - 20 minutes he was tired simply walking - and that was before he got into the heat. Motor function, dexterity and mobility drop way down making me wonder how these guys fight a war with all of it.

[piercehawkeye45]

I agree walking away would be devastating and I really do help things go for the best for the Iraqis and everyone else in Middle East and the world but the question is practicality. We have just found out that we do not have unlimited power and can not do everything we want the hard way so we can not ask what should we do but what can we do.

As long as the Iraqi nationalists are on our side (other groups are waiting the results of 1920) we should stay but if things do go wrong, which is a good chance since there are many tensions between them and the Iraqi police, we need to ask what is practical.

If 1920 does fail, I am not totally convinced that by us staying there will solve anything, but just prolong the inevitable.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

I agree walking away would be devastating and I really do help things go for the best for the Iraqis and everyone else in Middle East and the world but the question is practicality. We have just found out that we do not have unlimited power and can not do everything we want the hard way so we can not ask what should we do but what can we do.

As long as the Iraqi nationalists are on our side (other groups are waiting the results of 1920) we should stay but if things do go wrong, which is a good chance since there are many tensions between them and the Iraqi police, we need to ask what is practical.

If 1920 does fail, I am not totally convinced that by us staying there will solve anything, but just prolong the inevitable.

I suspect we will be there in some capacity for many years to come, in force or otherwise.

[yesman065]

We know we'll be there in some form for years to come no one denies that - dem or reaper-publican - thats a freakin' given. The question is - In what capacity?